Every country of each time has its own laws that are used to govern its people. The civil laws of the Old Testament were given to govern the people of Israel. They are found throughout the Old Testament while many can be specifically located in Exodus through Deuteronomy, which are known as those laws Moses gave to govern Israel. They deal with incidents such as servitude, personal injuries, property rights, and social responsibilities (Ex. 21-22), and cleanliness (Lev.15).

The food laws found in Leviticus 11 explained which foods were to be called clean and which are unclean. Only those clean were to be eaten by Israelites.

Leviticus 11 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. 44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. 46This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: 47 To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.

Jesus mentions these food laws. He taught that when we eat these unclean animals, it does not make us unclean.

Matthew 15 10 And he called the multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand: 11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. 12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? 13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. 14 Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. 15 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Declare unto us this parable. 16 And Jesus said, Are ye also yet without understanding? 17 Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.

He was talking about spiritual uncleanness and not physical contamination. The creatures in Leviticus 11 do not make us spiritually unclean because they do not contaminate our souls. We do that to ourselves when we do bad things which originate from our own thoughts (v. 18).

The food laws, as others such as sacrificial and cleanliness laws, were fulfilled with the coming of the Messiah because in His sacrificial atonement everything becomes sanctified.

Because Jesus fulfilled the food laws, everything through prayer is clean...

1 Timothy 4 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

...unless someone chooses not to eat it for a specific reason, "to him it is unclean."

Romans 14 14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.

This means what we eat is a matter of choice and we should not condemn others for it.

The food laws of Leviticus 11 can have an affect on our physical health because they can be physically, not spiritually, unclean. Many of the "beasts" given in Leviticus are scavengers and work great at cleaning up the earth, which means they can be contaminated and not healthy to consume, so these food laws are good to keep for those interested in achieving better health.

 

The Leviticus 11 food laws were prophetic in that they point to something bigger where animals were symbolic of the people of the earth. God used what is not necessarily the best for human consumption to give prophetic reference as to what would be cleansed spiritually.

God teaches the apostle Peter about this in a vision.

In Acts 10:1-47 a godly gentile (non-Jewish) man named Cornelius was visited by an angel who told him to look for a man named Simon Peter (Jesus' apostle). Peter would give him God's advice. So, Cornelius sent two servants and a soldier to find Peter. The next day, God gives Peter a vision. In his vision, Peter is told to eat all kinds of unclean foods because God had cleaned them.

Acts 10 9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: 10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, 11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: 12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. 14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. 15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. 16 This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

Peter meets up with Cornelius who tells him about his visit from an angel and asks him for his godly advice. Peter tells Cornelius gentiles are considered to be unclean and Jews are not supposed to keep company with them. But God has taught him that with God no one is unclean.

Acts 10 28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean

 Peter learned from Cornelius' angelic visit and from his own personal vision that God is "no respecter of persons."

Acts 10 34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.

All people no matter of every race and religion are accepted by God if they seek His righteousness.

Peter shares with Cornelius and his friends and family the ministry of Jesus and they receive the power of God and become baptized.

 

Peter's vision and the Leviticus food laws are not the only Scripture where animals become symbolic. Another law from the Old Covenant in reference to an animal (ox) was understood as being similarly symbolic.

1 Corinthians 9  9 For it is written in the law of Moses, thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? 10 Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. 11 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?

Paul quotes from Deuteronomy 25:4 which refers to tithing. Those who work to serve God should be paid for their work.

 

The greater Commandments and other moral laws teach us the true meaning of sin and why disobedience to these laws affect our soul and why there is a need for redemption through our Messiah (Eph. 1:7). Civil laws such as the food laws can teach us how to take better care of our health, which is important because the body is the temple of God (1 Cor. 6:19).

And in the temple of God we each to God are accountable.

 Put the Kingdom of God first (Matt. 6:33). Remember kindness, mercy, and compassion (Matt. 23:23). Keep the Faith (2 Tim. 4:7). And remember what is most important is not what is physical and temporary but what is eternal which we have found in our Maker.