Reading through the regulations regarding clean and unclean food, then maladies that make people, clothing, and material clean and unclean I wonder how the cultures around Israel responded to these same situations? All through this section God is explaining that these regulations are to set them apart as different, holy to God. Israel was to present a dramatic contrast to the cultures in which they live. There was supposed to be some different in the way they talked (always focusing on the creator God), how they dressed (with cloth woven with uniform material), how they ate (not just any type of animal), and their houses (nothing unclean within the house). Surely part of these practices were related to health and hygiene, but that was not the overriding reason. The main reason was to be noticeably different in every aspect of their lives. Probably the greatest difference was in their worship practices. While the pagans worshiped their false deities wherever they desired Israel’s God had only one location. No other location was acceptable for worship. And he was very strict in enforcing their conduct. But even these things had the purpose of demonstrating that Israel and her God was different from all the deities around them.
Stuart
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