DISEASES CAUSED BY UNCLEAN FOOD

Yahweh God has given us instructions of what is good food for our bodies. In the beginning fruits and herbs bearing seed were ordained for mankind but after the flood, liberty was given to eat meat. Of all the clean animals and fowl, Noah was instructed to take seven of each specie so that they would breed quickly and there would be an abundance of clean 'meats' for man to eat. Genesis 9

With the changes in the earth's canopy as a result of the flood, the vegetation was affected by the sun's rays and no longer contained the same amount of nutrition. Also, it would take time to cultivate vegetation under the new conditions. And so, man is given the liberty to eat meats, but prohibited from drinking their blood. Noah obviously understood the difference between the clean and the unclean animals (Genesis 7:2-3; 8:20).

When the descendants of Abraham came out of their time of servitude in Egypt where they were subjected to the culture of their overlords, Yahweh gave them instructions for their lives to benefit them. Part of those instructions were the foods which were clean and those which were unclean for them to eat.

"You shall therefore put a difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and you shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean." (Leviticus 20:25)

"For I am Yahweh your God: you shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be HOLY: for I am holy: neither shall you defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creeps upon the earth" (Leviticus11:44-45)

THE PIG

"The Swine, though he divides the hoof, and be cloven-footed, yet he chews not the cud; he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall you not eat, and their carcass shall you not touch" (Leviticus 11:7-8).

WILD AND DOMESTIC ANIMALS

"The carcass of any animal that divides the foot, but is not cloven-hoofed or does not chew the cud is unclean to you ... And whatever goes on its paws, among all kinds of animals that go on all fours, these are unclean to you." (Leviticus 11:26-28)

Of those that "move about on the ground," which may not be eaten include such things as bears, lions, tigers, leopards, mountain lions , camel, horse, kangaroo, wallaby, possums, donkey, wombat, beaver, weasels, the mouse, the mole, prairie dogs, gophers, ferret, hare, rabbit and the rock hyrax and whatever else does not chew its cud and have divided hooves

FOWLS OF THE AIR

The clean species of birds have a 'crop" which prepares the grain and food before entering its stomach and a gizzard with a double lining which can be separated. They bring their food to the ground and divide it with their bills. They have a toe-spread, so that three front ones can be on one side of a perch, and a hind one at the back.

"And these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten: the eagle, the hawk, the vulture, the red kite, the black kite, all owls, all ravens, the cormorant, osprey, storks, pelicans, falcons, ravens, cuckoos, woodpeckers, parrots, ostrich, emu, herons, the hoopoe bats, the sea gulls (and all other aquatic and wading birds, excluding the swan and ducks). [The Hebrew word teshemet does not mean "swan", but rather refers to both a water hen and a species of owl] Leviticus 11:13-19

Unclean birds will devour their food in the air or press it down with their feet and tear it apart with their bills as they have a different digestive system. Birds who lack any of the specifications for clean birds, fall into the unclean category.

SEA CREATURES

Of those that live in the water (including fish) only those that have fins and scales may be eaten.

"But all in the seas or the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing that is in the water, they are an abomination to you." (Leviticus 11:10)

All crustaceans and mollusk shellfish have no scales and are therefore unclean. These include shrimp/prawns, lobster, scallops, mussels, oysters, squid, octopus, crabs and other shellfish) is not clean. Some "fin fish" do not have scales (e.g. various types of tuna - blue fin and yellow fin are clean) and therefore are also included amongst the Biblical unclean foods.

INSECTS

"All flying insects that creep on all fours shall be an abomination to you. Yet these you may eat of every flying insect which creeps on all fours: those that have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth. These you may eat: the locust after its kind, the destroying locust after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind." But all other flying insects which have four feet shall be an abomination to you." (Leviticus 11:20-23)

Of the insects, only the locust, the cricket and the grasshopper are kosher/clean (winged creatures that walk on all fours and have jointed legs for hopping on the ground). All other insects are unclean for human consumption.

CREEPING THINGS

"And every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten".

"You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps, neither shall you make yourselves unclean with them, that you should be defiled thereby" (Leviticus 11:41, 43)

This includes multiple-footed creatures such as caterpillars, snakes, eels, worms, lizards ,chameleon and snails

As YAHAWAH said, "If you wilt diligently hearken to the voice of YAHAWAH your God, and will do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon you" (Exodus 15:26).