Dr Howard Hendricks, a reputable Christian educator, was once on a delayed flight where both passengers and crew were angry and unpleasant to each other . . . except for one stewardess. At the end of the flight, Dr Hendricks went up to this stewardess and asked for her name. He wanted to write to the airline and commend her. She replied, ″But I don't work for American Airlines. I work for God!″ Her identity as God's child made her different!

As God's chosen people, the Israelites had a distinct identity. They were adopted as ″children of the Lord″, sanctified as ″a people holy to the Lord″, and elected: ″out of all the peoples . . . the Lord has chosen you . . . to be his treasured possession″ (Deuteronomy 14:1-2). This distinct identity was to motivate them to live in a way that differed from the people of surrounding nations.

One of the ways they were to do so was to observe the food laws about clean and unclean foods (vv. 3-21). These food laws were intended to remind the Israelites that their identity as God's people made them different from those around them.

God provided a list of land animals, fish, and creatures of the air that were ceremonially clean or unclean (vv. 4-21). In some cases, the Law offered a rationale behind why certain meats were prohibited-the vulture, for instance, because it ate animals that were already dead, and Israelites were not to ″eat anything you find already dead″ (v. 21). Additionally, some of these unclean animals had associations with Canaanite religions.

In other cases, the Law did not offer reasons for deeming certain foods unclean. Some speculate that it was for nutritional reasons that God prohibited them. Yet, though the Israelites were not allowed to eat the meat of animals that died naturally, they were permitted to ″give″ or ″sell″ it to foreigners. This suggests that such meat was not rejected because it was unhealthy, but because the Israelites were ″a people holy to the Lord″ (v. 21).

As believers under the New Covenant, we no longer have to observe these food laws. While on earth, ″Jesus declared all foods clean″ (Mark 7:19). God reiterated this message after Jesus' ascension by telling Peter to eat what the Jews considered unclean, as God had now declared them clean (Acts 11:7-10).

However, these Old Testament food laws can still teach us a few things. First, living as God's people, or holiness, encompasses all of life, even what we eat. Eating is something we do for God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Excessive spending on food, eating unhealthy food, overeating, and gluttony are practices that go against the biblical ethic. Second, Christians need to have ways of remembering that they are a chosen people who are different from others. The Lord's Supper, baptism, and special customs during the Lenten season can serve this purpose. They remind us of our unique call and identity in Christ.