The Statutes which are "health laws", as we studied last week, all fall under the main Commandment heading of "thou shalt not kill." It is possible to kill ourselves, one bite at a time. As we will see in our studies this week, there are some Statutes about what to eat that are also about honoring Yahweh as our Heavenly Father.
WEEK OF April 29-May 5, 2018: Overview of this week's Statutes (#383-405):
STATUTES #383-388:
(#383) YAHWEH’s people are not to
procrastinate about offering our first fruits to YAHWEH.
(#384) We are to
render to YAHWEH the first fruits of our produce.
(#385) We are to render unto YAHWEH
the first fruits of our juice.
(#386) We are to willingly yield unto YAHWEH the
first born of our livestock.
(#387) The first born of our livestock are given
to YAHWEH on the eighth day.
(#388) YAHWEH’s people are to consecrate their
first born sons unto YAH. Notably sons are circumcised (consecrated to YAHWEH)
on the eighth day.
Rendering first fruits unto YAHWEH is a way we recognize His
Ownership and our stewardship of what is rightfully His (Psalm 50:10 &
Exodus 13:2).
A Note About 8: Eight, in Hebrew, is the letter chet (pronounced from the back of the
throat as khāt). This is the number of grace and new beginnings. For example, the
last day of Sukkot, representing the Last Great Day (or start of the world to
come) is the eighth day of the Feast. YAHWEH reaffirmed His covenant to Abraham
eight times. There were 8 souls saved in the flood, from which to begin a new
world. And boys were circumcised on the eighth day of life showing their new
beginning in spiritual life.
STATUTES #389-390:
(#389) YAHWEH’s people are set apart,
holy sanctuaries for the indwelling Presence of YAH’s Spirit. At all times, we
are to remember this.
(#390) YAHWEH’s people are stewards and husbandmen,
caretaking their bodies in recognition of the fact that YAHWEH is the Owner of
our body temples. As caretakers of our body temples and holy people, we
are never to eat flesh that was bitten, torn, or partly devoured by animals.
Exodus 22:31 “And ye shall be holy men unto Me: neither shall ye eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field; ye
shall cast it to the dogs.”
STATUTES #391-393:
(#391) YAHWEH’s people are never to
eat the blood of any creature (See Leviticus 7:26-27). Blood is the life and
vitality of any living thing.
(#392) When we slaughter a clean animal for food,
the animal’s blood is to be poured out upon the earth.
(#393) Obedience to this
Statute, is a vital part of being physically and spiritually well.
Some
have thought that flesh needs to be completely white and bloodless in order to
fulfill this statute requirement, but this is not likely correct, due to the
way the Passover Lamb was prepared. If it were against Torah to have any
pinkness left in the meat, the Torah commands for preparing the Passover lamb
would be against the bloodless principle.
Remember YAHWEH’s people are NEVER to
eat the blood. So, eating the Passover lamb, was not an exception. From the
Passover lamb preparations, we see that the throat was to be slit (when an
animal was butchered), the blood drained, and then the meat was considered to
be free of blood, as required by the statutes, even though it would still be
pink flesh.
According to Exodus 12:6-10, the Passover Lamb was roasted whole. They
could not boil it (so there was no way to make the whole creature’s flesh turn
fully white from having zero blood). The head, legs and insides were kept
intact. This type of preparation clearly indicates that removing the blood by
merely taking out whatever blood came out from the slit throat was sufficient
to comply with this Statute.
Deuteronomy 12:23-25 “Only be sure that thou eat not the
blood: for the blood is the life;
and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh. Thou shalt not eat it; thou
shalt pour it upon the earth as water. Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and
with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.” (See also Leviticus 7:26-27)
STATUTES #394-397:
(#394) YAHWEH’s people are never to
eat the fat from any creature.
(#395) Clean animal’s fat may be used for other
uses, however.
(#396) We are also not to eat of an animal’s marrow (this
meaning is included in the meaning of “fat.”
(#397) In a figurative sense, this
statute also applies to offerings given to YAHWEH. Certainly we no longer give YAHWEH
animal sacrifices, but we do give Him offerings.
The figurative meaning of not
eating the fat from the offerings is not keeping the best for ourselves. We are
to give what is best to YAHWEH. (Judgment) Whoever eats the fat or marrow of
animals will be cut off from the Abrahamic Covenant and no longer an heir of
the Promise.
Leviticus 7:23-25 “Speak unto the children of Israel,
saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat,
of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself,
and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use:
but ye shall in no wise eat of it. For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast,
of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, even the soul that
eateth it shall be cut off
from His people.”
STATUTES #398-405:
This statute set is written specifically
about an ox, but it applies to any animal in our care. For example, if a dog
bites or harms someone, the principles of this statute apply to the dog and its
owner.
(#398) YAHWEH’s people are responsible to not own vicious animals. If an
ox (or other animal in our care) harms a person, the ox must be killed.
(#399)
Even if the killed animal is normally a clean animal (like an ox), and even if
it is correctly butchered, if the animal is killed because it harmed a person,
its flesh is not to be eaten.
(#400) If the harm to the person is a one-time
event and the owner of the animal had no warning that his creature could harm
someone, the owner of the animal is free of guilt in Heaven’s Eyes, when the
offending animal is justly slain.
(#401) However, if YAHWEH’s people have an
animal that has demonstrated aggressive tendencies in the past and we know this
and do not take pains to prevent the animal from escaping and harming someone,
then if our animal kills a person, it is counted by YAHWEH as if WE committed
the murder ourselves.
(#402) If an animal pushes someone’s child or employee
(first time offense), but the person isn’t slain, the animal’s owner is to kill
the animal and pay any and all medical bills and damages according to a just
judgment.
(#403) If we have an open pit on our land (which we should have taken
pains to cover), and a neighbor’s animal falls into the pit and dies, we are to
pay the owner for the value of the lost animal. The animal’s body then belongs
to the landowner with the pit.
(#404) If one person’s animal kills another
person’s animal, the owner of the offending animal is to pay half the value of
the slain animal.
(#405) However, if one person’s animal kills another person’s
animal, and the owner of the offending animal knew it had aggressive tendencies
from the past, the offending animal’s owner is to pay 100% of the costs to
purchase a new animal to the neighbor whose animal was killed.
Exodus 21:28-36 “If
an ox gore a man or a woman,
that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be
eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.
But if the ox were wont to push with
his horn in time past,
and it hath been testified to
his owner, and he hath not kept him
in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned,
and his owner also shall be put to death.
If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the
ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him. Whether he have gored a son, or
have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him. If
the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their
master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned. And if a man shall
open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass
fall therein; The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the
owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his. And if one man's ox hurt
another's, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money
of it; and the dead [ox] also they shall divide. Or if it be known that the ox
hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall
surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.
WEEK OF April 29-May 5, 2018
Torah Reading for the week:
Statute Studies for the week: