Title: Paws and Cud / Leviticus 11:1-8
content and cud
Leviticus 11:1-8, Romans 12:1-2
Those who follow the Bible course we are going to read will be reading the book of Leviticus from today. The book of Leviticus is a book that requires some patience for us to read today. This is because there are various sacrificial regulations and old customs that are completely different from our lifestyle. But while reading Leviticus, we can hear the clear message of God. It is the message of 'the consecrated life of God's people'. God's people are living in the world, but they are saying that they must live sanctified.
Leviticus has a number of rules from the very beginning. You can read the rites.
The word burnt offering comes out. It is a type of sacrifice in which all sacrifices are put on the altar and burned.
There is the word sacrificial. The offering of grain as a sacrifice is called a grain offering.
There is a word called reconciliation. Today, it is a thanksgiving service.
It is said to be a sin offering. It is a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins committed.
It is said to be a fast-drying agent. It is a ritual to purify the body or objects when they become unclean.
The rules of these rituals are presented in different ways. There are detailed rules on how to offer a certain sacrifice. These rules had to be followed very carefully. In some cases, Aaron's sons Nadab and Habihu died while offering incense in a fire other than a separate fire. Even if he touched an unclean thing or blood, he had to keep the rite of purification all day, or seven days, because he was unclean.
These rules are rules we don't follow today, and old rules we don't even know about. So, are these words useless words that we do not need to read? no. As we read these regulations, there is the Word of God that pools in our hearts as if it were a sap. It is the same truth as the truth of the 'separated life of God's people. Those regulations are not for us today, of course, nor are the current regulations that the Israelites observe or practice. After all, the temple itself is gone. That is why we cannot offer burnt offerings, peace offerings, or sin offerings in the old way on the altar in the temple courtyard. But through these regulations, we hear the voice of God speaking deep in our hearts. It is about living separately.
The heart of the Word given to us in both the Old and New Testaments is the sanctified life of God's people. It is saying that God's people who have been saved must live separate lives. In today's text, two representatives are symbolically spoken of.
Eat only the meat of prickly animals.
Eat only chewing meat.
What is this? It means a split hoof in the foot. If you look closely at the feet of the animal, there are several types. Look at the feet of a representative livestock, a cow. It's not made of toes, it's made of heels. And the heel is split in two. This kind of foot is called a split-toe foot, a split-toe foot, that's why it is called a jjok foot. What about horses that are the same livestock? Horses are not toes, but curved hooves, but not forked. It's a trap. These feet are not paws. How about a rabbit? A rabbit's feet are not called heels. Rabbit's feet have toes and claws at the end of the toes. These feet are not paws.
He told them to only eat the meat of animals that had become inked like this. This is no longer a rule we follow, but its spiritual meaning is very precious. These verses symbolically contain the theme of Leviticus in a spiritual sense: to live distinctly and consecrated. To become jagged means that the heel is split. This means that this and that one are not the same, but are distinct. It is saying that this side and that side are not a single lump. They are separated from each other and are facing in different directions. This is what makes us realize that the saints live in the world but need to be separated from the world. Just because everyone goes that way doesn't mean they'll be swept away without discernment. It is to consider whether this is in accordance with God's will or not, and to discern in the light of God's Word. Just because everyone goes on a broad road doesn't mean they run together. Although it is narrow and narrow, it is the life of a saint to discern the way of life. Just because everything is good doesn't necessarily mean it's good. Just because everyone hates it doesn't mean I'm going to turn away. You have to look around to see if it is God's will or not. That's a separate way of life.
Do not imitate this generation
be transformed only by renewing the mind
Living sensibly and distinctly is the true Christian life, and it is the life of broken faith.
If you do not discriminate and follow any sound and answer it, you may end up with this kind of result. I have to discern which sound I have to follow. If you say 'yes' to any sound and follow it, you will be drawn away by the sweet voice of Satan and eventually fall into the path of destruction. A crooked faith, a crooked life, a separated life That is the true Christian life.
What does chewing the cud mean? If you look at the way animals eat, they eat two kinds. Most herbivores in particular chew the cud. It is said that chewing the cud is not eating grass after chewing it, swallowing it or swallowing it, but crushing it into small pieces and eating it. A typical example of this is what cows eat. Cows eat grass by putting grass in their mouths and waving their upper and lower jaws from side to side. But what about pigs? He staggers his chin up and down to eat. In other words, it is eaten by chewing it up and down. That is why pigs, although having short feet, were classified as meat that the Israelites could not eat. The chewing beast never gulps food. I always grind it with my upper and lower teeth to make it fine and eat it.
In God's word, which tells us to eat only the flesh of animals that chew the cud, we realize our spiritual attitude. A true Christian realizes that he should not live like a gulp of anything. I realize that I have to live in the world with an attitude of always chewing the cud. Don't cows even chew the cud? In order to live a separate life, you must always look back on your own life. It is the life of a saint to look back on one's life in the light of the Word to see if this is the case. It's not about living as you go. Even saints sometimes live in vain. Life is not that simple. Therefore, there are many times when it is impossible to examine, think, and act every time. But the saint must come back and chew his life, his own life. Am I living righteously before God? Am I headed in the right direction in my life? How was my life last week? Has my life become a light today? A life without the cud cannot be the life of God's people. When there is a time to chew the cud by looking into the Word and humbly looking into one's soul, that life becomes a holy life.
your body, which you have received from God
Don't you know that it is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you?
You are not yours, but you have been bought with a price.
Then glorify God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
It is a faith that chews the cud, a faith that looks into one's soul. Saints, take time to look into your own soul. Take time to face God. Take time to chew the cud. Time to read the Bible--It is a good time to chew the cud. A time to pray--It is a time to face God. The time of worship can also be a time to open the eyes of the spirit. When you live by looking into your own soul instead of being immersed in the world, that soul becomes a healthy and beautiful soul. Belief that chews the cud, I hope you have that kind of faith.
The book of Leviticus speaks of 'the sanctified life of God's people'. It doesn't matter what things are unclean, how to handle other things, and what to do with ancestral rites. There it is more important to hear God's message to live in a world set apart and sanctified. A believer should not live in the world carelessly. However, you should not be timid or passive in life. In the name of the Lord, I pray that you will become blessed saints who live in faith and live separately from the world.