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From: Jerry Healan
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: The Covenant of Clean and Unclean (Part 1 of 3)

THE COVENEANT OF THE CLEAN AND THE UNCLEAN
BY JERRY HEALAN

(Part 1 of 3)

Many people scoff in derision and disbelief when they find that YAHWEH'S people observe the command of clean and unclean meats. However, if they could realize the wisdom and also the revelation concerning these things, they wouldn't be so quick to condemn. When YAHWEH called Israel out of Egypt, He advised them concerning what they could and could not eat. This command is found in Deuteronomy, chapter 14. However, long before this event there was a distinction between the clean and unclean animals. The difference is found in the very first book of the Bible, Genesis.

The conditions on the earth had become so violent and abusive that YAHWEH decided to destroy mankind off of the face of the earth, but He had mercy on Noah and his family. YAHWEH told Noah, "And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish My covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.' Thus did Noah; according to all that YAHWEH commanded him, so did he. And YAHWEH said unto Noah, `Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation. 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," Gen. 6:17-22; 7:1-2.

YAHWEH reiterated this example of the clean and unclean to Israel. He told them, "Ye are the children of YAHWEH your Elohim: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. For thou art an holy people unto YAHWEH thy Elohim, and YAHWEH hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto Himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing. These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat, the hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois. And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat. Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you. And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase. These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat: And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you. Of all clean birds ye shall eat. But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, and the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind, and every raven after his kind, and the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, the little owl, and the great owl, and the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant, and the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. But of all clean fowls ye may eat. Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto YAHWEH thy Elohim. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk," Dt. 14:1-21.

DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN CLEAN AND UNCLEAN

Notice the distinction. YAHWEH wanted Israel to be clean and holy while the non-Israelite nations were considered to be unclean. One of the major differences between the clean and unclean animals and birds is that the clean eat grass, herbs, seeds, etc. while a great majority of the unclean are animals and birds of prey. They must either kill (shed blood) to eat or scavenge that which is already dead. Many of the unclean, even of the fishes, are nothing more than garbage cans which feed upon dead and putrefying flesh. The animals which prey upon others (usually they prey upon the clean, but not always) kill and eat not only the flesh, but the blood also.

There are people and even nations which are so unclean in their approach to life. They also prey on others in order to preserve their own lives. Thus murder, bloodshed, looting, stealing, slavery and literally sapping the lifeblood out of others is a way of life to them. This way is not a way of cleanness and holiness before YAHWEH. YAHWEH desires His people to be honest, forthright and clean in their approach to life and in receiving their sustenance.

THE RUMINANTS

The clean animals chew the cud and divide the hoof. Because of this, they are called "ruminants." A quick look at the word "ruminant" in the dictionary reveals that the word means "to chew." A clean animal grazes on the grass or fodder provided, stores the food in a special stomach provided and then goes to a place where they quietly lie down on the ground, bring the food back up out of the stomach and chew on it before sending it to the main stomach for digestion.

From the word "ruminant" we get the word "ruminate" which means to chew the cud, or to turn something over in the mind - to meditate. Thus, the ruminants are a type of YAHWEH'S people who are to be clean in their approach to life.

YAHshua, Himself, likened His people to be sheep, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, `He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.' This parable spake YAHshua unto them: but they understood not what things they were which He spake unto them. Then said YAHshua unto them again, `Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before Me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and thewolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good Shepherd, and know My sheep, and am known of Mine. As the Father knoweth Me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one Shepherd'," Jn. 10:1-16.

King David sang, "YAHWEH is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures," Psa. 23:1-2. David understood that he was a sheep of YAHWEH who is able to lie down in green pastures to ruminate (think) upon YAHWEH and His word.

YAHshua commanded Peter, "So when they had dined, YAHshua saith to Simon Peter, `Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more than these?' He saith unto Him `Yea, Master; thou knowest that I love thee.' He saith unto him, `Feed My lambs.' He saith to him again the second time,`Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me?' He saith unto Him, `Yea, Master; thou knowest that I love thee.' He saith unto him, `Feed My sheep.' He saith unto him the third time, `Simon, son of Jonas,lovest thou Me?' Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou Me? And he said unto Him, `Master, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee.' YAHshua saith unto him, `Feed My sheep'," Jn. 21:15-17.

