Pork Again

MRav. McDonald

I have grown tired and weary of the age old argument about Pork “To Eat or Not to Eat, that is thequestion”.I’d gotten used to the jeers, cajoling, mocking. I even tolerated people ordering a B.L.T. and braggingon how great the bacon tasted, mocking the fact that I don’t eat pork.I forgave them for tempting me, being a stumbling block, and even for lashon hara.If you learn nothing else from me please learn this. Context is everything, G-d’s word in context isthe basis for our lives and our faith. If you can not follow even the simplest guidelines then you aretruly a sad lost people.I have taught on sin, intentional sin, unintentional sin, G-d’s laws, even on just the commandmentsYeshua HaMashiach/Jesus the Messiah set down. And yet there seem’s to be this thought thatevery time I speak that I am just bringing more legalism into your lives.Let me make one thing very very clear. I want this to be crystal clear. I do not want any doubt in your minds, or hearts.There is only one way to heaven, and that is in and through Yeshua/Jesus the Messiah.There is only one way to hell and that is with out Yeshua/Jesus.It has NOTHING to do with legalism.All the rest is because you either believe or do not believe that the Scriptures are G-d’s word.Now I want to share with you some simple basic scriptures. In the text version there will be theHebrew, Greek and the English, in the audio only the English.

And now it begins;

ארקיו רפסאי קרפז

)Lev 11:7 HOT(

׃םכל אוה אמט רגי־אל הרג אוהו הסרפ עסש עסשו אוה הסרפ סירפמ־יכ ריזחה־תאו

Lev 11:7 JPSAnd the swine, because he parteth the hoof, and is cloven-footed, but cheweth not thecud, he is unclean unto you.Lev 11:7 cjbwhile the pig is unclean for you, because, although it has a separate and completely

divided hoof, it doesn't chew the cud.Lev 11:7 KJVAnd the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not thecud; he

unclean to you.In Judaism, Messianic Judaism, Orthodox Messianic Christianity, and some Messianic Communities,and congregations the Law’s set down by G-d through Moshe, hold a lot of weight. Yet in themajority of Christianity, Hebrew Christianity, Messianic Christianity, and Messianic Communities andcongregations they are no longer followed or even taught.One of the issues is one I want to address today. And only a part issue, because I think if oneconscientiously considers this the rest will fall into place. I am talking about the guidance G-d gaveus concerning what was and was not clean for us to eat.I am not going to argue over the semantic’s of the word “food”. We are going to deal with just swine,pig.From the verses above you see clearly and simply that G-d told Moshe to tell the children of Yisra’elthat the swine, pig was not clean for them and that they were not to eat anything that was unclean.And specifically told them what they could eat.Lev 11:1-3 KJVAnd the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,(2)Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These

are

the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that

are

onthe earth.(3)Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted,

and

cheweth the cud, among thebeasts, that shall ye eat.Lev 11:1-3 JPSAnd the LORD spoke unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them:(2)Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: These are the living things which ye may eat among all the beasts that areon the earth.(3)Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is wholly cloven-footed, and cheweth the cud,among the beasts, that may ye eat.Lev 11:1-3 cjbADONAI said to Moshe and Aharon,(2)"Tell the people of Isra'el, 'These are the living creatures which you may eat among all the land animals:(3)any that has a separate hoof whichis completely divided and chews the cud - these animals you may eat.And I know some of you are most likely tired of hearing this subject. But I want you to make amental note: It was known before Moshe received and gave the Torah to the Children of Yisra’elwhat was and was not a clean animal.Gen 7:1-2 cjbADONAI said to Noach, "Come into the ark, you and all your household; for I haveseen that you alone in this generation are righteous before me.(2)Of every clean animal you are totake seven couples, and of the animals that are not clean, one couple;But now I want to bring this to you from the Apostolic Writings, from the Council at Yerushalayimattended possibly by (from what I gather from scripture only) Kefa, Ya’akov, Shim’on, Sha’ul, Bar

Nabba, Judas, and Silas. There could have been more, but this is my understanding. Now thismeeting was over the attempt of some of the Pharisees who had come to faith in Yeshua but werestill bound up by the interpretations of the sages and the oral Torah aka Talmud.They were trying to force new believers in Messiah Yeshua to follow the conversion requirementsthat one would have to follow to be a proselyte to Yisra'el.This discord caused some debate according to scripture but resulted in them writing a letter to thecongregations of the Messiah. Along with two (2) witness's so that there was no misunderstanding orassumption that it was NOT from the Council.(Act 15:23-29 cjb)with the following letter:From: The emissaries and the elders, your brothersTo: The brothers from among the Gentiles throughout Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:Greetings!We have heard that some people went out from among us without our authorization, and that theyhave upset you with their talk, unsettling your minds. So we have decided unanimously to select menand send them to you with our dear friends Bar-Nabba and Sha'ul, who have dedicated their lives toupholding the name of our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah. So we have sent Y'hudah and Sila, and they willconfirm in person what we are writing.For it seemed good to the Ruach HaKodesh and to us not to lay any heavier burden on you than thefollowing requirements: to abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from thingsstrangled, and from fornication. If you keep yourselves from these, you will be doing the right thing.Shalom!

Act 15:23-29 GNT-TR

γραψαντεςδιαχειροςαυτωνταδεοιαποστολοικαιοιπρεσβυτεροικαιοιαδελφοι τοιςκατατηναντιοχειανκαισυριανκαικιλικιαναδελφοιςτοιςεξεθνωνχαιρειν

(24)

επειδηηκουσαμενοτι τινεςεξημωνεξελθοντεςεταραξανυμαςλογοιςανασκευαζοντεςταςψυχαςυμωνλεγοντεςπεριτεμνεσθαικαι τηρειντοννομονοιςουδιεστειλαμεθα

(25)

εδοξενημινγενομενοιςομοθυμαδονεκλεξαμενουςανδραςπεμψαιπροςυμαςσυντοιςαγαπητοιςημωνβαρναβακαιπαυλω

(26)

ανθρωποιςπαραδεδωκοσινταςψυχαςαυτωνυπερτουονοματοςτουκυριουημωνιησουχριστου

(27)

απεσταλκαμενουνιουδανκαισιλανκαιαυτουςδιαλογουαπαγγελλονταςτααυτα

(28)

εδοξενγαρτωαγιωπνευματικαιημινμηδενπλεονεπιτιθεσθαιυμινβαροςπληντωνεπαναγκεςτουτων

(29)

απεχεσθαιειδωλοθυτωνκαιαιματοςκαιπνικτουκαιπορνειαςεξωνδιατηρουντεςεαυτουςευπραξετεερρωσθε

(for you Greek scholars)

The council dealing with new converts to Messianic Judaism/Messianic faith chose to give a decisionof what a new believer had to comply with, thus avoiding all of the ritualistic requirements placed onnew believers/converts in Messiah Yeshua. As these were not just Hebrew’s but those from thenations coming to faith for the first time. Even though they had lived in Judea and Yisra’el, and wentto Temple and the Synagogues as did all the residents of the land as it was at that time a Theocraticstate, so all those with in her boarders would know and participate where required, or would have