What Old Testament laws might Peter have been concerned about observing? Setting the Scene (Galatians 2:12) “For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself, for fear of those in the circumcision group.” Why Peter’s Table Fellowship Became Contentious • Table fellowship was more than sharing food; it signified spiritual acceptance. • Jewish believers arriving from Jerusalem still expected observance of Mosaic regulations. • Peter, fearing their criticism, reverted to customs the gospel had fulfilled. Old Testament Commands Most Likely Pressuring Peter 1. Dietary Distinctions • Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14 list clean and unclean animals. • Exodus 22:31 forbids eating “flesh torn by beasts.” • Isaiah 65:4 condemns those “eating pig’s flesh.” • Sharing common Gentile fare risked contact with prohibited meats, fats, or blood (Leviticus 3:17; 7:26). 2. Laws of Ritual Purity in Contact with Gentiles • Numbers 19:11–22 describes uncleanness through contact, extended by later tradition to association with Gentile homes (cf. John 18:28). • Acts 10:28 recalls Peter’s own words: “You know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile.” 3. Circumcision as Covenant Boundary • Genesis 17:9-14—circumcision required for covenant membership. • Exodus 12:43-48—no uncircumcised male could eat the Passover. • Those “from James” belonged to “the circumcision group,” pressing this sign as prerequisite for shared meals. 4. Festival and Sacrificial Meals • Deuteronomy 16:1-8 (Passover/Unleavened Bread) and Leviticus 23 outline feasts restricted to law-keepers. • Eating with uncircumcised Gentiles could seem to desecrate these sacred meals. 5. Holiness Separation Texts • Leviticus 20:24-26 calls Israel to “distinguish between the clean and the unclean.” • Ezra 9:1-2 and Nehemiah 13:23-27 recount post-exilic zeal to avoid intermingling, heightening later sensitivity. Scripture Showing These Barriers Fulfilled in Christ • Acts 10:15—“What God has cleansed, you must not call common.” • Mark 7:18-19—Jesus “declared all foods clean.” • Ephesians 2:14—Christ “has made both one and has broken down the dividing wall.” • Colossians 2:16-17—food laws and festivals are “a shadow… the substance is Christ.” Summary Peter likely wavered over: • Food laws distinguishing clean from unclean. • Ritual purity concerns tied to Gentile contact. • Circumcision as gatekeeper of covenant meals. • Festival regulations limiting shared tables. These Mosaic commands, once vital boundary markers, had been fulfilled in Christ; yet social pressure momentarily led Peter to retreat, prompting Paul’s firm, gospel-anchored correction (Galatians 2:14-21). |
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