THE SHEEP'S FOOD

YAHshua told Peter to "feed His sheep," but just what is the proper food for the sheep? Once again, the answer is found in the book of John, "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath YAHWEH the Father sealed. Then said they unto Him, `What shall we do, that we might work the works of Elohim?' YAHshua answered and said unto them, `This is the work of Elohim, that ye believe on Him Whom He hath sent.' They said therefore unto Him, `What sign shewest Thou then, that we may see, and believe Thee? What dost Thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, `He gave them bread from heaven to eat'.' Then YAHshua said unto them, `Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of Elohim is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.' Then said they unto Him, `Master, evermore give us this bread.' And YAHshua said unto them, `I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen Me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.' The Jews then murmured at Him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, `Is not this YAHshua, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He saith, `I came down from heaven'?' YAHshua therefore answered and said unto them, `Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of Elohim. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto Me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save He which is of YAHWEH, He hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.' The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, `How can this man give us his flesh to eat?' Then YAHshua said unto them, `Verily, verily, I say unto you, `Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever'," Jn. 6:27-58.

What wondrous things there are in the Spirit. YAHshua is not only the true Shepherd of the sheep, but He also is the sheep's food! Peter was commanded three times to feed the sheep. Peter was to feed the sheep with the truth concerning the Messiah which is found in YAHWEH'S word!

SEARCHING THE SCRIPTURES

YAHshua told the people of His day, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of YAHWEH in you. I am come in My Father's name, and ye receive Me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from YAHWEH only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me: for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?" Jn. 5:39-47.

Here is how the sheep are fed on a daily basis. It is through the study of YAHWEH'S word that we are able to come to have understanding of the Messiah. It is the study of YAHWEH'S word through which we are spiritually fed. We are able to eat of Him and drink Him in.Isaiah was inspired to write, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them," 8:20.

The word "law" comes from the Hebrew word "Torah" which is the first five books of the Holy Scriptures that Moses wrote. The "testimony" happens to be the tables of the commandments which were placed in the ark of the covenant, "And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai (with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount), that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while He talked with him," Ex. 34:29. "And he took and put the testimony into the ark, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy seat above the ark," Ex. 40:20.

Thus, we are to be searching the Scriptures as to how they testify (witness) to YAHshua the Messiah and in turn, being fed and feeding others with the Bread of Elohim that came down from heaven.

THE CLEAN TYPES

The clean animals are a type of YAHWEH'S people who are not only to eat or feed on YAHWEH'S word, but they are to lie down and ruminate or think (meditate) on the things that they have been spiritually fed. It is a process of mulling things over in the mind especially applying the things read as to how they relate to YAHshua the Messiah.

The clean animals also have cloven hooves (divided into two parts) which is a type of their ability to rightly divide the word of truth, "Study to shew thyself approved unto YAHWEH, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth," 2 Tim. 2:15.

If a person belongs to the Messiah then He must have the Spirit of the Messiah in him, "Now if any man have not the Spirit of the Messiah, he is none of His. And if the Messiah be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness," Ro. 8:9-10).

When the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples on the day of Pentecost, it appeared as cloven tongues of fire, "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them," Acts 2:1-3.

While the clean animals walk upon the earth with cloven hooves which bring them to their pasture so that they can eat the right food, the Spirit of YAHWEH is a link between the true Believer and the heavenly food that is imparted in YAHWEH'S word. Thus, the cloven tongues of fire leads the spiritual sheep to the right food with which He is also given the ability to rightly divide.

THE UNCLEAN TYPES

Just as the clean animals that chew the cud and divide the hoof are types of YAHWEH'S sheep, the unclean animals are also types of certain specific people.

There are other animals that chew the cud, but do not divide the hoof such as the camel, the hare and the coney (Dt. 14:7). These animals are a type of those who do chew the cud or ruminate, but they are not able to rightly divide the word of truth. Why? Simply because they have not been given the Spirit of the Messiah in order to be able to do so.

