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Splitting the Hoof and Chewing the Cud

Leviticus 11:1-8 (KJV)
1  And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,
2  Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
3  Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
4  Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
5  And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
6  And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
7  And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
8  Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.

      If you are like I am, you’ve often wondered what the hidden meaning of this passage is or what it’s significance is for the New Testament believer.

     I believe God wants us to grasp these deep meanings because it gives us glimpses of his great wisdom! Like the scientist, as we probe these mysteries we are not inventors, but merely “thinking God’s thoughts after him.” (Newton) But God delights to partner with us, though we are but worms in comparison, to unfold his secrets to us, that he might receive the glory due him!

     One simple illustration of interpretation is Deuteronomy 22:10 (KJV)
10 Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together.
       The new testament teaching is: “Be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” The ox is a clean animal and represents the Christian. The ass is unclean, and represents the unbeliever.

     The passage in focus (Leviticus 11:1-8) is in the context of separating between holy and unholy, between clean and unclean. In that context the split hoof speaks of the separated walk. We use the expression;”Where the rubber meets the road”, when referring to practical everyday godly living. In this context it’s where the hoof meets the road. The split hoof speaks of the Psalm 1:1 Christian,  Psalm 1:1 (KJV)
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
     So what does chewing the cud denote? Again if we spiritualize it, we’re thinking about how the Christian eats spiritually. The Christian feeds on the Word of God for his daily spiritual sustenance, so chewing the cud speaks to his spiritual eating habits.

     The clean animals, the cow, the sheep, the goat and the deer, all have 4 stomachs or digestive compartments. When a cow gets a mouth full of hay, it chews it and swallows it, moving it into compartment 1. It has a natural reflex whereby it regurgitates it and chews it again and when sufficiently chewed it swallows it into compartment 2. And so on and on till it it is swallowed into compartment 4 and passes into the intestinal tract and is internalized. The cow has an advantage that we don’t have; it gets to enjoy its’ food day and night!

     This speaks to us of the Psalm 1:2 Christian. Psalm 1:2 (KJV)
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
    The born again believer, loves the Word because he knows and loves the author! He reads his daily portion and receives inspiration and strength. He continues to meditate on it throughout the day and in this way he internalizes it and it becomes a part of his life. We become what we eat is especially true spiritually.

     Health experts tell us that chewing our food well is important for good digestive health. Food gulped down quickly is more likely to turn into fat instead of nutrition and energy.

     Some people, spiritually, eat like a dog instead of a cow. They rush through their Bible reading and off to the days activities feeling like;”now I’ve done my duty.” But ten minutes later they can’t remember what they’ve just read. Lets say spiritually it only turns to flab instead of muscle. It never becomes ;”the engrafted (implanted) Word which is able to save your souls,” as in James 1:21.                                    

    Next the law addressed animals that met only one of the two requirements to be considered clean animals.

     4  Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

     The camel and the rabbit were unclean because although they chewed the cud, they did not have the split hoof. The camel represents those who profess to know God; “But in works they deny him”. Those that talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk. These people may even be proficient in handling the Word. But just as sure as the camel that chewed the cud but didn’t have the split hoof was unclean, that’s how sure that the religious professor who does not have the separated walk, is still unclean in the eyes of God.

     Then the law addresses the other side.

7  And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
8  Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.

     The hog represents the self righteous person, who thinks he can merit heaven by following a certain code, or adopting a distinctive lifestyle and lacks the love for God and His Word. The Pharisees were perfect examples of this. They felt ”that they were righteous and despised others.” The key issue here is motive and attitude. Living a godly life is good but a better than thou attitude is not good!

      Hogs stink! Similarly Pharisee-ism is a stench in the nostrils of God! Some people who raise hogs argue with the “hogs stink” statement. They suggest that if given the right environment, hogs are remarkably able to keep themselves clean. In the same way, the modern day Pharisee thinks he can clean himself up; pick himself up by his own bootstraps as we say. Spiritually he is a hog, and a hog is a hog, until Christ gets a hold of him and separates him from the inside out!       

     What a tribute to the wisdom of God, that even in the types of the old testament laws, God gives us a clear portrait of the citizens of the kingdom of Christ. They spiritually chew the cud and have the split hoof!

     John 3:3 (KJV) 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
     Only those who have a life changing encounter with Christ, creating a love for the Word, that in turn produces the separated walk, where the hoof meets the road, are the true people of God!