Leviticus 11: Clean and Unclean Foods in Ellen White's Writings

Leviticus 11

1 And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them,

2 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which you shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.

3 Whatever parts the hoof, and is cloven footed, and chews the cud, among the beasts, that shall you eat.

4 Nevertheless these shall you not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he chews the cud, but divides not the hoof; he is unclean to you.

5 And the coney, because he chews the cud, but divides not the hoof; he is unclean to you.

6 And the hare, because he chews the cud, but divides not the hoof; he is unclean to you.

7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven footed, yet he chews not the cud; he is unclean to you.

8 Of their flesh shall you not eat, and their carcass shall you not touch; they are unclean to you.

9 These shall you eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall you eat.

10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination to you:

11 They shall be even an abomination to you; you shall not eat of their flesh, but you shall have their carcasses in abomination.

12 Whatever has no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination to you.

13 And these are they which you shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,

14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;

15 Every raven after his kind;

16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,

17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,

19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

20 All fowls that creep, going on all four, shall be an abomination to you.

21 Yet these may you eat of every flying creeping thing that goes on all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap with on the earth;

22 Even these of them you may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.

23 But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination to you.

24 And for these you shall be unclean: whoever touches the carcass of them shall be unclean until the even.

25 And whoever bears any of the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.

26 The carcasses of every beast which divides the hoof, and is not cloven footed, nor chews the cud, are unclean to you: every one that touches them shall be unclean.

27 And whatever goes on his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean to you: whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the even.

28 And he that bears the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean to you.

29 These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind,

30 And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.

31 These are unclean to you among all that creep: whoever does touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even.

32 And on whatever any of them, when they are dead, does fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed.

33 And every earthen vessel, into where any of them falls, whatever is in it shall be unclean; and you shall break it.

34 Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water comes shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.

35 And every thing whereupon any part of their carcass falls shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean and shall be unclean to you.

36 Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which touches their carcass shall be unclean.

37 And if any part of their carcass fall on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.

38 But if any water be put on the seed, and any part of their carcass fall thereon, it shall be unclean to you.

39 And if any beast, of which you may eat, die; he that touches the carcass thereof shall be unclean until the even.

40 And he that eats of the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that bears the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.

41 And every creeping thing that creeps on the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.

42 Whatever goes on the belly, and whatever goes on all four, or whatever has more feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth, them you shall not eat; for they are an abomination.

43 You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps, neither shall you make yourselves unclean with them, that you should be defiled thereby.

44 For I am the LORD your God: you shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall you defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

45 For I am the LORD that brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: you shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

46 This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth:

47 To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.

Leviticus 11 outlines a divine distinction between clean and unclean foods, which was not a merely ceremonial or arbitrary rule, but was based upon profound sanitary principles designed to preserve physical, mental, and spiritual healthMR852 3.1+2. God lovingly provided these dietary guidelines not to exercise an arbitrary authority, but to protect humanity from disease and to promote holiness Leviticus 11:44-45ST March 21, 1878, par. 3.

Here is a detailed explanation of the principles of Leviticus 11 and the profound health benefits behind the distinction between clean and unclean foods:

📖 The Biblical Criteria for Clean and Unclean Animals

God provided clear, physical markers so His people could easily distinguish between which animals were safe to eat and which were harmful:

• Land Animals: For a land animal to be considered clean, it must part the hoof, be cloven-footed, and chew the cud Leviticus 11:3+1. Animals that lack one or both of these characteristics, such as the camel, the coney, and the hare, are unclean and must not be eaten Leviticus 11:4-6+1.

• Water Creatures: Clean aquatic animals are strictly those that have both fins and scales Leviticus 11:9+1. Any creature in the waters that does not have fins and scales is an abomination and must be avoided entirely Leviticus 11:10-12+1.

• Birds and Creeping Things: God explicitly listed birds of prey, scavengers (like the eagle, vulture, and raven), and all creeping things on the earth as an abomination that defile the human body Leviticus 11:13-23+2.

🌿 Based on Natural Law and Sanitary Principles

Unlike the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament that pointed forward to Christ, or the civil laws governing the Jewish theocracy, these health laws were based on natural law and apply to all agesMR852 1.1. The marvelous vitality and exceptional health enjoyed by the Jewish people over thousands of years can be directly traced to their careful observance of these dietary distinctionsMR852 3.1+2.

🐖 The Dangers of Unclean Meats (The Swine)

The pig is specifically highlighted in scripture as an unclean animal because, although it divides the hoof, it does not chew the cud Leviticus 11:7+1. God strictly forbade the use of swine's flesh because it is entirely unfit for foodCCh 229.8+1.

• Scavenger Nature: Swine are natural scavengers designed to consume filth, making their tissues swarm with parasitesCCh 229.8+1.

• Physical Disease: Eating pork corrupts the blood and fills the human system with impurities, leading to scrofula, leprosy, cancerous humors, and a feverish state in the bodyCCh 230.1+2.

• Mental and Spiritual Clouding: The damage of pork consumption is not just physical; it blunts the finer sensibilities of the mind, enfeebles the sensitive nerves of the brain, and clouds the intellect so that sacred things cannot be clearly discerned2T 96.2+1.

🍎 God's Original Design vs. Post-Flood Permissions

While Leviticus 11 permits the eating of clean animals, flesh meat formed no part of the food provided for humanity in the beginning13LtMs, Lt 101, 1898, par. 9. God's original, ideal diet in Eden consisted entirely of fruits, nuts, grains, and vegetables13LtMs, Ms 38, 1898, par. 10+1.

It was only after the global Flood, when the earth's vegetation had been completely destroyed, that God permitted mankind to eat the flesh of clean animals to sustain lifeKC 21.2+2. However, even clean meat is not the most healthful article of food, and because animals are becoming increasingly diseased today, eating any flesh meat has become genuinely dangerousCCh 228.1+2.

✨ A Call to Purity and Holiness

The rules of Leviticus 11 are ultimately tied to our spiritual relationship with our Creator, who asks us to sanctify ourselves and be holy because He is holy Leviticus 11:44-45. It is impossible to bring a clean thing out of an unclean thing, and eating defiled food corrupts both the body and the mind Job 14:4TSDF 70.6. By paying careful attention to the laws of nature and choosing only the most wholesome, pure foods, we keep our bodies untrammeled and our minds clear, allowing us to serve God fully and appreciate His elevated truths14MR 295.3+1.