The camel is quite well known as an animal with a vile temper. The hare, on the other hand, is very timid and shy. Those who have the Spirit of the Messiah are imbued with the Spirit of peace, yet they are bold in their approach to their faith in the Messiah.

Then there is the swine which doesn't chew the cud, but does divide the hoof. The swine is an extremely filthy creature. It eats both clean and unclean foods, wallows in slime and filth, etc. It is a type of people who appear to be believers in the Messiah and in the Scriptures, but are also willing to take any filthy thing, mix it with the clean (holy), such as syncretizing idolatry and the holy things of YAHWEH'S word, thereby polluting the things that are clean and pure.

They mix the clean and unclean things together and then try to divide it all out as holy and dedicated to the Creator. Or in another sense, they will turn to proclaim that which is evil as good, and that which is good as evil.

YAHshua cautioned His disciples, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you,"

THE DOGS

The next question to ask is Who are the dogs? The answer is found in Matthew, chapter 15, "Then YAHshua went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto Him, saying, `Have mercy on me, O Master, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.' But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and besought Him, saying, `Send her away; for she crieth after us.' But He answered and said, `I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' Then came she and worshipped Him, saying, Master, help me. But He answered and said, `It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.' And she said, Truth, Master: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.' Then YAHshua answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour," vv. 21-28.

There are several things to learn from this episode. YAHshua had gone into the environs of Tyre and Sidon. He called the woman a dog. Remember that Jezebel, the wife of Ahab was from Tyre. She was a Sidonian! It was through her that the northern kingdom of Israel was introduced to Baal worship. She was such a vile person that she was, herself, condemned to be eaten by dogs (1 Kings 21:23).

The Sidonians were dogs. We are commanded to not cast our pearls before them. The implication is that they, being worshippers of Baal, would have a tendency to introduce Baal worship into the true worship of YAHWEH thereby polluting the clean and holy One.

Dogs, like swine, eat just about anything whether clean or unclean. Sometimes they will eat things that are so wretched that it doesn't set well on the stomach which causes regurgitation. Notice what the book of Proverbs says about this unclean practice, "As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly, 26:11.

Peter, in speaking of the unclean person, utilized Prov. 26:11 as a comparison, "For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Sovereign and Saviour YAHshua the Messiah, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it has happened unto them according to the true proverb, `The dog is turned to his own vomit again'; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire," 2 Pet. 2:20-22.

A dog or a swine will only stand to be cleaned up for a very short period of time. I have seen so many, many dogs which were given a bath. Once cleaned, the owner must be very careful to not allow them loose, because if the dog is loosed then it will run and wallow in the grass and dirt until it is once again happy in its unclean state. Then it will return to its owner wagging its tail
exhibiting a spirit of being quite well pleased with itself never understanding the displeasure of the owner who has is a kingdom of Esau and his descendants. Commenting on Isaac's blessing for Esau (Gen. 27:40) it quotes, "By your sword you shall live. The implication was not that Esau would be forced to become a brigand and plunder with his sword, for he was blessed with sustenance from the fatness of the earth and the dew of the heavens. Rather, the blessing was that he would be victorious in war and survive his battles (Ramban). Since the Roman Empire, conqueror of the world, was descended from Esau, the fulfillment of this blessing is obvious (Abarbanel.)"

Esau had been assigned as Jacob's servant even before birth when YAHWEH revealed to Rebeccah what was going on in her womb. Isaac also assigned him as Jacob's servant in his blessing for he said, "...and you shalt serve thy brother..." (Ibid). But he also gave a condition wherein Esau could break his brother's yoke from off his neck (Ibid).

The Chumash comments, "When you are aggrieved. If Israel ever transgresses the Torah, and is thus undeserving of dominion, you will have a right to be aggrieved that he has taken the blessings; then you may cast off his yoke from your neck (Rashi). (p. 141)

This is a comment to Gen. 27:40 which says in the KJV, "...and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck."

The Jay P. Green Interlinear Bible renders the same portion of this verse as, "...and it shall be when you fight you shall break his yoke from your neck."

