God made a distinction between clean and unclean animals when instructing Noah to load up the ark, and afterward when offering sacrifices. Why wouldn't the dietary laws be a part of the Noahide laws?
It seems strange that God would tell Noah that these animals are clean and appropriate for sacrifice, and that the one's which aren't clean would be ok to eat. I don't know why God would say it's ok for Noah to eat something which is polluted or filthy.
Hatikvah
Favorite Answer
Because the Hebrew Bible was given to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. It's our Torah (instructions) for life here on earth. Jews are to live that life as an example for others -- to be a light unto the nations. God did not instruct us to impose the terms our Covenant on others.
Come to think of it, I suppose that's the purpose of the "new" covenant -- to impose it terms on others. Believers get eternal bliss while non-believers get eternal torment. What a revolutionary idea!
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Anonymous
The dietary laws were part of the Sinaitic covenant. They were part of Israel's responsibility as vassals of their King (God). The Noahide laws apply to all of humanity, while the dietary laws only apply to Israel.
peace
The unclean animals of the dietary laws are not filthy. If you look at the list of proscribed animals you will find that they all either blend characteristics or are associated with death in some manner. So the dietary laws were intended to teach the Israelites about God's holiness and to maintain purity. Impurity was a big deal because it is *always* associated with death, or a lessening of life. The Creator of Life cannot abide the presence of death, and so God's presence would leave if the Israelites allowed themselves to be contaminated by death. Impurity was considered contagious, and so would spread to the tabernacle/temple itself and defile the dwelling place of divine presence. It was absolutely imperative that this not be allowed to happen because the survival of the nation depended upon God's presence among them.
Cyprch27
The Law had not yet been given before Moses. In the Noahic Covenant, God allowed the eating of all animals, provided they were killed and drained of their blood. Before this people had been exclusively vegetarian.
"Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat."
Genesis 9:3-4 (King James Version)
lostnsavd
Dear Friend,
There is no mention as to why God commanded Noah to take seven pairs of clean animals into the ark; but only one pair of unclean. Perhaps it was for food and in anticipation of the clean animals' being needed for sacrifice, Genesis 8:20.
Perhaps the reason God separated the unclean animals from the clean, was to illustrate the believer's "old" and "new" nature.
Crimmy
I love animlas to much to answer this I know GOD above all knows better than us but I don't like to see animals killed that's just me...