What the Bible Says About Food

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A friend of mine just gave me an excellent book written by Dr. Rex Russell called "What the Bible Says About Healthy Living"--you rock, Amy!!  This book has been stuck in my hands for a day straight, except when life calls (practically every other second) and, I have to put it down to tend to the non-stop chores, so I'm only on chapter three.  In those three little chapters, there has been enough information for me to chew on for a month...have I mentioned, I LOVE this book!?!?!


Speaking of chewing, did you know that food is mentioned all over the bible?   The bible is given to us to guide us spiritually, but, we forget, it's a User's Manual.  God gave us all we need to know about the body and soul He created us with right there in plain black and white! 

Before I get into the food part, here are a few fun facts Dr. Russell threw out there to kick off the book. 

In the mid-1800's, a hospital in Vienna was having a problem--new mothers were dying at a rate of one in six.  Turned out doctors who had just examined the dead were walking right over to the maternity wards and examining the expectant mothers without washing their hands.  Had they read up on God's Word, they would have known that "whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be unclean for seven days" Numbers 19:11

Or-

It is routine to circumcise babies within three days of birth.  Dr. Russell had a patient who's circumcision just would not seem to clot.  No harm was done, but the stress on mom and doctor's could have been avoided had God's Word been followed.  "For the generations to come every male amoung you who is eight days old must be circumcised" Genesis 17:12.  Why?  Because Vitamin K is our natural clotting agent.  God designed the infant body to produce a supply of Vitamin K after 5-7 days of breast feeding.  How do we know this?  Because modern science has proven it through research. 

I thought those were really cool little tid-bits!


Back to the food...

That seminar I went to a few weeks ago revolved a lot around this book.  Sue Becker from Bread Beckers was the speaker.  She's been sharing information about bible based eating for the past 20 years through her company and speaking engagements.  One of the verses she discussed was Proverbs 23

 ¹ When you sit to dine with a ruler,
note well what is before you,
² and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to gluttony.
³ Do not crave his delicacies,
for that food is deceptive.

⁴ Do not wear yourself out to get rich;
do not trust your own cleverness.
⁵ Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,
for they will surely sprout wings
and fly off to the sky like an eagle.
  
⁶ Do not eat the food of a begrudging host,
do not crave his delicacies;
⁷ for he is the kind of person
who is always thinking about the cost.^[b]
“Eat and drink,” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
⁸ You will vomit up the little you have eaten
and will have wasted your compliments.

Most diseases we face today are nothing new.   What's new about them, is that they have never been as common as they are now.  History shows that up until the last six or so decades, diseases like heart disease and diabetes were reserved for royalty...lucky them.  Just kidding, the rich were the only ones that could afford refined flours and sugars.  Funny how the tables have turned, and, now, that's the cheap stuff.  When God spoke of dainties and delacacies, he was refering to those light, fluffy pastries and breads made from white flour and sugar. 

God says not to crave these foods because they are deceptive and you might as well put a knife to your throat instead of indulging in them.  They are deceptive, because they look like food and taste like food, but they are dead food.  Not only dead food, but food that messes with the way God intended for our bodies to run--smoothly. 

He says not to worry about getting rich--sounds like a less stressful way of life to me.  Strange how He stuck that in the middle of two proverbs about food.  Do you see the correlation?

Then, he says not to eat the food of a host who is resistant to share his expensive delicacies (I'm thinking this is the guy who's keeping up with the Jones', wants to look rich,  and is racking up debt just to serve a fancy meal), because you will vomit them up.  I am loving these verses about vomit...gross, God!!  What He's saying here is these foods are not good for your body, and it will reject it--been there. 

Sue also pointed out a verse from Isaiah.

Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. 
Isaiah 55:2

God tells us not to waste our labor or money on fake food. 

What is fake food??

It's all the processed junk I've been talking about in the Pantry Raids that we find on the grocery store shelves.   It's food with additives, color enhancers, scientifically manipulated, homogenized, ultra-pasterized, pureed, pulverized and has every ounce of life sucked out of it!


How can we feed life with food that has no life??

We can't!  That is why we are facing chronic fatigue, chronic diseases, obesity, rising health care costs and all the other yuck that goes along with our lack of knowledge of just what is in (or not in) our food.   

This book has me so hyped up (if you can't tell), that I am thinking there's a need for a second weekly series of posts focusing on what God has to say about food.  Let's consider this post #1 :)

Happy Wednesday!!