Question: Why don’t you eat pork or shellfish?
Answer:
I believe that the Bible is the Word of God. I believe that all 66 books are God’s instruction for life. In the book of 2 Timothy 3 verse 16 and 17 it says,
“16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
This book of the Bible is a letter written to Timothy from Paul. Paul is reminding Timothy of his heritage of faith. Timothy had been taught the Ways of Yehovah his whole life by his mother and grandmother. He was taught from the scriptures. When Paul wrote this letter to Timothy the scriptures he was referring to was not the New Testament, because the New Testament was not put together yet. The scriptures He was talking about was the Old Testament, specifically the Torah, the first five books of the Bible. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
So, when I read this letter to Timothy that says “all scripture” is beneficial for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness I decided I wanted to learn it all. In the Torah, Yehovah (God) teaches the children of Israel, His people, what is and isn’t food. Once I learned that God did not call pork or shellfish food, I decided to not eat it.
Let’s look at Leviticus 11
“The Lord spoke again to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them,2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘These are the creatures which you may eat from all the animals that are on the earth. 3 Whatever divides a hoof, thus making split hoofs, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat. 4 Nevertheless, you are not to eat of these, among those which chew the cud, or among those which divide the hoof: the camel, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you. 5 Likewise, the [a]shaphan, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you; 6 the [b]rabbit also, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you;7 and the pig, for though it divides the hoof, thus making a split hoof, it does not chew cud, it is unclean to you. 8 You shall not eat of their flesh nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.
9 ‘These you may eat, whatever is in the water: all that have fins and scales, those in the water, in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat. 10 But whatever is in the seas and in the rivers that does not have fins and scales among all the teeming life of the water, and among all the living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable things to you, 11 and they shall be [c]abhorrent to you; you may not eat of their flesh, and their carcasses you shall detest.12 Whatever in the water does not have fins and scales is[d]abhorrent to you.”
To see the complete list of animals that should and shouldn’t be food read the complete chapter of Leviticus 11 and read also Deuteronomy chapter 14.
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