Swarming and creeping
The insects listed swarm or crawl on the earth. They symbolize people who follow the crowd and behave selfishly. They should be loving God and people. There is an old saying, “If it is popular, there is something wrong with it.” [1]
The exceptions listed are things the Hebrews could eat, and we should learn from. They represent people who may have troubles but they try to know God.
A flying thing is something intended for the air, or spirit. A crawling thing represents someone behaving selfishly or ‘in the flesh’.
The flying things that crawl should be living as though they love God. Instead they have chosen to live and work loving themselves first. We say they are hypocrites.
In the play, when the hands (works) and feet (life) are in the flesh (on the ground), it is disgusting. [2] We can crawl around for fun and there is nothing wrong with it. Since we are not in the play, we can crawl and have fun.
There are other creeping critters that aren’t so crunchy.
The Hebrew word for ‘creep’ also means to multiply. Some of the animals can have many babies, each according to it’s kind. Ferrets can only have baby ferrets, and lizards can only have baby lizards.
The ferret may have up to seven in a litter. Turtles may lay up to twelve eggs. Mice can have twelve every few weeks. Large lizards may lay fifty or more eggs. Imagine if you had fifty siblings. Could you even remember their names?
God told Adam and Eve to multiply. He wanted them to teach their children well.
It is bad when teachers teach their children to live loving themselves first. We should love God and people first. [3] Those who choose to live in the flesh and raise children in the flesh, should not be our teachers. [4]
- creep sherets שׁרץ - multiply
