III. THE CATEGORIES OF LIVING CREATURES THAT ARE NOT CLEAN WITH RESPECT TO DIET
In Leviticus 11 there are five categories of living creatures that are not clean with respect to diet.
A. Beasts That Do Not Divide the Hoof and Beasts That Go on Their Paws
Beasts that do not divide the hoof and beasts that go on their paws (vv. 4-8a, 26a, 27a) signify persons who do not have discernment in their activities and persons who walk and move without discernment.
B. Aquatic Animals That Do Not Have Fins and Scales
Aquatic animals that do not have fins and scales (vv. 10-12) signify persons who cannot move and act freely in the world and at the same time resist its influence. Such people do not have the strength to resist the influence of the sinful world.
C. Birds That Eat Flesh and Carcasses as Their Food Supply
Birds that eat flesh and carcasses as their food supply (vv. 13-19) signify persons who live in contact with death. In their eating they contact death. The more we contact those who, spiritually speaking, are full of death, the more we shall be defiled by death. If we contact such a person, we shall be filled with spiritual death.
D. Insects That Have Four Feet for Creeping About
Insects that have four feet for creeping about on the earth (vv. 20, 23-24a) signify persons who live on the earth and who are unable to keep themselves from the world. They can only creep about on the earth, for they do not have the ability to fly above the world.
E. Creatures That Creep on the Earth or Go on Their Belly or on Four Feet, or Have Many Feet of All the Creeping Things That Creep on the Earth
Creatures that creep on the earth or go on their belly or on four feet, or have many feet of all the creeping things that creep on the earth (vv. 29-31a, 41-44) signify Satan with all the evil spirits and demons, persons who are filled with Satan, who contact evil spirits and demons, and persons who live in the world and cleave to the world, being unable to sever themselves from the world. The Bible likens Satan to a serpent (Rev. 12:9). The evil spirits are fallen angels, and the demons are disembodied spirits of creatures from the pre-Adamic age. Many people contact evil spirits and are possessed by demons. Furthermore, many cleave to the world, being unable to sever themselves from the world. We should never contact Satan, the evil spirits, or the demons. Likewise, we should not contact persons possessed by demons or persons who cleave to the world, lest we be brought under their influence.
If we intend to live in a holy way, we need to exercise care concerning our contact with people. Contacting people is a very important matter, especially for us Christians. We should not contact others without caution, and we should not form friendships in a careless way. Careless friendships, the Bible indicates, will corrupt us.
We all must learn to be careful and cautious in contacting people. We need to know the four categories of clean living creatures and the five categories of unclean living creatures. When we are about to have contact with a particular person, we need to consider whether he is clean or unclean. Such a consideration will preserve us and keep us from being defiled or corrupted.
(Life-Study of Leviticus, Chapter 36, by Witness Lee)
