God gave instructions in Leviticus 11 regarding the kinds of animals the Israelites could eat. There were clean animals and unclean animals. They could eat clean animals but could not eat unclean animals.

There were two specifics given regarding animals that lived in the water. Only those animals that had fins and scales could be eaten. Anything that did not have fins and scales could not be eaten. Anything that had only fins or only scales could not be eaten.

Fins give direction. They guide the fish through the water. If the fins are turned a particular way, then the fish will go in the direction the fins are turned. This guiding can be toward food or from enemies. It can be toward friendly fish.

God's Word guides us and gives us direction. In Proverbs 23, we are told to apply our heart to instruction and our ears to knowledge from the Word of God. Then in verse 19, we are told to hear, be wise and guide our heart in the way. This way is the way of Christ. Christ should be guiding our way in this world. By eating his Word and meditating on it, we will be guided in the right path throughout our life.

The fish swims through the water. His fins guide him in the right direction. We spiritually swim through the ocean of this world. We need to make sure that we are swimming in the right direction. In the ocean of this world, there are many enemies. Our fins must take us away from them. In this ocean there is food. We must swim toward the good food, the Bible. In this ocean there are friendly fish, other Christians. We must swim toward and with them.

The Word of God should be your fins. Read it and study it as much as you can. Let your fins guide you toward all that is right.

God told the Israelites what they could eat. Some of these animals have a divided hoof. This article will look at one of the requirements that the animal with a divided hoof had to meet.

The hoofed animal had to chew a cud. Now you may want to know what is a cud. A cud is food that has been swallowed and partially digested. The food is then taken back into the mouth and chewed on some more. The cow does this by bringing food from its first stomach back into its mouth. It chews on the cud and then swallows it into a different stomach. The rabbit has two different types of droppings. One of those droppings is a softer more oblong shape. The rabbit takes this and chews on it again before swallowing it. The rabbit was unclean because it did not have a divided hoof.

The Word of God is referred to as milk (1 Peter 2:2) and as meat (Hebrews 5:12) that is to be eaten. The Word is also to be meditated upon. Blessed is the man who delights in God's Word and meditates upon it day and night (Psalm 1:2). "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success" (Joshua 1:8).

We read the Word of God. This is pictured as eating and swallowing it. Then we are to bring it back to remembrance and meditate on it. This is like bringing the cud up and chewing on it. Every person who professes to follow God should be a cud chewer. Each follower of God will want to not only read the Word but to really study on it. Time must be taken to think seriously on it.

Only by chewing the cud and rightly dividing the hoof can a person be the kind of person that God wants him to be. Each person is to spiritually eat the Word of God, meditate upon it and then properly apply it to his life. One must eat, chew the cud and divide the hoof.

Be the disciple you are to be. Eat the right food, the Bible. Then chew the cud, meditate and think seriously about it. Then divide your hoof, properly apply the word to your life.