Question:
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
Answer:
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 shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17-19). We do not observe the Sabbath day, because it was fulfilled in Christ (He is our rest). “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ” (Colossians 2:14-17).
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.