God Ate Veal
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God Ate Vea
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Genesis 18:1-33 describes a time when three “men” visited Abraham. One of them was the Lord Himself—as the Angel of the Lord—and the other two were angels (Gen 18:1-2; 19:1). Abraham served them bread, butter, milk and a tender calf (Gen 18:5, 8).
That is the first record of anyone eating animal flesh and none of them were human. For this special occasion, God appeared in human form. Though He did not need food, He was pleased to accept this hospitality. Consider! Abraham must have been familiar with the task of properly preparing meat, for he knew how to quickly slaughter and dress it for unexpected guests (Gen 18:7).
The Genesis Record
When Isaac was old (Gen. 27:1) and his eyesight was failing, he sent his older son, Esau, to hunt game and prepare some “savory food” (venison according to the Authorized Version). His younger son, Jacob, “fetched” two choice young goats. Then his mother made “savory food, such as his father loved.” This proves that Isaac regularly ate certain kinds of meat and is the first record of any human doing so.
The rest of Genesis says nothing more about eating animals. We can see that, from Abraham’s time onward, the flesh and milk of certain animals did occasionally form part of a meal. As with Noah, it is clear that the animals that were eaten were of the same kinds as those sacrificed as burnt offerings.
The Book of Exodus
After the Passover, God separated the nation of Israel from the Egyptians (Ex. 11:7). He delivered them from slavery and led them through the Red Sea into the wilderness. Once there, Israel soon murmured against Moses because of hunger and thirst and yearned for the flesh pots that they had enjoyed in Egypt. God then promised them “flesh” at twilight and “bread” in the morning. The flesh He sent was quail and the bread was manna (Ex 16:12-18).
This is the Bible’s first mention of the use of birds for food. In Genesis 15:9, Abraham had been commanded to bring a turtledove and a pigeon as an offering to God, but there is no record of any birds having been eaten prior to the Exodus account.
God’s Covenant With Israel at Sinai
God set the children of Israel apart from all other nations by a covenant. This covenant made them a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex. 19:6). The entire nation heard God’s voice as He gave them the Ten Commandments. Later, through Moses, He gave them many other laws. Some pertained to the care and sacrifice of animals (Ex. 19:20-22).
Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Unclean Meat
In the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, God reveals His laws concerning what kind of meats are clean and unclean for food. His servants are commanded not to eat any unclean meat.
In both of these books, there is a “meat” chapter, in which God explains a fundamental distinction regarding animal flesh. This distinction is the same as that which Noah understood about the animals that he took into the ark.
Leviticus 11:1-47 and Deuteronomy 14:1-29 identify which categories of quadrupeds, fish and insects may be eaten. God’s instruction is emphatic and leaves no room for personal interpretation. The Bible repeatedly records God stating that certain animals are “unclean to you.” Sometimes He adds, “you may not eat of them.” Other times He says, “You shall not eat any abominable thing,” and still other times He says, “They shall be an abomination unto you.” (Certain translations use the worddetestable in place of abomination.) Finally, He often commands not to even “touch their dead carcass.”
Take the time to read these two chapters carefully! Notice how many times God repeats Himself for emphasis. There can be no mistaking the clarity of His instruction.
These chapters give examples from each of these three categories. Twenty examples of birds are given, but only of those that may not be eaten (Lev. 11:13-19). Reptiles (Lev 11:29-30), vermin (Lev 11:41-42) and other creeping things may not be eaten—except certain jumping (“leaping”) insects (Lev 11:21-22). Many kinds of fish are clean and many kinds of fish and sea creatures are not. Genesis 1:31explains that everything God created “was good”—but just not for food!
Isaiah 66:3-4 shows that people sometimes used a mixture of clean and unclean animals in sacrifice to God. Throughout the Bible, we see that none of the creatures God calls unclean were ever acceptable to Him in sacrifice.
Isaiah 65:2-5 and 66:17 show how strongly God feels about those who reject His instruction not to eat swine’s flesh and other abominable things. Most of you are familiar with the saying “holier than thou.” It comes directly from Isaiah 65:5 and is a phrase that people who eat unclean meat, including swine’s flesh, were using to excuse their actions.
God is blunt! He considers these attitudes and practices to be a noxious “smoke” entering His “nose” all day long, and that they “provoke Him to anger.”
A comprehensive list of clean and unclean creatures is included at the end of this article. However, a brief description of birds, sea creatures and land animals is critical to understand the distinctions between clean and unclean animals.
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