Drew said:
sparrowhawke said:
Before you turn to Peter's vision of unclean meats and God's command "Acts 10:13 And a voice came to him, saying, Rise, Peter! Kill and eat! " - note that the Lord was talking about the Gentiles (not unclean meats) using an analogy and that Peter understood Him perfectly although he never did eat unclean things.
I don' think so -the Acts 10 text indeed shows that the Levitical food laws have been overturned.
Some assert that the following text, despite appearances, does not overturn Levitical food laws, but instead teaches Peter that
Gentiles are not unclean. On such a view, some foods remain unclean to eat, at least for the Jew – it is the Gentiles who are being declared clean here, not the animals. Here is the relevant text from Acts 10:
10He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat." 14"Surely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." 15The voice spoke to him a second time, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."
Here is what we have:
1. Peter is presented with food;
2. He is commanded to eat;
3. He clearly sees that some of the food is impure in respect to Torah food laws;
4. The voice tells him that
all the foods are clean.
It is helpful to actually open the bible and begin to read in Acts 10:1 where we see the subject of what we are being taught:
- And a certain man named Cornelius was in Caesarea, a centurion of the Italian cohort, [/*:m:1ud0vx85]
- one devout and fearing God, with all his household, both doing many merciful deeds to the people, and praying continually to God. [/*:m:1ud0vx85]
- About the ninth hour of the day he saw plainly in a vision an angel of God coming to him and saying to him, Cornelius! [/*:m:1ud0vx85]
- And he was gazing at him, and becoming terrified, he said, What is it, lord? And he said to him, Your prayers and your merciful deeds have come up for a memorial before God. [/*:m:1ud0vx85]
- And now send men to Joppa and call for Simon, whose last name is Peter. [/*:m:1ud0vx85]
- He is staying with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the seaside. He will tell you what you must do. [/*:m:1ud0vx85]
- And when the angel who spoke to Cornelius departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from those who waited on him continually. [/*:m:1ud0vx85]
- And explaining all things to them, he sent them to Joppa. [/*:m:1ud0vx85]
- On the next day, as these went on the road, and drawing near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour. [/*:m:1ud0vx85]
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The word is directing our attention to the Centurion, Cornelius. He received a Vision.
Peter also received a Vision:
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Act 10:9 On the next day, as these went on the road, and drawing near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour.
Act 10:10 And he became very hungry and desired to eat. But while they made ready, an ecstasy fell on him.
Act 10:11 And he saw the heaven opened and a certain vessel like a sheet coming down to him, being bound at the four corners and let down to the earth;
Act 10:12 in which were all the four-footed animals of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the reptiles, and the birds of the heaven.
Act 10:13 And a voice came to him, saying, Rise, Peter! Kill and eat!
Act 10:14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.
Act 10:15 And the voice spoke to him again the second time, What God has made clean, you do not call common.
Act 10:16 This happened three times, and the vessel was received up again into the heaven.
Act 10:17 And while Peter doubted within himself what the vision which he had seen might be, even behold, the men who were sent from Cornelius had asked for Simon's house and stood on the porch.
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Remember that that Peter was still wondering and doubting within himself what the vision which he had seen might be. He refused a direct order from his Lord saying, "No so, Lord..." Now this was the same Peter who denied Christ three times, so you know it had to be troubling him. But he did have Scriptural precedent. Remember also what Ezekiel said when he was ordered by the Lord to cook his food on human excrement? "No so, Lord...
Eze 4:12-17 said:
And you shall eat it as barley cakes, and you shall bake it with dung of the excrement of man, in their sight.
And Jehovah said, Even so shall the sons of Israel eat their defiled bread among the nations, where I will drive them.
Then I said, Ah Lord Jehovah! Behold, my soul has not been defiled. For from my youth up, even till now, I have not eaten of that which dies of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither did there come any unclean flesh into my mouth.
Then He said to me, Lo, I have given you cow's dung for man's dung, and you shall prepare your bread with it.
And He said to me, Son of man, behold, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem. And they shall eat bread by weight, and with care. And they shall drink water by measure, and in silence,
so that they may lack bread and water, and be stricken dumb with one another, and waste away in their iniquity.
Surely Peter knew these Scriptures.
"No so, Lord... for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean." Per the first part of the chapter Cornelius had seen an Angel. With this in mind we might better understand his following action.
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Act 10:25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped.
Act 10:26 But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up! I also am a man myself.
Act 10:27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together.
Act 10:28 And he said to them, You know that it is an unlawful thing for a man, a Jew to keep company with or to come near to one of another nation.
But God has shown me not to call any man common or unclean.
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Later, Peter said:
Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said, Truly I see that God is no respecter of persons;
Act 10:35 but in every nation he who fears Him and works righteousness is accepted with Him.
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Paul later spoke to the Jewish leaders, saying that very same thing that Jesus tried to tell them, Act 13:46 But speaking boldly, Paul and Barnabas said, "It was necessary for the Word of God to be spoken to you first. But since indeed you put it far from you and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the nations." They ignored the weightier matters of the law and concentrated on the tiny things. Jesus specifically confirmed that not even the tiny things would pass away. They haven't.
totopic
(Deuteronomy 10:16) Therefore, circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stiff-necked.
(Deuteronomy 30:6) And Jehovah your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your seed, to love Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
(Jeremiah 4:4) Circumcise yourselves to Jehovah, and take away the foreskins of your heart, men of Judah and people of Jerusalem; lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn so that none can put it out; because of the evil of your doings.