Then the LORD said to Noah, "Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this time. Gen. 7:1
Scofield says: "Here God's beckoning embraces the basic meaning of this gracious invitation occurring again and again in the Scriptures, even down to the last page (Rev. 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.). This invitation (1) is extended by God to man: (2) urges him to avail himself of the perfect provision God has made for his preservation; and (3) is given in a time of overwhelming judgment and doom."
"You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female: and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female; Gen. 7:2
Scofield says: See Genesis 6:19, note. Genesis 6:19 says "And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female." In addition to two animals, etc., commanded her to be preserved for future increase (male and female), the further command was given to take of clean animals, i.e. animals acceptable for sacrifice, seven each. Exodus gives ten such animals, or but seventy in all. Modern ships carry hundreds of live animals, with their food, besides scores of human beings.
"You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female: and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female; Gen. 7:2
Quest asks the question "What makes some animals clean and some unclean?" It then references notes on Lev. 5:2 and Lev. 11:4-41. The referenced note on Lev. 5:2 asks "What did it mean to be ceremonially unclean?" and then answers its own question. "Defiled and impure, a religious distinction, not necessarily a measure of physical cleanliness. Sinfulness automatically led to impurity, but impurity led to sinfulness only if not removed. To be unclean was like being exposed and susceptible to a contagious disease; to be clean was to be immune. God declared certain things unclean, though it's not always clear on what basis."
"You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female: and of the animals that are not clean two, a male and his female; Gen. 7:2
The Quest article on Lev. 11:4-41 asks and answers the question, "Why did God keep some meats off the menu? It says that anyone who touched the meat of certain animals would become unclean -- offensive to the holy God (Lev. 11:43-44). How could food separate someone from God? Many believe God forbade these meats for hygienic reasons. While it is true some meats have high potential for transmitting bacterial, not all are clearly harmful. Others say these meats were banned because they were used in pagan rituals. Yet the bull was considered clean even though it was prominent in Canaanite and Egyptian religions. Still others believe that God distinguished between edible and inedible animals as a "teaching tool." God wanted Israel to remain holy and unadulterated as his people, not blended with other cultures or polluted by idolatry. To echo this important distinction in the Israelites' daily lives, God outlawed the mixed breeding of animals, mixed plantings, mixed threads (Lev. 19:19) -- and here, the eating of symbolically "mongrel" creatures. The forbidden animals are those that in motion or diet don't fit neatly into the "purebred" categories of Genesis 1: birds that fly, fish that swim and land animals that walk (primarily plant-eating). Leviticus 11 bans many meat-eaters, as well as other apparent "mongrels" such as water dwellers without fins or scales. Sheep and goats seem to set the standard for "purebred" land animals. Those that walked or ate in a different manner were forbidden. Though to us God's restrictions may seem overbearing, there is no indication that the Israelites felt that way. They understood that they were God's distinct people and that God expected them to live like it.
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