Contact as Believers
An Exposition on Leviticus 11: What We Consume Determines Our Holiness
Leviticus 11 is about eating. What we eat comes from outside, we consume it, and it becomes part of us. Our interaction in daily life is consumption of our spiritual man. What we see, listen to, and talk about is all feeding our being. What we feed on determines our holiness to the Lord.
"Speak to the children of Israel, saying, These are the animals which you may eat among all the beasts that are on the earth." — Leviticus 11:2
The Split Hoof: Discerning Good from Evil
"Whatever has a divided hoof, that is, has its hoof split in two, and chews the cud among the beasts, that you may eat." (Leviticus 11:3)
The split hoof represents the ability to divide and discern—separating good from evil, truth from error, godly friends from worldly influences. A clean animal must have this characteristic. As believers, we must learn to discern what we allow into our lives.
Chewing the Cud: Meditation on God's Word
Chewing the cud speaks of meditation—taking in the Word of God and continually pondering it, delighting oneself in the Lord and His truth. It's not enough to hear the Word once; we must chew on it, digest it, and let it become part of us.
The camel chews the cud but doesn't have a split hoof—it consumes without discernment. This is dangerous! We must both meditate on truth AND discern what we consume.
Fins and Scales: Moving Away from Evil
"Anything in the water that does not have fins or scales is an abomination to you." (Leviticus 11:12)
Fins represent the ability to move away from evil—exercising self-control, not buckling under peer pressure, swimming against the current when necessary. A fish with fins can navigate and flee from danger.
Scales represent protection from worldly contamination—living in the world but not of the world, doing business with people but not indulging in their sin. Scales protect the fish while it swims in polluted waters.
Clean Fish vs. Unclean Creatures
Fish without fins or scales—like eels, catfish, and shellfish—live at the bottom, feeding on waste and dead matter. They represent believers who cannot move away from sin and lack protection from worldly influence.
As saints, we need both fins to swim away from evil and scales to protect us from contamination while living in this world.
"And these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten; they are an abomination: the great vulture and the bearded vulture and the black vulture." — Leviticus 11:13
Birds Eat Seed: Feeding on Life
Clean birds eat seeds—representing life and the Word of God. Holiness requires saints to feed on the Word of God which is alive, to feed on Jesus who is the Seed of God, the living Bread from heaven.
Vultures eat dead meat—representing worldliness and rotten content. Notice that vultures are different from clean birds. They feed on death and decay. What are you feeding on? Living seed or dead carcasses?
Remember: Noah's raven went out and ate carcasses, never returning. But the dove brought back the olive shoot—a sign of new life!
Insects That Leap: Fleeing from Sin
"Yet these you may eat of all flying insects that go on all fours, which have legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth." (Leviticus 11:21)
Insects that go on all fours represent worldly content that can't walk away from sin. These cannot be eaten—except if they can leap!
Grasshoppers have legs that leap. They are clean because they flee from sin instantly. If your friends can't leap away from sin, you need to leave them behind. Associate with those who have the spiritual ability to jump away from evil when it appears!
The Power to Leap
A grasshopper doesn't gradually walk away from danger—it leaps instantly. This is how we should respond to sin and temptation. Not lingering, not negotiating, not slowly drifting—but an immediate, powerful leap away from evil.
Do you have legs that leap? Can you instantly flee from compromising situations? This is the mark of spiritual discernment.
Swarming Things: Cursed to the Ground
"And these are unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the earth: the weasel and the mouse and the great lizard of every kind, and the gecko and the land crocodile and the lizard and the sand lizard and the chameleon." (Leviticus 11:29-30)
Swarming animals are earthy—they cannot divorce themselves from the ground. They are like the serpent, cursed to go on its belly. These represent earthly-minded people and influences that cannot rise above their fleshly nature. Avoid consuming such content!
Springs and Living Water
"Nevertheless a spring or a cistern collecting water shall be clean, but whatever touches their carcass shall be unclean. And if any part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing, which is to be sown, it is clean." (Leviticus 11:36-37)
As saints, we need the living water and springing water which cleanses us from worldly contamination. Dead things cannot pollute a flowing spring—the constant flow of fresh water purifies it.
The seed is Jesus, who came to earth, died, resurrected, and multiplied Himself. Because the seed is alive, because Christ is alive, He overcomes sin in us. Even if death touches the seed, life prevails!
The Spring That Never Stops Flowing
A spring represents continual refreshing from the Holy Spirit. Stagnant water becomes polluted, but a spring constantly brings fresh, clean water from the source.
Are you drinking from stagnant cisterns of worldly wisdom, or are you connected to the ever-flowing spring of God's presence?
Application: Guard What You Consume
The lesson is clear: What we consume spiritually determines our holiness. Our contact with the world—what we watch, listen to, read, and who we associate with—all become part of us.
Ask yourself:
- Do I have a split hoof—can I discern good from evil in my relationships and content?
- Do I chew the cud—do I meditate on God's Word daily?
- Do I have fins—can I swim away from temptation and peer pressure?
- Do I have scales—am I protected from worldly contamination?
- Do I feed on living seed or dead carcasses?
- Can I leap instantly away from sin?
- Am I drinking from the living spring of the Holy Spirit?
Be holy, for I am holy. This is not about legalism—it's about life. What you consume becomes part of you. Choose wisely.
Key Scriptures
Leviticus 11:2 — Animals you may eat
Leviticus 11:3-4 — Split hoof and chewing the cud
Leviticus 11:12 — Fins and scales
Leviticus 11:13 — Unclean birds
Leviticus 11:15 — Every raven
Leviticus 11:21 — Insects that leap
Leviticus 11:29-30 — Swarming things
Leviticus 11:36-37 — Springs and living water