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Leviticus 11:1-8 Thoughts on unclean animals

Good afternoon Friends,

Another catch up passage.  This was for 12/7.

Want to mention another benefit to electronic study helps.  Did you know John Calvin wrote a 22 volume commentary on the Bible.  Most of us would not really care to have 22 volumes sitting on a bookshelf.  But the Resource Guide function in Olive Tree links the passage I am reading to the section of Calvin's commentary.  So when I really have a hard time with a passage, I can see what Calvin thought.  I have shared some of his thoughts today.

Blessings

Jeff 

Just thinking about the camel as unclean.  The proverbial ship of the desert.  Calvin makes distinction that it is not the animal itself that is to be considered unclean but the uses of it (eating touching dead carcass).  So it seems that using a camel for transportation which would require physical contact is not prohibited.  He makes this point in regard to conflict some propose in the Genesis account where creature God made was "good" or "very good" but here some are declared unclean.  Another situation is the fisherman.  The net would catch all kinds of fish. Some that could be eaten and others that couldn't.  Throwing the "unclean" ones back did not make the fisherman unclean.

I must admit, I have a hard time finding Christ in such passages.  Calvin also objects to spiritualizing "cloven-footed" to mean dividing the word of God rightly, or "chewing cud" as digesting the Word of God.  He also denies these restrictions are purely for health reasons.

Ultimately, such passages should be understood for what the say and we should not make too much of too little out of them.

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