Scripture: All clean birds you may eat. But these you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard ... the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe and the bat. Deuteronomy 14:11-12,18
Observation: With the world effectively shut down over a global pandemic, the source of which is eating bats, it's pretty easy to draw conclusions - or even make no-longer-funny jokes - about list of unclean birds. However, there is certainly a higher purpose to this message.
God's rules seem random, but in fact they were amazing practical and helpful. They were likely helpful, in fact, for two reasons ... they are animals that help humans, or animals whose meat hurts humans. For example, just here, this list starts with the eagle, a bird that should not be killed because it controls the rodent population (which hastened the spread of the black plague centuries later). The vulture and buzzard eat carrion, which breeds disease if left unaddressed. Thus these shouldn't be eaten to help in disease control.
The list goes on. A prior list addresses animals. The unclean animals either help humans (camels) or their meat - in an era before proper care, refrigeration, cooking, etc. - hurts humans (pigs).
There is nothing random about these lists. In all cases, God had a plan and design related to how the world operates, and how humans can best live in that context, therefore certain animals could absolutely be domesticated and/or hunted for our food, and others needed to be left out of our food chain.
Application: In all things, the Lord has a plan, with total understanding, and that plan intends to help us and give us the best life. He has taught us what is right, if we would only follow him. And "right" isn't some moral code, but rather it is a thriving life we can enjoy.
I repeatedly fail to follow the Lord's teaching, and the outcome is never good. I fail to hear or head his daily instruction, and my plans fail.
Some people out there eat bats, and today billions of lives are disrupted while tens of thousands die. I sin and scheme on my own, and fail to live into the joy and thriving life God intends for me. For my own sake, I need to do better.
Prayer: Lord, please forgive my wrongdoing, my sin, and my shallow thoughts that do not first pursue your heart. May I be on your path today, holding your hand, walking humbly with you, my Abba. Amen.
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