Clean Versus Unclean

Clean animals that the Israelites could eat . . .

Leviticus 11:3, Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.

 Leviticus 11:9, These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.

 Leviticus 11:21, Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth;

 Leviticus 11:22, Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.

Unclean animals that the Israelites could not eat . . .

Leviticus 11:4-7, Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.  And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.  And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.  7And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.

Leviticus 11:12-24, Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall bean abomination unto you.  And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;  Every raven after his kind;  And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,  And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,  And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,  And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.  All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.  But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.  And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even.  And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.  The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.  And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four,  those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even.  And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.

Leviticus 11:29-30,  These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind, And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.

The Law of Moses was very strict.  It had 2 primary functions, to teach obedience and to keep their minds towards Christ.  There were practical reasons for these dietary laws related to health and sanitation.  The Lord used diet as a teaching tool.  People may forget to pray but usually do not forget to eat.  Each time they ate, they could remember the Lord.  By committing to a specific diet they were committing to the Lord.  The strict Law of Moses separated the Hebrews from the Canaanite neighbor. If we are to be God’s people, we must become different from other people.  We must not be influenced by worldly influences.  The Lord wants us to be clean and pure.  Pure implies unpolluted throughout the whole thing.  Clean implies free from contamination.

Modern day revelation pertaining to what the Lord ordained for the use of man . . .

D&C 89:6, And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make.

 D&C 89:10-17, And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man— Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving. Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used spareingly; And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine. All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth; And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger. All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground— Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.

Modern day revelation pertaining to what the Lord has restricted . . .

D&C 89:5, That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him.

 D&C 89:7-9, And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies. And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill. And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.

D&C 89:12, Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used spareingly;

The Lord wants to sanctify us and make us holy.  There needs to be a separation between clean and unclean.  When we partake of that which is clean, it helps keep us clean.  When we partake of that which is unclean, it draws away our cleanliness.  Our bodies are a temple created for us by our Heavenly Father.  If we want the Lord to be with us and the Holy Ghost to be our constant companion, we must be clean and pure.  They cannot dwell in unholy places.  There are promises that will be given to us if we keep these words of wisdom like health in the navel and marrow in the bones, finding great treasures of wisdom and knowledge, running and not being weary, walking and not fainting, and the destroying angel shall pass us by, just as the children of Israel. (D&C 89:18-20)  By following these words of wisdom given to us by the Lord we are committing to Him.  We are making our bodies more clean and holy, a place where the Holy Ghost can dwell.  Following the word of wisdom is part of the sanctification process.  One way I could commit to living the word of wisdom better is to eat more whole and natural food.  I need to give up more processed food.