Yahweh’s
Food Laws
“You must distinguish
between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean”, Leviticus
____________________________________________________
A
man eating an all-meat hamburger, which is oozing its mouth-watering contents,
appears in a commercial to tantalize the viewer. Devoid of vegetables, such as
tomatoes or lettuce, but with added cheese, this hamburger is mostly filled
with juicy/spicy meat, which we trust is beef. On top of it, or rather on the
side, are deep-fried French fries, salted to the taster’s delight. The person
eating it looks so satisfied! Are you
tempted? The ones that designed the commercial are certainly hoping you are.
Seeing certain people watch a commercial like this is
similar to watching some of Pavlov’s scientific experiments on dogs in which
they would drool if certain conditions were present.
Today’s food is a sign of the times. The majority is
over-processed with additives fit to be in a starter chemical set rather than
to be served for a meal. We over-consume and are overfed as a nation, and yet,
many of us are undernourished.
Heart disease, diabetes and a number of other
health-related diseases are on the rise. The question is, WHY?
Could it be that most people who are gulping down
these monstrous meat-filled creations that are basically double-fisted
mountains of saturated grease are not considering Yahweh’s Biblical food laws?
This question and others will be answered in the
following pages. We’ll see what Yahweh’s Word says and we’ll also see what is
happening to today’s general food supply.
Man has gone beyond the basics. Man has been altering
the
When man decides to try to improve upon what Yahweh
said was “good” from the beginning, the outcome cannot be “good” in the long
run:
And Elohim
said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit
tree yielding fruit after its kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth:
and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after
its kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after its
kind: and Elohim saw that it was good,” Gen 1:11-12.
Jekyll and Hyde Plants?
Consider
what a scientist might say who believes that evolution is the reason we are
here: “We basically evolved over billions of years.” A person with that mindset
might reason, “What’s the harm in helping evolution on its way?” He might also
say, “At the same time, I’m helping fight those pesky bugs and other ailments
the earth suffers from, like drought, for example.”
One can reason away and truly believe some good can
come from genetic manipulation. Some good has actually come from it. Tomatoes
have grown in size due to man’s manipulation. They can now be sliced and put on
a sandwich, fitting just nicely. The bad, however, is certainly starting to
outweigh the good, as we’ll see.
Experimenting with the food chain, such as has been
happening in the last decade, is but one of the alarming scenarios that seems
like something taken out of a Jekyll and Hyde novel.
Scientists have been splicing and dicing genes in
their recipes for better yielding, bug fighting, drought resistant plants. In
doing so, some plants are now able to produce their own chemical pesticides
that will destroy the bug that eats it. Once planted in the field, natural
cross-pollination occurs when the plants reach a mature level of growth. What
this means is that a non-genetically altered field may be contaminated by an
experimental crop, or more likely by a crop already approved for
mass-production.
Genetic Engineered Plants
In
either case, but especially with the experimental crops, we could have a
scenario played out like the one that produced killer bees. Though these are a
type of insect and not plants, the same analogy can be used for experimental
plants that somehow escape the field in which they were first grown.
Killer bees (also called Africanized bees, since it
was an African queen that was mixed with a regular bee species) have produced a
type of “bully bee” who, with other “bully bees” of the same type, will team up
and attack animals, children, or anything else that they see as a threat to
their well being. Some people have died already because of them.
These bees are on the move having traveled quickly
from
There have been fields of genetically altered corn
that have affected at least one documented and certified organic grower of
corn. If the grower hadn’t been certified, it may have possibly gone
undetected. However, others have already noticed a difference in their fields
when infected by genetically altered corn, because the yield is noticeably off.
Since some of these plants are now producing their own pesticides, the process
saps the plant’s energy causing the yields to be less.
In a book written by Don Colbert, M.D., entitled Toxic Relief, this Board Certified
physician, who will be quoted throughout this booklet, along with other
authorities, states, “The National Academy of Sciences released a report
stating that genetically engineered products introduce new allergens, toxins,
disruptive chemicals and unknown protein combinations into our bodies…When we
ingest these foods, we will also be ingesting the pesticide produced by the food.”
He goes on to say, “It’s too early to tell all the
side effects and dangers of these foods; however, we are already seeing the
allergic effects. Unfortunately for us in the
Properly Labeled Food
Just a few days prior to
this writing, the state of Oregon voted “no” on a measure to have labels
stating that a food has been genetically engineered, if indeed it has been. The
biotechnology companies gave over $5,000,000 for funding of propaganda, such as
television ads, trying to show that there would be too much red tape and that
the food is basically safe anyway. The Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA)
had organized the campaign with the help of the funds given by the biotech
companies. There’s no doubt that campaigning of this sort will be coming to
your local area soon.
Recently, a documentary on missionary work being done
in
Other countries have regulated the corn for cattle
feed only, such as in
Be not
deceived; Elohim is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap, Gal. 6:7.
Mad Cow disease, reportedly, can be dormant in an
individual for up to a decade before it basically turns the person’s brain into
something resembling Swiss cheese.
Creating plants that grow insecticide and feeding it
to animals that, in turn, are eaten is not much different than ingesting the
toxins yourself.
If this all seems bad, just wait, because it gets
worse. In an article entitled “Sowing Disaster?” by Mark Schapiro, on the
website TheNation.com, the following information is given:
“Dr. Mike Lee, a plant biologist, is in the agronomy
department’s plant-transformation center doing genetic engineering. Lee is at
work on a research project to increase the nutritional value of corn by
inserting the most nutritious part of a hog — the gene for hog’s milk — into a
corn embryo…This is genetic engineering in action, mixing the genetic material
from two organisms that would never ordinarily mix in nature. It has been done
with flounder genes in strawberries, mice genes in potatoes, cow genes in
sugarcane and soy, and chicken genes in corn. And now, as Lee explains, he
hopes to increase the nutritional value of corn with genes from hog’s milk.”
Clean Foods
If
you are already eating pork, then the above may not sound so bad, but Yahweh
has told us that certain animals are unclean and are not to be eaten:
These also
shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth;
the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after its kind, Lev
And the
swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the
cud; he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass
shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you, Lev 11:7-8.
Abomination in the following Scripture is mentioned
between two of the animals that man has decided to mix with edible plant life: They that sanctify themselves, and purify
themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh (hogs,
pigs), and the abomination, and the mouse (mice), shall be consumed together,
saith Yahweh, Isaiah 66:17.
Is Pork A Clean Food?
The
Those who
sanctify and purify themselves to go to the gardens, following one in the
center, who eat swine’s flesh, detestable things, and mice, shall come to an
end altogether,” declares Yahweh, Isaiah
66:17 (
Ryrie’s notes state that Isaiah 66:15-17 is speaking
of “A vivid picture of the judgments at the return of [Messiah].” In other
words, it is prophetic for a time yet ahead of us. It also shows swine and
mice, found among the unclean food laws, are still unclean even at the return
of the Savior Yahshua.
In the section, “The Problem with Pork” in Dr. Don
Colbert’s book, What Would J-sus Eat?, we find the following comment:
“Many people declare today that pork is a safe meat to
eat in modern times. I disagree. Pigs eat enormous amounts of food, and this
dilutes the hydrochloric acid in the pig’s stomach. This in turn allows toxins,
viruses, parasites, and bacteria to be absorbed into the animal’s flesh…Pigs
readily harbor parasites including Trichinella,
the pork tapeworm, and toxoplasmosis.”
Other doctors also warn against eating unclean pigs,
such as Gordon S. Tessler, PhD. in his book,
The Genesis Diet:
“Pigs are known to carry up to 200 diseases and 18
different parasites and worms…A person may be committing slow suicide when they
eat bacon, ham, sausage, or pork chops. Even hog farmers who insist that
corn-fed hogs are safe won’t give you a guarantee that their indoor hogs
haven’t eaten any rats, mice, fecal waste, or maggots within the past few
days…Pork should be considered a homotoxin (human poison) and the probable
cause of many common sicknesses and degenerative diseases.”
Yahweh knew what He was doing for us when He said
don’t eat things like swine. It was and still is for our own good, just as are
all the instructions He gave
It’s true that we don’t offer physical sacrifices and
that we are under the Melchisedek order rather than the Levitical, but what
that means is a change in the law (Heb 7:12), not a doing away with it.
Yahweh’s ways are eternal (Mal 3:6; Heb 13:8) and we are told His instructions
were and still are good for the people.
Deuteronomy 4:6, 9 (NLT) says, If you obey them carefully, you will display your wisdom and
intelligence to the surrounding nations. When they hear about these laws, they
will exclaim, 'What other nation (people) is as wise and prudent as this!' ...Do not let these things escape from
your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and
grandchildren.
Good Farming Sense
Concerning
farming, Yahweh said in Deut 22:9, Thou
shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds: lest the fruit of thy seed which
thou hast sown, and the fruit of thy vineyard, be defiled.
Most farmers understand this common sense approach and
normally will plant soybean at one planting, and once harvested, will plant
corn at another time, but never at the same time. This is done with different
combinations of plants at one seeding with plants that pull nitrogen, while the
other seeding involves plants that add nitrogen back into the soil.
Monkey Business
Things
are getting strange, though, back on Dr. Moreau’s table. If you’ve ever seen
the movie, you know that Dr. Moreau was creating his own twisted versions of
animals on his own island. Today’s doctors are at that stage where they can
actually start doing some strange and forbidden things.
Dr. Robert White, a top neurosurgeon in his field,
recently and successfully transplanted a monkey’s head on another monkey’s
body. It was reported that the monkey only lived a short time afterwards and
couldn’t really move its lower extremities, but it did look around and even
tried to bite Dr. White at one point.
Can we blame the monkey? What is the next step for
these twisted types of experiments?
Yahweh does say something about mixing of animals,
along with the mention of seeds, in Leviticus 19:19, Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a
diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a
garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.
The problem today is that seeds have been altered to the
extreme. As mentioned, even animals’ genes (parts) are being combined in the
very inner structure of different plants that Yahweh said were “good” when they
were created.
Today’s scientists are playing out a Jekyll and Hyde
type of experiment. It’s experimentation that will more than likely have dire
consequences in the long run, because Yahweh’s Biblical food laws and basic
common sense principles are being ignored.
Pesticidal Suicide
Pesticides
are nothing more than chemicals that are made to deter or kill bugs so that
crops of food can be grown without being eaten by bugs. Scientists who have
created these insecticides have already found that some of them are
carcinogenic (i.e., cancer-causing).
There have been certain pesticides that have been
outlawed for use on the soil in the
Many plants are systemic, meaning that even if you
wash the produce, the chemicals have already been taken in from the root and
are within the fruit or vegetable.
In his book, Walking
in Divine Health, Don Colbert, brings up the fact that we still have some
of these chemicals in our soil. In the section, “The Peril of Pesticides,” he
states “In 1972, the pesticide DDT was banned. However, this substance is so
difficult to eliminate that more than a quarter century later, traces of DDT
continue to show up in many soils. It continues to be found in rooted plants
such as carrots and potatoes…The various kinds of pesticides we use have
increased thirty-three times since 1940, and their toxicity has risen tenfold.
To make matters worse, crop losses to insects and weeds have multiplied at an
alarming rate, indicating that insects and weeds are becoming more resistant to
modern-day pesticides. Sadly, the response to these crop losses will be the
additional use of even more pesticides. This year [1999], more than two billion
pounds were spread over American soil. Get ready for three, four and perhaps
even ten billion pounds!”
Acid Rain
What
happens when fields are rained upon? Don’t these chemicals head straight for
the water supply? Streams, lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and eventually the ocean,
which is the ultimate depository, are becoming polluted.
As it is, the lakes in a number of areas are already
dead. There was a documentary a few years back that stated in
Acid rain has been a problem even for car
manufacturers that have had to cover the cars being shipped due to the acidic
rain eating into the finish.
In some of the lakes in
In
Food Chain
Besides
the fish, other waterfowl and animals can be affected. When we look at the food
chain, humans can also be affected. As already mentioned, today’s food is a
sign of the times. Man has been given the responsibility to tend the earth and
we are failing miserably at our job. We are now suffering some of the
consequences.
Dr. Don Colbert, in his book, Walking in Divine Health, points out that, “Nearly everyone in the
Pesticides are something the world needs to reconsider
when farming and ask, “Is it worth the risk?” One nation,
“…a study from
More studies will follow, but will people listen? Will
we as a society wake up to the fact that we need to get back to the basics and
back to the Bible?
Soil Depletion
Besides
an abundance of chemicals to kill bugs which are used on foods, which could be
compared to taking a can of Raid and spraying your food before you eat it, the
soils are being depleted of vital nutrients. Concerning this, Dr. Colbert says
the following in Walking in Divine Health:
“Literally we’ve been sucking the soil dry. Today many
soils are practically depleted of selenium, chromium, molybdenum and many other
vital minerals.”
Recent studies have indicated that chromium helps
regulate blood sugar levels. Other minerals also play a role in one’s health.
There are doctors today that understand that nutrients are needed and are
speaking out, such as long term medical doctor Ray D. Strand in his recent
book, What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know About
Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You.
He says, “After reviewing medical research studies, I
have absolutely no doubt that my patients who take high-quality [emphasis mine] nutritional supplements have a health
benefit over those that don’t…I am simply enabling the patient to provide the
nutrients to his or her body at the optimal levels that studies have shown to
provide a health benefit based on medical research. This approach to health I
have labeled cellular nutrition,
which enables the body to do what [Yahweh] intended.”
Ultimately, one does not need to supplement if they
are eating the right kinds of food from non-depleted soils.
Alternative Farming
Some
farmers, mostly organic growers, have been utilizing bugs as a “friend” rather
than a “foe.” In many cases it has worked well.
Take any farmed field that utilizes pesticides and put
it along side an organically (naturally) grown field that utilizes bugs and
you’ll see a startling difference in the soil. The field that has been
organically grown with bugs and worms looks and feels rich and moist, even at a
distance. And, if you look at it closely, you’ll find abundant life within.
Then, take the other soil from the pesticide side, and
it will be a paste looking dirt that if it hasn’t been watered recently, is
crumbly and dry looking, enough so that you can crumble it in your hand and
blow it away. It is dead in nature, yet amazingly enough, the plants that
Yahweh said were “good,” after he created them, are resilient enough to still
grow. However, under such conditions, it must be asked, “What is the cost to
our health?”
Many that advocate bioengineering plants basically
say, “We need drought and bug resistant plants.” It may surprise you to know
that there are already naturally produced seeds that have these qualities.
Seeds of Change, Inc., a
“Traditional refers to open-pollinated varieties that
have been grown through many centuries by native/indigenous peoples of the
world. They are often drought and pest resistant, hardy, nutritious, and many
are still cultivated around the world.”
Genetically Altered Seeds
So,
why are companies, all seemingly in the
In the article “Sowing Disaster?” by Mark Schapiro, from the website TheNation.com, he states, “Monsanto [Company] alone poured at least
a billion dollars into biotech research (according to National Public Radio
technology correspondent Daniel Charles in his book Lords of the Harvest) ‘before it had a single genetically
engineered plant to sell.’ Other companies (Dupont, Dow, Aventis and Syngenta)
spent billions more on research and on a seed company-buying spree that lasted
well into the 1990s. The stakes for these companies are huge.”
New Labeling
The
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has just started implementation
of regulations that will require “Organic” labeled plant foods to mean no
pesticides, no irradiation and no genetic alteration. For organic meats it
means no hormones and no antibiotics. Anything labeled “100% Organic” must be
just that, 100% organic. Everything else labeled “Organic” must be 95% by
weight.
A.J. Yates of the USDA recently said on a news
interview concerning organic farming, “It’s the fastest growing sector of
agriculture in the
That may be one reason for stepping in, but it will also
allow the government to see the big picture when it comes to the
cross-pollinization or, rather, the contamination to organic fields that has
already started to occur with the genetically modified organisms (GMOs). GMOs,
as they’ve been termed, are the genetically altered plants, some of which now
produce their own pesticide. Again, it should be mentioned, that these GMOs
have already been affecting other field crops.
There’s no question that alternative farming that has
naturally grown food is the way to go, but it looks like it will soon become
even more difficult to grow such food in today’s world.
Clean And Unclean Of The Waters
Having already stated that waters have been polluted,
and advisories (a fancy word for “warning”) have been given, we should take a
look at what Yahweh’s Word says about the clean and unclean types of creatures
that come from the waters. It is noted that even when waters are clean, certain
fish and other life in them are unclean for us to consume.
The book of Leviticus, chapter 11, and the book of
Deuteronomy, chapter 14, have some of the basic laws concerning clean and
unclean foods, even the ones living in water.
In Leviticus 11: 9-19 Yahweh tells us, These shall ye eat of all that are in the
waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the
rivers, them shall ye eat. And all that have not fins and scales in the seas,
and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing
which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you: They shall be
even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall
have their carcases in abomination. Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the
waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.
In Deuteronomy 14:9-10 Yahweh basically says the same
thing as a second witness to us. There we read,
These ye
shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye
eat: And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto
you.
What these above verses are saying is that we can eat
anything that has fins and scales, but if it doesn’t have both, then it is
unclean, period. All these other creatures, such as, clams, shrimp, and crab,
don’t have fins and scales, so they are unclean for us to eat.
One may ask, “But, why are they unclean for us to
eat?” A simple answer is to give the example of a father and a son. The father
may say to the son, “Don’t touch that hot stove.” The son should obey, whether
or not he understands the reason why.
Abominations Of The Sea
A
deeper answer can be found in what many doctors are coming to understand.
Notice what one doctor says; “I was astonished by the ways dietary and
nutritional laws given in the ancient biblical texts revealed truths that
scientists were only beginning to uncover this century,” The Bible Cure, by Reginald Cherry, M.D.
Creatures such as crab are scavengers of the waters,
and creatures such as oysters are basically filters that often carry diseases.
In the recent book What
Would J-sus Eat? by Don Colbert, M.D., he states the following in the
section, “What about Seafood?”:
“All crustaceans and mollusk shellfish
have no scales and are therefore unclean. Mollusks include clams, mussels,
oysters, and scallops. crustaceans include crabs, lobsters, shrimp, prawns, and
crayfish…Raw shellfish is a major source of food poisoning in our nation, and
diseases commonly carried by shellfish include salmonella and Hepatitis-A
virus…Clams and oysters can filter between twenty and fifty gallons of seawater
a day. The toxins, however, remain in the flesh of the shellfish…Shellfish can
also concentrate ‘red tide,’ leading to blood poisoning and death in high-risk
patients. The red tide produces neurotoxins that are not destroyed by cooking…I
personally regard shellfish as the ‘cockroaches of the sea’ - they are
miniature waste collectors…We are not only told in Scripture to avoid them, but
also that they are an ‘abomination’ to human beings (Lev 11:12).”
Besides shellfish and crustaceans being unclean and an
abomination to us, we find as mentioned, that certain fish that have fins, but
no scales, are also unclean. For example, it is known that shark and swordfish
have no scales, but do have fins. What is not well known is that these two fish
have been said to have the highest concentrations of mercury and pesticides
within their fatty tissues of any other fish.
Again, if a father says to his son, “Don’t touch the
hot stove,” he means, “Don’t touch the hot stove!” Interestingly enough, you
have these food laws laid out at a time when there wasn’t the kind of pollution
there is today. The waters in ancient times were clean, and yet Yahweh knew the
end from the beginning, and tells us to obey Him, that it might go well with
us:
…Obey my
voice, and I will be your Elohim (Mighty
One), and ye shall be my people: and walk
ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you, Jer 7:23. See also Jer. 38:20; 42:6.
It has been said, “If you pick up one end of the
stick, you get the other end automatically.” Yahweh knows this, as the very
laws He created have cause and effect, blessings and cursings. He tells us to
choose life and not death. Though this has a spiritual significance for us, it
also has a physical one, too. Isn’t it time to do what is right in Yahweh’s
sight and live?
Looking further at fish, we find that certain
Biblically unclean fish like catfish are without question, unclean for a
reason.
“Like shrimp, lobsters, and all other shellfish,
catfish were initially created by [Yahweh] to act as cleansing agents for
natural water sources. These creatures have a great ability to absorb
pollutants but not become sick by them. They can and do, however, pass on the
pollutants to human beings who eat their flesh…On a positive side, clean fish
with fins and scales are extremely beneficial for human consumption,” What Would J-sus Eat?, by Don Colbert,
M.D.
Fish – Clean or Unclean?
They say that “knowledge is power.” But, it should be added, “if you use it correctly.” The following table is for your knowledge; it is an abridged list of clean and unclean fish (including other unclean water creatures, see page 17).
Biblically Clean Fish (Must have both fins and scales)
Albacore
(Crevalle, Horse
Alewive (Branch Herring, River
Anchovy
Barracuda
Bass
Black Drum
Blackfish
Blueback (Glut Herring)
(Hardtail)
Bonitos
Bowfin
Buffalofish
Butterfish
Carp
Chub (Bloater, Longjaw, Blackfin)
Cod
Crappie
Crevalle (Albacore)
Croaker
Darter
Flounder (Dab, Gray Sole, Yellow Tail)
Frost Fish (Ice Fish, Smelt)
Gaby
Graylin
Groupers (Gag)
Gruntsg
Gulf Pike (Robalo, Snook, Sergeant)
Haddock
Hake
Halibut
Hardtail (Blue Runner)
Herring
Horse Mackerel
(Albacore)
Ice Fish (Frost Fish)
Jack (Albacore)
Kingfish
Long Nose Sucker (Northern Sucker, Red Striped Sucker)
Mackerel
Menhaden
Mullet
Muskellunge (Jack)
Orange Roughy
Perch
Pickerel (Jack)
Pig Fish
Pike (Jack)
Pilchard (Sardine)
Pollack
Pompano
Porgy (Scup)
Red Drum (Redfish)
Redfin (Red Horse Sucker)
Red Snapper
Red Striped Sucker (Long Nose Sucker)
Robalo (Gulf Pike)
Rockfish
Salmon (Chum, Coho, King, Pink, Red)
Sardine (Pilchard)
Scup (Porgy)
Sea Bass
Sergeant Fish (Gulf Pike)
Shad
Sheepshead
Silver Hake (Whiting)
Silversides
Smelt (Frost Fish)
Snook (Gulf Pike)
Spanish Mackerel
Striped Bass
Sucker
Tarpon
Trout
Tuna (Albacore, Bluefin, Yellowfin, Shipjack)
Weakfish
Whitefish
White Sucker
Whiting (Silver Hake)
Yellow Perch
Biblically Unclean Fish and Seafood
Abalone
Bullhead
Catfish
Clam
Crab
Crayfish
Eel
Lobster
Mussel
Oyster
Paddlefish (Spoonbill)
Scallop
Sculpin
Shark
Shrimp
Squid
Stickleback
Sturgeon (caviar)
Swordfish
Whale
If there is a fish you have a question about, and
don’t see it listed, then we recommend a search for “kosher fish” in your local
library, bookstore, or on the internet.
Clean And Unclean Of The Land
The
story of Noah and the flood brings to mind the pictures of a big ark and the
animals going into it two by two. A closer look at scripture, though, gives a
little more detail. We read, “Of every
clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of
beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. Of fowls also of the
air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all
the earth,” Gen 7:2-3.
It is clear that “by sevens” Noah was to take the
“clean” animals into the ark, but of the “unclean” only one male and one
female. A question arises as to how did Noah know what was clean and unclean?
The answer is that Yahweh evidently told him.
In Genesis 9:2, we find the first written confirmation
that animal meat was now being allowed for human consumption. It says, “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat
for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.”
Does this really mean “every moving thing” is good to
eat? Without looking at the rest of Yahweh’s Word, one could come to that
conclusion. However, it would be like taking what Yahshua said in John
It’s clear that Genesis 9:2 does now allow clean meats
to be eaten; hence, the reason why more clean animals than unclean were allowed
onto Noah’s ark.
There are some basic instructions (2 Tim
“Whatsoever
parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts,
that shall ye eat. Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the
cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but
divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.” See also Deut 14:6-7.
Something that is also noteworthy concerning clean
animals versus the unclean ones, and that is that the clean animals are all herbivores (vegetarians). Clean
animals would include moose, beef, antelope, deer, elk, goat, buffalo, and
sheep. You’ll find that the meat eaters (unclean animals) will have more cases
of disease and parasites associated with unclean fleshy foods. If you avoid
them, guess what? You’ll avoid all those diseases, too.
Clean and Unclean Of the Sky
Notice
that this applies to birds also, as the unclean ones will eat the flesh of
animals (many times already dead) and the clean do not. For birds we’re given
specific species, which we are told, are unclean and are to us an “abomination”
not to be eaten. We read; “And these are
they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be
eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
And the vulture, and the kite after his kind; Every raven after his kind; And
the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, And
the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, And the swan, and the
pelican, and the gier eagle, And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the
lapwing, and the bat. All fowls that
creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you,” Lev.
11:13-20. See also Deut 14:11-20.
Not listed as unclean, and therefore clean for us,
would include chicken, duck, dove, turkey, pheasant, goose, and quail. You may
remember that it was quail that was given to the children of
The account in Numbers 11:31-34 shows that people were
greedy for meat. It also shows Yahweh was not pleased, and punished them
because of their hoarding and greediness. Their action also showed they didn’t
have faith that Yahweh could continue to provide for them. It seems like a few
of us that went through the Y2K scare had a problem of trust as well.
