Previous Questions and Answers
"Is it a sin to eat your meat rare? (further questioned)"
Question:
I am interested in your answer regarding eating "rare or medium rare" meat. You
didn't really answer. You cited a passage of scripture without comment. I take that to
mean you see the verse as self revealing. If that is the case, what do you do with these
verses from the same chapter?
Leviticus
19
9 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy
field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. 10 And thou shalt not glean
thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them
for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.
19 Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle
gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall
a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.
26 Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor
observe times.
Here
I am not sure of the sentence structure to know whether the meat admonition is related to
the "enchantment" and "times" clauses. What does seem
clear to me is that if verse 26 is refering to how I order my steak, then all of these
directions must still be relevant and obeyed. I personally find that hard to accept
but I am interested to read your take on these thoughts
Many
Christians do not really know what to do with the Old Testament today. The Bible reminds us that “ALL SCRIPTURE is
given by inspiration of God, and IS PROFITABLE FOR DOCTRINE, for reproof, for correction,
FOR INSTRUCTION in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, THROUGHLY FURNISHED
UNTO ALL GOOD WORKS” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We are living in a day when “doctrine” is
being set aside for the sake of “unity” amongst people and churches. God has warned us, “Woe unto you, when all men
shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets” (Luke 6:26). God told us in His Word that this day would come. “I charge thee therefore before God, and the
Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his
kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort
with all longsuffering and doctrine. For THE TIME WILL COME WHEN THEY WILL NOT ENDURE
SOUND DOCTRINE; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having
itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto
fables” (2 Timothy 4:1-4).
The
New Testament does not just cancel out all of the Old Testament. The New Testament reveals the fulfillment of many
things in the Old Testament. “Think not
that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I AM NOT COME TO DESTROY, BUT TO
FULFIL. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall
in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore
In
regard to the first verse that you questioned, “And when ye reap the harvest of your
land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the
gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather
every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the
LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:9-10).
That
principle of remembering the poor in their needs is still in effect in the New Testament. “But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto
the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain
CONTRIBUTION FOR THE POOR saints which are at Jerusalem” (Romans 15:25-26). “And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed
to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas
the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the
circumcision. Only they would THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER THE POOR; the same which I also was
forward to do” (Galatians 2:9-10). Whether
we are farmers or factory workers, we are still told to keep that principle today. “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather
let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, THAT HE MAY HAVE TO GIVE
TO HIM THAT NEEDETH” (Ephesians 4:28).
Your
second question: “Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender
with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a
garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee” (Leviticus 19:19).
These
principles may seem out-dated to some, but they are still carefully practiced by those who
are knowledgeable in these matters. “Thou
shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind.”
Ask a farmer what the value of a pure-blood registered animal is, verses one
that is not. The value of a pure-bred animal
is much greater than the one from a line of randomly bred animals. When animals are inter-bred, they lose their
distinctive qualities, and sometimes their particular strengths against sickness, or
disease, or other health problems. I
once heard a veterinarian on a radio talk show try to discourage a woman who called in
with the idea that she was going to interbreed two certain dogs. The vet told her that such a combination results in
a dog with back trouble, etc. There is great
wisdom in following what God has stated.
“Thou
shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed…”
You may not practice this, but you had better be thankful that someone does. The seed companies are very careful to keep the
strains pure. When they plant corn that they
are going to use to sell for seed, they hire people to come in and cut off all the
tassels, just to make sure that there is no cross-breeding with any other strain. If you have ever planted certain types of melons
too close together, or certain types of squash too close together, you know the result of
seeds being “mingled.” This
principle is so important, that our government keeps a very careful “seed bank”
of seeds. Certain seeds are especially
resistant to certain types of blight, etc. If
such a thing would hit our country, it would be extremely important to have pure strains
of seeds. Across the sea, the “potato
blight” resulted in the loss of many lives. This
is an extremely important principle yet today.
“Neither
shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.” Ladies normally know much more about this matter
than men. When certain threads are mingled
together, it affects how things look after they are washed.
And God may have some other important reasons for not mixing these two, that
man does not even yet fully understand. I will
believe what God says, that it is an important principle.
“Ye
shall not eat any thing with the blood.” This
is a principle that is seen throughout the Bible. “Every
moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you
all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is THE BLOOD thereof, SHALL YE NOT
EAT” (Genesis 9:3-4). “Moreover YE
SHALL EAT NO MANNER OF BLOOD, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.
Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off
from his people” (Leviticus 7:26-27). “Therefore
I said unto the children of Israel, NO SOUL OF YOU SHALL EAT BLOOD, neither shall any
stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood” (Leviticus 17:12). “For THE LIFE OF THE FLESH IS IN THE BLOOD:
and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is
the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said unto the children of
Israel, NO SOUL OF YOU SHALL EAT BLOOD, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among
you eat blood. And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers
that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he
shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is
for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, YE SHALL EAT NO BLOOD
of no manner of flesh: FOR THE LIFE OF ALL FLESH IS IN THE BLOOD thereof: whosoever eateth
it shall be cut off” (Leviticus 17:11-14). “Notwithstanding
thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after,
according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and
the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart. ONLY YE SHALL NOT EAT
THE BLOOD; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water” (Deuteronomy 12:15-16). “And the people flew upon the spoil, and took
sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground: and THE PEOPLE DID EAT THEM WITH
THE BLOOD. Then they told Saul, saying, Behold, THE PEOPLE SIN AGAINST THE LORD, IN THAT
THEY EAT WITH THE BLOOD. And he said, Ye have transgressed: roll a great stone unto me
this day. And Saul said, Disperse yourselves
among the people, and say unto them, Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his
sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and SIN NOT AGAINST THE LORD IN EATING WITH THE BLOOD.
And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there” (1 Samuel 14:32-34).
“But that we write unto them, THAT THEY ABSTAIN from pollutions of
idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and FROM BLOOD” (Acts 15:20). “THAT YE ABSTAIN from meats offered to idols,
and FROM BLOOD, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep
yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well” (Acts 15:29). This principle is abundantly clear in the Bible. It is sin to eat meat that is rare enough to still
have the blood oozing out of it.
