The subject of food is a hot topic in today’s word. What do we eat? What can we eat? These are both good questions and I hope to give you my view of what the word of God says in this letter today. I will start this out with scripture, then give you my thoughts as well as comments from other commentators.
1 Timothy 4:4-5- For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer.
Romans 14:14- I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
1 Corinthians 10:25- For whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake.
1 Corinthians 10:27- If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and you be disposed to go, whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no questions for conscience sake.
1 Corinthians 10:31- Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.
I love this comment made by Albert Barnes (1798-1870) “Nor does it mean that all that God has made is good for every object to which it can be applied. It is good in its place, good for the purpose for which He had made it.”
As I read all these commentaries on what Paul was saying, I can not help but to wonder that when Genesis 9:3 was spoken by God, that if everything that moved or lived was food, then God made a mistake! We know that cannot ever happen so we need to look at it closer to determine what the translators wrote.
In Genesis chapter 8:20, Noah took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered them as a sacrifice to God. Now if we look a little further back to Genesis 7:2, we see God is telling Noah to take of every clean beast and fowls by pairs of seven, or 14 of each species into the ark. Then in verse 2 we also see that God tells him to only take one pair of each unclean species also into the ark.
Then look at Genesis verse 3 of chapter 9. Everything is now to be food? Then why did God tell Noah to save the unclean and the clean? If Noah or one of his sons would have killed an unclean animal or fowl, then that species would then be extinct. Right? This makes no sense if you take the time to understand what you read.
The ark story is before any law of clean or unclean things! God made both the unclean animals and fowl for a purpose, but it was not for food. The clean animal or fowl had its purpose too, including tasty food. I do not believe Paul is telling these Christians that it was now ok to eat a buzzard, or a carnivore, or any other creature that has always been unclean. This is where you apply logic to what you read.
They are unclean because they could harm the human body, and make us sick, or even kill us. In Adam Clark’s commentary we find this statement “for every creature of God is good, that is: every creature which God has made for mans nourishment is good for that purpose, and to be thankfully received whenever necessary for the support of human life, and nothing of that sort is at any time to be refused. All creatures that are good for food, but not all creatures that God made are good for food.” I hope this short lesson on food will make sense to you, and allow you to see some foods are clean, and some are unclean, according to the Bible?
In Leviticus 11:1-23 we find the list of both animals and fowl that may be eaten and also those you should avoid. Please remember that Noah knew this about a thousand years before the Law of Moses was given to the Israelite nation by God. Either the Bible is our handbook for living on this earth or it is just a book. As Christians we know it is our handbook to life, not just eternal, but for abundant life in the here and now.
I am not writing this to put anyone in bondage, or to set up a rule of do’s and don’t, but to try and help you avoid something that could potentially harm you. Like I have said before in my letters to you, it is up to you to study and apply Gods word to your own life. Remember it’s His Word that we are to apply to our own lives as we are directed by the Holy Spirit as we meditate upon it.
Read and study His word daily, and think on those thing’s which you read, and try to make them part of who you are. Remember, you will make it just don’t give up. See you next week as we study the Word of God together.
In His Service As Kilted Priest
The Kilted Priest 