Leviticus11:10

Obvious Details about Water Animals

First of all, the place where these animals live and move is clearly indicated to be in the water. The fact that the text says “seas and streams” each time helps the reader know with certainty that this is not a figurative use of the word “sea” (I will return to this in a moment). What about lakes? They would be included as well because the phrase “seas and streams” is intended to cover all types of watery homes. Thus the type of water the animal lives in makes no difference.

 A Paradox Involving Scales

The fact that scales are considered good is interesting. In the story of David and Goliath the text tells us that Goliath’s armor looked like scales. The statement seems to indicate to the reader that Goliath was connected to, or similar to, the serpent of the Garden of Eden; he was evil. But in this case scales are good. What gives?

Scales are for protection, so in that sense scales are good. The text of Genesis chapter 3 never mentions scales, so we do not know if the snake’s scales were present from the moment it was created or if they were part of the changes suffered by the snake after the fall.

The difference seems to be the type of place in which these animals live. The animals described here live in the water; snakes (and other reptiles) live on land and have a low profile, meaning they are always close to the dust. Therefore, it seems like it is the dust that is the problem.

Meaning and Symbolism

The word for “dust” also meant “debris, rubble, rubbish, and ashes.” All of these things are useless, have no value, and have a slightly negative reputation. All of them are also byproducts left over from destructive processes. It is amazing that even though this entire paragraph (Lev 11:9-12) is talking about animals that live in the water, “dust” is the most important thing to remember even though “dust” is never mentioned. There are a number of times in the Bible where a very important point is made from silence; context is what helps us understand what is communicated through that silence.

In contrast to the worthlessness of dust, water is very important; it is life-giving, it cleanses, and in certain contexts it represents abundance. We saw above that this passage does not intend to bring to mind the symbolism of “the sea” which represented danger and death. Only the positive images associated with water are intended here.

Consider the words of Jesus in Lk 11:11 (and also Mt 7:10) when he said, “Which of you is the [kind of] father who, the son asks for a fish, and instead of a fish he will give him a snake?” Here Jesus mentions both types of animals that have scales, one being good and one being bad. The thing that makes the difference between them is the environment they live in; one lives in life-giving water, the other in the post-destruction debris called dust. Jesus expected His audience to understand this difference and catch the reference to Old Testament food laws.

All animals need mobility and certain animals need special protection. The important thing to keep in mind about that protection is not what it looks like, but where it is used. If the animal is in a wholesome, clean, life-giving environment and uses scales for protection, the animal is considered acceptable. However, if the animal is in an environment filled with useless things that are byproducts of destruction, that animal is not acceptable and must be isolated.

Spiritual Lessons

Fins are an obvious reference to how the animal moves, once again pointing to a person’s conduct and behavior. So we should ask ourselves, “What does my behavior say about me?”

Like those who heard Jesus teach, we must learn to discern between the good and the bad, and part of that comes from evaluating the environment something comes from. The points being made here about scales should cause us to ask ourselves, “Do I stay away from activities that are useless and have no value? Do I refuse to associate with things related to destruction and harm? Do I live in the right environment – one that has been cleansed from evil influences? One that is life-giving? We cannot change things that are outside our homes, but we can and should carefully control the atmosphere in our homes. We are expected by God to control the influences that are allowed to enter our homes. That’s what is meant by the question, “Do I live in the right environment?”