Deuteronomy 12

Ch 12:1-4 Once in the land: crossed over the Jordon River into Canaan. In worship of the LORD God they were commanded to totally destroy places where the nations worshipped their gods and hew down the graven idols. This was to be after they utterly destroyed each wicked nation. [Deu 20:17]

Vs 5-14, 26-27 They were commanded to make offerings and sacrifices only where the Lord commanded them; in the place where He chose to be called by His name.

Vs 15, 21 In their gates, their dwelling places, their homes, they could eat anything they chose, the unclean with the clean. [Lev 11]

Eating the unclean beasts would be allowed after they had taken the land, after the wars were over, after they destroyed all the idols and places where the devils were worshipped, after they were living in houses. This would be allowed in the privacy of their homes.

·       Lev 11:45 The reason for the law of the clean and unclean beasts was to separate them from Egypt. To bring Egypt out of their hearts.

·       Allowed when the children of Israel no longed yearned to return to Egypt

·       Jos 5:9 .  .  . This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.

This was not a license for them to sin. It actually allowed them freedom to worship the LORD within their gates. Consider the teaching moment: “Father why may we eat this at home but not when we are in Jerusalem?”

But within the gates of the LORD His people were to keep every aspect of the law including the law of the unclean beasts.

In Leviticus 11 when the LORD limited their diet to the list of clean beasts He was offering the generation who was 20 and older when they came out of Egypt an opportunity to have the reproach of Egypt removed from them. We will see chapter five of Joshua that they stopped keeping the covenant of circumcision.

·       Hebrews 11:6 tells us Moses chose the reproach of the Messiah over the treasures of Egypt. This generation chose the reproach of Egypt over the treasures of the promise of the Messiah