It is Hard to Ignore Leviticus...

“You tell me the truth,” he slowly stated, “Does it say in this book that eating Pork is forbidden?” He was a big guy, and he leaned in close with his face inches from mine.

The Bible in front of us was open; we had been free-ranging through various topics when this one came up. It’s hard to say. It IS there, you know, those verses that say you can’t eat pig. It is our Holy Book, and it DOES say it, and it is never specifically refuted in the New Testament. And yes, I know the reasons why pork is now permitted, but they are hard to say in a sound-bite, and a sound-bite is all I had in this fast paced discussion. (It seems that all my discussions are fast paced, couldn’t we just slow down and study for awhile?)

It is hard to find chapter and verse that specifically allows it to his satisfaction, and chapter and verse is what he wanted.

So we had found our way to Leviticus. I often ignore Leviticus, I have read it before and, while recognizing this as the Word of God, I much prefer more exciting topics. Well, I guess Leviticus got more exciting that day.

And we found those verses where God says, “Do not eat pig”.

He was (disappointingly?) impressed.

“I know that there are bad Muslims out there who eat pig and drink whiskey,” he philosophized, “But now I know that there are bad Christians out there who do not follow the words of their Book.”

He likes my Book. I am happy about that. He and his wife are reading it together; this is a good thing.

So while I talk about Grace and Law (though haltingly, goodness this stretches my language ability), I cannot deny that Leviticus is the Word of God. God did not write some parts of His book to be better than others. It is all inspired. Including those verses in Leviticus where God forbids His people to even touch a pig, let alone eat it.

I felt a little bit like I took a step backwards that day. But perhaps not. What I wanted was for him to study the Bible, and he is doing it. To see the Whole Book as a Unity is an achievement that takes some time. It is refreshing to put the burden on God to defend His Own Word.

Nice to be challenged to read my own Book.