Deut 13-14 Clean and Unclean Food
Proverbs 13
Did Moses have a modern biological lab for Deuteronomy 12? Nope
Extracted from:
from the May 12, 2009 eNews issue of http://www.khouse.org
"The early Egyptian physicians made considerable use of drugs. Their drugs were of the kind usually found in early civilizations; a few effective remedies lost in a mass of substances of purely superstitious origin. They used opium, squill, and other vegetable substances, but also excrement and urine. It is said that the urine of a faithful wife was with them effective in the treatment of sore eyes."
Pig dung, donkey dung, lizard dung, dried children's excrement were all included in the ingredients of various cures. Blood from a variety of animals was also used, and the Egyptians seemed to be pleased with creating puss (which is the result of an infection.)
It is noteworthy that Moses was raised by the royal family of Egypt, and afterwards wrote the five books of the Torah. Yet, while Moses' works include a great deal of information on how to deal with illnesses, his works do not draw on Egyptian medical practices. He also avoids the harmful practices of the other nations in the area. In fact, the first five books of the Bible are far more sanitary and medically sound than the medical practices of the ancient Egyptians and, if followed, would have protected the ancient Israelites from spreading many harmful diseases.
For instance, while the Egyptians used dung and human feces as remedies, Deuteronomy 23:13 instructs the people to dig holes outside the camp to relieve themselves, and to cover it up afterwards.
The Israelites were told not to touch animals that had died of themselves or were torn by wild beasts (Lev 22:8).
The sons of Aaron were considered unclean if they touched a dead human or a creeping thing or if they had a skin disease or a running sore (Lev 22:4-5).
The Israelites were instructed not to eat a variety of animals that were "unclean" (Lev. 11), which indeed were not as safe to eat as "clean" animals like sheep and cattle.
Moses gave instructions for dealing with people who had potentially communicable skin diseases, including quarantine (Lev 13:45-46), and even described how to deal with the clothing of diseased people (Lev 13:47-59). The ancient Egyptians had a great deal of knowledge based on centuries of learning – and centuries of superstition. Moses, on the other hand, was taught by God Himself, who already knew about the microorganisms that cause disease, and how to best protect His people from them. The researchers at the University of Penn might turn their attention to the Scriptures. The Bible may not hide the secret to the cure for cancer. But... then again... it might.