What was the purpose of the food laws?

To keep them healthy.

I can't give a Jewish perspective, but I believe it to be the equivalent of our health department, FDA & USDA regs. I believe that the forbidden items had just enough long-term toxic effects that God removed them from their menu.

Gentiles are clearly not obligated to those rules, but I don't think that we should be so quick to dismiss them.

Tania11 said:

Were they to make the Jews a distinct people?

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Israel was chosen by God to introduce Christ to the world. They were the only people on earth that had a law from God Himself, and they were chosen for the womb of Christ.

The food laws if you notice in Peter's dream of the clean and unclean were no longer in force.

The food laws were to create obedience among the people, to be a peculiar people in the presence of other nations. To be subordinate to One God, and completely in His service.

When Christ would come, and they introduce Him, the world would take notice of their testimony that He is the Christ.

Even though God knew it would fail, it is written for us to follow suit as a peculiar people, serving One God as a witness to our Christ.

Oh sorry. I thought you meant the ones to protect the fake processed food industry.

Tania11 said:

Were they to make the Jews a distinct people?

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Most of the food laws were to protect the health of the Israelites. For example, shellfish can absorb dangerous heavy metals. Pigs can carry Trichinosis, which is a very unpleasant parasitic illness. With modern farming techniques, it is possible to avoid these illnesses. But food laws certainly would have protected the world from SARS, maybe AIDS and certainly the Corona virus sweeping the world right now.

Tania11 said:

Were they to make the Jews a distinct people?

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More-or-less. The dietary restrictions and food laws ensured that not only what was eaten, but how the food was raised, killed, treated, prepared, etc were all a certain way--and it was a point of major distinction between the Jews and their neighbors.

The idea that it had to do with health is a purely modern anachronistic idea that has no support in either Scripture, or historic Jewish teaching.

-CryptoLutheran

Sabertooth said:

Gentiles are clearly not obligated to those rules, but I don't think that we should be so quick to dismiss them.

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Israel is now all believers.

ViaCrucis said:

The idea that it had to do with health is a purely modern anachronistic idea that has no support in either Scripture, or historic Jewish teaching.

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It is clear that the Jews were required to obey just because God said so, but Gentile analysis has found corresponding health benefits, after-the-fact.

Sorry but those food laws were there before the Jewish nation existed.

Genesis 7:2
Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.

Food laws are the same as an owners manual you get with most new products. The creator of those products knows best how to keep them running at peak performance.

Sabertooth said:

Gentiles are clearly not obligated to those rules, but I don't think that we should be so quick to dismiss them.

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Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Malachi 3:6
For I am the Lord, I change not;

Original Happy Camper said:

Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Malachi 3:6
For I am the Lord, I change not;

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Jesus made it very clear that hand-washing was of no spiritual value [Matthew 15:1-11]. Does that mean that we should forsake hand-washing altogether? No, it just means that we should keep it in perspective.

If we want to participate in a "diet" in an effort to improve our health, we are free to do so, but none of them, including kosher, will have any impact on our spiritual standing (whatever that might be).

Sabertooth said:

It is clear that the Jews were required to obey just because God said so, but Gentile analysis has found corresponding health benefits, after-the-fact.

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Keep in mind that the prohibited foods describe broad categories, not limited to specific animals. The dietary laws didn't say "no pork", but rather any animal that A) doesn't ruminate and B) doesn't have split hooves is non-kosher. It's not just pigs, but also horses, rabbits, camels, etc. It also forbids predatory animals, obviously, such as dogs, cats, bears, etc. Pigs, while having split hooves, do not ruminate, rabbits (which don't ruminate, but look like they do) "chew the cud", but lack split hooves. Camels ruminate, but likewise, no split hoof.

There is nothing unhealthy about eating pigs, rabbits, horses (etc), no more than cows, sheep, or chickens.

The dietary mitzvot had nothing to do with health or hygiene.

-CryptoLutheran

Original Happy Camper said:

Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Malachi 3:6
For I am the Lord, I change not;

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How much did you pay for your mezuzah?

-CryptoLutheran

ViaCrucis said:

More-or-less. The dietary restrictions and food laws ensured that not only what was eaten, but how the food was raised, killed, treated, prepared, etc were all a certain way--and it was a point of major distinction between the Jews and their neighbors.

The idea that it had to do with health is a purely modern anachronistic idea that has no support in either Scripture, or historic Jewish teaching.

-CryptoLutheran

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'And He said, "If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer."'

Exodus 15:26

God is not arbitrary. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Food laws were made for the benefit of man. There were many laws relating to personal hygiene that make sense in those days. A great deal of suffering could have been avoided if European culture had followed those laws. A number of diseases have been transferred from animals to humans, including (likely) AIDS, SARS and the Coronavirus. That could have been avoided also. Trichinosis is found in horse, pig and wild boar meat. Shellfish absorb toxic heavy metals. God knows what He is doing.

Aussie Pete said:

There were many laws relating to personal hygiene that make sense in those days. A great deal of suffering could have been avoided if European culture had followed those laws.

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The Jews were spared from the bubonic plague because they regularly washed their hands.

Sabertooth said:

The Jews were spared from the bubonic plague because they regularly washed their hands.

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One of the greatest health advances was soap. It made personal hygiene so much simpler. Washing your hands is one of the medical profession's recommendations for avoiding viral infections.

ViaCrucis said:

The dietary laws didn't say "no pork", but rather any animal that A) doesn't ruminate and B) doesn't have split hooves is non-kosher.

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With modern bioengineering you can pretty much bypass those dietary laws soon enough.

2 Peter 3:3
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,