Holy Men

"You shall be holy men to Me, therefore you shall not eat any flesh torn to pieces in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs." -Exodus 22.31

Israel is commanded not to eat meat that has been torn to pieces in the field. They were not to salvage what was left from a lion killing and make stew from it. If an animal had been taken by thieves and butchered, they were not to take the edible parts of what was left and feed their families. Instead they were to throw it to the dogs. It was unfit for human consumption, and so they were to discard it and have nothing to do with it.

Most people who raise animals for food that would not try to salvage and sell/eat the remains of an animal that was killed. The exception would be the guys on the show "Mountain Men" or others like them, who never throw anything away. But most people wouldn't think twice about discarding the remains of a killed and picked over carrcus. Instead I think we can draw a different, and more relevant, message from this verse.

We are still to be holy men to God, and so we are not to consume anything that has been torn to pieces; we are to throw it to the dogs.

Pornography is sex and beauty that has been torn to pieces. It is something God had made good, that sin took and twisted. We are to throw it to the dogs and have nothing to do with it.

Gossip is truth and honor that has been torn to pieces. It takes the truth about someone and smashes it by spreading lies about someone. We are to throw it to the dogs and have nothing to do with it.

Greed is generosity and faith that has been torn to pieces. It lives selfishly, hoarding for itself, father than reaching out to help those in need. We are to throw it to the dogs and have nothing to do with it.

Addiction is self-control torn to pieces. It takes something that may not be bad in and of itself, and makes it the thing we cannot live without. We are to throw it to the dogs and have nothing to do with it.

... is something else torn to pieces. It takes ... that God had had made good, but sin has twisted it and uses it to ensnare us and pull our focus away from God. We are to throw it to the dogs and have nothing to do with it. Fill in the blanks.

Men, God calls us to be holy to Him, and if we would be holy there are things we must give up and avoid. These things draw us away from God, and cause us to indulge in things that destroy us. Every single one of them is something that God made good, but sin has taken it and twisted it in an effort to pull us away from God.

Let us be strong and resist the temptations that battle for our holiness. Let us throw the flesh of what was once good, but is now torn to pieces by sin, and throw it to the dogs. Let us be holy men of God.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor