"There is no portion of the commandments of God in general, or of the Mosaic code in particular, that is not based on a scientific understanding of fundamental law. The laws of God are enforced and are as sure as the law of gravity."
Elmar A. Josephson, author
"I give you every seedbearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food."
Genesis 1:29
"These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth..." Leviticus 11:2
Have you ever stood in the grocery store, dazed and confused about what you should buy for dinner that week? Did you ever feel overwhelmed at the ever-changing health advice you see on the news and in magazines? Did you ever start a diet, only to quit three weeks later because you felt like you were starving?
I have good news for you. God has quite a lot to say about what you eat. In fact, He's taken all of the guesswork out of your shopping list. Is this news to you? Turn to Leviticus 11. You'll be blown away at the detail God gives.
We're going to discuss the foods that God gave to us to eat, and the ones He clearly says to avoid. Let me make something clear before I proceed. While I strongly believe that God's dietary laws are as irrevocable as the law of gravity, and that when we violate them, there are natural consequences, I do not believe that choosing not to follow God's health plan will cause you to lose your salvation. But you might get to heaven sooner...
My vote: let's spend our lifetimes following God's guidelines for healthy eating and living, and working in harmony with His laws, instead of against them, and then leave the rest up to Him.
I have good news for you. God has quite a lot to say about what you eat. In fact, He's taken all of the guesswork out of your shopping list. Is this news to you? Turn to Leviticus 11. You'll be blown away at the detail God gives.
We're going to discuss the foods that God gave to us to eat, and the ones He clearly says to avoid. Let me make something clear before I proceed. While I strongly believe that God's dietary laws are as irrevocable as the law of gravity, and that when we violate them, there are natural consequences, I do not believe that choosing not to follow God's health plan will cause you to lose your salvation. But you might get to heaven sooner...
My vote: let's spend our lifetimes following God's guidelines for healthy eating and living, and working in harmony with His laws, instead of against them, and then leave the rest up to Him.
So...go get your Bible. Turn to Leviticus 11 as we discover the foods that God gave us, foods that have nourished mankind for centuries, and also the foods that God tells us to avoid.
Referring to the first verse quoted from Genesis above, God tells Adam and Eve in the Garden to eat freely of the lush fruits and vegetables growing in abundance in the garden. Can you imagine the taste of one piece of luscious fruit growing in that Garden? I guarantee you the irradiated, genetically modified fruit for sale at your local grocery store tastes like garbage compared to produce available in Eden. But, Adam & Eve blew it. They disobeyed God and thus, His beautiful world was shattered and marred forever. God had a plan to redeem His creation, but for now, things had to be done differently.
Instead of enjoying the tranquility of the garden and God's presence, sustaining on abundant fruits and vegetables, man now had to work the ground. This was going to require much more sustenance than a vegetarian diet could provide. Mankind was now required to perform heavy labor, and have physical prowess and speed in order to survive. This is when God codified His approved animal protein sources. This is recorded in great detail in Leviticus 11 and Deutoronomy 14.
Instead of enjoying the tranquility of the garden and God's presence, sustaining on abundant fruits and vegetables, man now had to work the ground. This was going to require much more sustenance than a vegetarian diet could provide. Mankind was now required to perform heavy labor, and have physical prowess and speed in order to survive. This is when God codified His approved animal protein sources. This is recorded in great detail in Leviticus 11 and Deutoronomy 14.
God is very specific concerning which mammals, fish, birds, and even insects we are to eat, and which He calls "unclean." Alternately, the animals He gives us to eat, He calls "clean." In further posts, we will explore what makes the unclean animals so. For this post, I will just list them. Just trust that the unclean animals are in no way called that arbitrarily. You will be blown away when you find out what you are putting in your body when you eat animals God deems "unclean." God made these animals for a specific purpose, but that purpose was not the nourishment of your body. But I digress.
The following list is taken from page. 36 of the Maker's Diet. It is Jordan Rubin's summary of Leviticus 11. Read closely.
1. You may eat the meat of animals with a cloven or split hoof that also chew the cud. (Lev. 11:3) This includes cows, goats, sheep, oxen, deer, buffalo, etc.
2. Avoid animals, such as the camel, that chew the cud but do not have cloven or split hooves. (Lev. 11:4) This includes, but is not limited to, horses, rats, skunks, dogs, cats, squirrels, and possums.
3. Do not eat swine. (pigs) They have divided hooves, but they do not chew the cud. These are unclean animals. (Lev. 11:7-8) In fact, pigs are so unclean that God warns us not to even touch the body, meat or carcass of a pig. The Hebrew words used to describe "unclean meats" can be translated as "foul, polluted, and putrid." The same terms were used to describe "human waste" and other disgusting substances.
4. Eat any fish with fins and scales but avoid fish or water creatures without them. (Lev. 11:9-10) Those to avoid include smooth-skinned speciess such as catfish or eel and hard-shelled crustaceans such as crab, lobster, or clams.
5.) Birds that live primarily on insects, grubs, or grains are considered clean, but avoid birds or fowl that eat flesh. (whether caught live or dead) They are unclean. (See the extensive list in Lev. 11:13-19)
2. Avoid animals, such as the camel, that chew the cud but do not have cloven or split hooves. (Lev. 11:4) This includes, but is not limited to, horses, rats, skunks, dogs, cats, squirrels, and possums.
3. Do not eat swine. (pigs) They have divided hooves, but they do not chew the cud. These are unclean animals. (Lev. 11:7-8) In fact, pigs are so unclean that God warns us not to even touch the body, meat or carcass of a pig. The Hebrew words used to describe "unclean meats" can be translated as "foul, polluted, and putrid." The same terms were used to describe "human waste" and other disgusting substances.
4. Eat any fish with fins and scales but avoid fish or water creatures without them. (Lev. 11:9-10) Those to avoid include smooth-skinned speciess such as catfish or eel and hard-shelled crustaceans such as crab, lobster, or clams.
5.) Birds that live primarily on insects, grubs, or grains are considered clean, but avoid birds or fowl that eat flesh. (whether caught live or dead) They are unclean. (See the extensive list in Lev. 11:13-19)
Are you surprised by anything on this list? Have you ever read it before in Leviticus? I certainly hadn't. Well, I had read Leviticus, at some point in my life, but never took it to heart. In fact, I never gave much thought to the fact that God had an opinion about my beloved clam chowder and Mexican ceviche. And yes, I do miss both those dishes to this day! But let me tell you, knowledge is power. And it's not very hard to turn down both those items when you know what's in them. In the next post, we will discuss further foods that God gives as life-giving, and the abundant health experienced by peoples throughout the centuries who abide by His laws.