Has this event taken place and when? The answer is an emphatic YES! Remember the Roman wars against the Celtic peoples? From an enormous mountain of literature and documented evidence, it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Celtic peoples are the descendants of the northern kingdom of Israel. Julius Caesar was one of the famous Roman generals who successfully fought against the Celts and overcame them.

The other part of the story is the fall of Judea and Jerusalem to the Romans. Rome (Esau) fought successfully against the Jewish people's uprising, destroyed their power, destroyed their city, Jerusalem, and sold the survivors into slavery. The Celts (descendants of the northern kingdom of Israel) and Judah had been vanquished. Thus, Isaac's prophecy came true.

ESAU'S SPIRIT

Gen. 36:1 states, "Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom." The Chumash comments concerning this statement, "He is Edom. The name - and the fact that it was used throughout his life-gives an insight into Esau's base character. The name was given him as a reference to his gluttony when he sold the birthright for nothing more than red beans (25:30). That greed and depraved set of values characterized him all through his life (Sforno).

2. Daughter of Anah, daughter of Zibeon. As noted above, the Sages and commentators derive from various parts of the chapter that Esau's family was permeated with illegitimacy. Though this commentary cannot deal with those many allusions, this phrase is an illustrative example. The verse implies that Oholibamah was the daughter of two fathers, Anah and Zibeon, an obvious impossibility. Furthermore, verse 24 describes Anah as Zibeon's son. Consequently, our verse implies that Zibeon cohabited with his own daughter-in-law, Anah's wife, and Oholibamah was the product of their adultery. Thus, she and all her offspring were illegitimate (Rashi)." (pp. 192-193)

These statements are certainly in line with Hebrews, chapter 12 which states, "Follow peace with all, and holiness without which no man shall see the Master; looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of YAHWEH; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright," vv. 14-16.

In the first place, this should dash all the ideas of those who proclaim, "Once saved, always saved," at least in the fleshly existence. The criterion established here is that we must follow holiness or we won't be able to see YAHshua. The warning is that we can fail to receive YAHWEH'S grace.

But look at what it says about Esau. It calls him a "fornicator, and/or profane person." Fornicator comes from the Greek word "pornos" which is defined as "a male prostitute (as venal), a libertine, or debauchee."

To be "venal" means salable, for a price. It would be the descendants of Esau who coined the phrase, "Every man has his price." Venal is defined as, 1. capable of being obtained for a price 2.
that can readily be bribed or corrupted 3. characterized by corruption or bribery (Webster's New World Dictionary).

Venality is defined as, state, quality, or instance of being venal; willingness to be bribed or bought off, or to prostitute one's talent for mercenary considerations (Ibid).

Venatic is defined as, of or engaging in hunting (Esau was a cunning hunter, Gen. 25:27).A "libertine or debauchee" is one who lives in sexual promiscuity and licentiousness. This certainly fits in with what The Cumash commented concerning Esau's and his descendant's character.

The word "profane" was also utilized to describe Esau's character. "Profane" is translated from the Greek word "bebelos." "Bebelos" is defined as heathenish, wicked by Strong's Exhaustive Concordance.

Webster's New World Dictionary defines "heathen" as originally and in the Old Testament, a member of any nation or people not worshipping the G-d of Israel. It reveals that the etymology of the word is associated with the Latin word paganus from whence we obtain the word "pagan."

Looking up the word "pagan" in Webster's New World Dictionary again brings quite a revelation. Under synonyms we read, "pagan and heathen are both applied to nonmonotheistic peoples, but pagan specifically refers to one of the ancient polytheistic peoples, esp. the Greeks and Romans, and heathen is applied to any of the peoples regarded as primitive idolaters."

What this is saying is that a heathen is primitive, but the Greeks and Romans were much more sophisticated in their approach to religion.

Again however, we must remember that the Romans are descendants of Esau! The character of Esau is that of licentious religious worship which is steeped in sophisticated heathenistic practices. His will be a religion of merchandise, in other words, religious idolatrous artifacts are offered for sale, offices of the priesthood will be for sale, salvation will have a price tag on it, one can just pay his way into eternal life, all of this mixed in with sexual permissiveness. Does this sound familiar?

End of Part 1 of 3

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