Today, you find people are just as greedy and eat
mostly meat diets with few vegetables or grains. Yet, you’ll notice that Yahweh
first gave “manna,” basically bread from heaven (Ex
Similarly, seed bearing green plants were given first
(Gen
Before going further, have you considered that
mushrooms don’t fit in either with the seed bearing food commanded for us to
eat, nor the clean meats that are allowed? A mushroom (fungus) is basically a
non-food and therefore it is unclean for us to eat.
Clean and Unclean - Other
Going
on, we see other creatures inhabiting the land and sky, the crickets and
grasshoppers (locusts), which are considered clean. Though these are not
normally in our regular diet, they are clean to eat. The key instruction is
they have “legs above their feet, to leap” which the above-mentioned do have.
We read, Yet
these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which
have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; Even these of them
ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and
the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. But all other flying
creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you, Lev
11:21-23.
The account of John the Baptist shows he was eating
“locust, dipped in honey” (Matt 3:4 Mark 1:6). We therefore have two witnesses
in Scripture to the fact that a creature like this is clean for us to eat.
Fa[s]t Foods
A
Biblical diet, if followed, does not produce obesity in people. You have proof
of this as there are people in other parts of the world that, whether they
realize it or not, basically follow the Biblical way of eating and do not have
the coronary heart disease, diabetes, and obesity that this nation has.
Just recently, in
For
A recent report from the USDA shows that since 1990,
Americans, on average, have increased their calorie intake by more than 90,000
per year. We are fat and getting fatter fast!
There is wisdom in the Psalms for us. Psalm 119:70 says,
“Their heart is as fat as grease; but I
delight in thy law.” The question should be asked, “What is our priority?”
The Bible has something to say about fat: Don’t eat
it. “It shall be a perpetual statute for
your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor
blood,” Lev. 3:17.
Eating Of Fat
“Speak unto the children of
For their own good, Yahweh evidently didn’t even want
the people tempted, and told them to not leave any that was left after the
sacrifice. Exodus
Though we do not offer up physical sacrifices or burnt
offerings today, as already mentioned, we do find that when sacrifices were
offered, they were offered with fat.
Why would fat be offered to Yahweh and yet we can’t
have it? The answer is that fat alone is not bad, but for humans to consume
internally, it is. Spirit can handle it, which Yahweh is, but we are physical.
Fat that can be trimmed from clean animals is not good for us to consume. It’s
a simple fact.
Fat within some cuts of beef, known as marble, can’t
efficiently be cut away. One can, however, choose lean cuts only, and choose to
avoid fast food hamburgers altogether, which have excessive amounts of
saturated fat.
Saturated fat, by the way, is the worst kind of fat to
consume. Olive oil, which was used throughout Bible times, has mono-saturated
fat, which is a good kind of plant-based fat or oil. One doctor even suggested
throwing out all other oils, including butter, in favor of olive oil alone. He
had a reason for saying that. Olive oil (Premium extra virgin olive oil in the
best) has the highest amount of mono-saturated fat, which many scientists and
doctors are finding is essential in the diet. Olive oil has more than twice as
much mono-saturated fat as corn or soybean oils. Nevertheless, none of these
plant-based fats have cholesterol, which is a good thing. It’s a stark
difference from animal based oils or fats.
Even among the fats of animals though, there is a
difference. A person can get chicken fat on the hands and wash it off without
too much trouble. If lard (pig fat), for example, gets on the hands it would be
noticeably greasier than chicken fat. So much so that it wouldn’t wash off even
under warm water. You’d have to scrub it off. Think what it must do once it
gets inside of a person that eats it!
It’s not lard that’s in the fast food restaurants
(unless you order bacon on that cheeseburger), but it is over-processed, high
in saturated and hydrogenated fats, and nutritionally deficient foods that are
served for the most part. That means anyone that eats a lot of fast food in
their diet could suffer dire consequences.
“Statistics tell us that approximately half of all
Americans alive today will die of heart disease, and approximately a third of
us will develop cancer at some time in our lives. We are exporting our problem.
American fast-food chains have sprouted up across the globe. And the greater
the number of fast-food chains and outlets the greater the percentage of obesity
in their populations. From 1984 to 1993 the number of fast-food restaurants in
Honor Yahweh’s Food Laws