NUTRITION (2)
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. God's later inclusions
a) After the flood when Noah came out of the Ark, all vegetation had been wiped out. God gave further instruction concerning the food for man,"3 Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything" (Genesis 9:3 NIV). From now on, God allowed man to eat animal meat as food including fishes. Nevertheless, the Lord gave 3 restrictions in eating flesh food. They are:
i) Blood is forbidden
@1. 4 “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it." (Genesis 9:4 NIV)
@2. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. (Acts 15:20 NIV)
@3. Blood is the body's transport system, carrying with it all waste products for disposal.
ii) Animal fat is forbidden
@1. 23 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats. 24 The fat of an animal found dead or torn by wild animals may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it. 25 Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which a food offering may be presented to the Lord must be cut off from their people." (Leviticus 7:23-25 NIV)
@2. 16 The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the Lord’s. 17 “‘This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.’” (Leviticus 3:16-17 NIV)
@3. From medical research, we now understand that fat is a tissue in which the body stores energy. When a meal is missed, the body breaks down fat and uses fat as fuel energy. Unfortunately, animal fat is also a storage place for toxins and parasites. These toxins are found in fat of all animals we eat. For example DDT, insecticides, herbicides, antibiotics, hormones, and various other chemicals the animals have ingested, breathed or touched.
@4. Hard fat (i.e. fat that is firmest at room temperature and is not saturated), is the most toxic fat for the human body. These cause vascular diseases, cancers of the breast, colon and prostate, along with many other chronic diseases. The hardest fats are found in cows, sheep and goats.
#1) 23 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats." (Leviticus 7:23 NIV)
iii) Unclean animals & fishes
@1. 10 so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean (Leviticus 10:10NIV).
@2. "Clean" here refers to something which is separated for God's purposes, and is associated with purity, holiness and being set apart for God. "Unclean" is associated with death, putrefaction, lewdness and demons.
#1) 2 “On that day, I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land." (Zechariah 13:2 NIV)
@3. The Scripture specify which animals are clean and which are not.
#1) 3 Do not eat any detestable thing. 4 These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, 5 the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep. 6 You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. 7 However, of those that chew the cud or that have a divided hoof you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the hyrax. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you. 8 The pig is also unclean; although it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses.
9 Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. 10 But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean.
11 You may eat any clean bird. 12 But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 13 the red kite, the black kite, any kind of falcon, 14 any kind of raven, 15 the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 16 the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, 17 the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant, 18 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.
19 All flying insects are unclean to you; do not eat them. 20 But any winged creature that is clean you may eat. (Deuteronomy 14:3-20 NIV)
@4. They part their hoof and cleave their cleft into claws and chew the cud. The pig is unclean as it does not chew the cud ...
#1) 6 You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. 7 However, of those that chew the cud or that have a divided hoof you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the hyrax. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you. 8 The pig is also unclean; although it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses. (Deuteronomy 14:6-8 NIV)
@5. Seafood which has fins and scales, they are clean.
#1) 9 Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. (Deuteronomy 14:9 NIV)
3. Wisdom in understanding God's design
a) God in his own wisdom allowed certain animals for food and disallowed certain other animals from being eaten by his people. We may not fully understand their full implications, but those who follow God's expressed design will reap the benefits of health and strength. These dietary regulations are not binding to the Christians for salvation as we are saved by grace through faith.
i) 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8 NIV)
b) Wisdom and experience call us to take these biblical teachings seriously for the purpose of glorifying God through acknowledging God's desire and design for our health and well being and to portray responsible stewardship of the temple of God's Spirit.
c) There are 3 principles which Dr. Rex Russell drew from the Scripture to guide us in our nutritional decisions so that we can attain the best benefits from God's design for our food:
i) Ensure the things God designed for good, and avoid everything else.
ii) Eat the things God designed for food before they are changed into nutrient deficient or toxic products.
iii) Avoid addictions to any food. Regular fasting will help us to maintain balance in our eating.
d) Remember Daniel, he stood alone in his commitments to God's design and he reaped a bountiful benefit of health, wisdom and long-life.
e) In conclusion, many different diseases can be prevented by obeying the divine design for our food. May God grant us the wisdom to understand his design and the grace and commitment to abide by it.
4. Prayer focus
a) Pray that we will eat clean foods as encouraged by biblical health laws.
The End ...
1. God's later inclusionsa) After the flood when Noah came out of the Ark, all vegetation had been wiped out. God gave further instruction concerning the food for man,"3 Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything" (Genesis 9:3 NIV). From now on, God allowed man to eat animal meat as food including fishes. Nevertheless, the Lord gave 3 restrictions in eating flesh food. They are:
i) Blood is forbidden
@1. 4 “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it." (Genesis 9:4 NIV)
@2. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. (Acts 15:20 NIV)
@3. Blood is the body's transport system, carrying with it all waste products for disposal.
ii) Animal fat is forbidden
@1. 23 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats. 24 The fat of an animal found dead or torn by wild animals may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it. 25 Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which a food offering may be presented to the Lord must be cut off from their people." (Leviticus 7:23-25 NIV)
@2. 16 The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the Lord’s. 17 “‘This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.’” (Leviticus 3:16-17 NIV)
@3. From medical research, we now understand that fat is a tissue in which the body stores energy. When a meal is missed, the body breaks down fat and uses fat as fuel energy. Unfortunately, animal fat is also a storage place for toxins and parasites. These toxins are found in fat of all animals we eat. For example DDT, insecticides, herbicides, antibiotics, hormones, and various other chemicals the animals have ingested, breathed or touched.
@4. Hard fat (i.e. fat that is firmest at room temperature and is not saturated), is the most toxic fat for the human body. These cause vascular diseases, cancers of the breast, colon and prostate, along with many other chronic diseases. The hardest fats are found in cows, sheep and goats.
#1) 23 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats." (Leviticus 7:23 NIV)
iii) Unclean animals & fishes@1. 10 so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean (Leviticus 10:10NIV).
@2. "Clean" here refers to something which is separated for God's purposes, and is associated with purity, holiness and being set apart for God. "Unclean" is associated with death, putrefaction, lewdness and demons.
#1) 2 “On that day, I will banish the names of the idols from the land, and they will be remembered no more,” declares the Lord Almighty. “I will remove both the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land." (Zechariah 13:2 NIV)
@3. The Scripture specify which animals are clean and which are not.
#1) 3 Do not eat any detestable thing. 4 These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, 5 the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep. 6 You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. 7 However, of those that chew the cud or that have a divided hoof you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the hyrax. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you. 8 The pig is also unclean; although it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses.
9 Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. 10 But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean.
11 You may eat any clean bird. 12 But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 13 the red kite, the black kite, any kind of falcon, 14 any kind of raven, 15 the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 16 the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, 17 the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant, 18 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.
19 All flying insects are unclean to you; do not eat them. 20 But any winged creature that is clean you may eat. (Deuteronomy 14:3-20 NIV)
@4. They part their hoof and cleave their cleft into claws and chew the cud. The pig is unclean as it does not chew the cud ...
#1) 6 You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. 7 However, of those that chew the cud or that have a divided hoof you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the hyrax. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you. 8 The pig is also unclean; although it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses. (Deuteronomy 14:6-8 NIV)
@5. Seafood which has fins and scales, they are clean.
#1) 9 Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. (Deuteronomy 14:9 NIV)
3. Wisdom in understanding God's design
a) God in his own wisdom allowed certain animals for food and disallowed certain other animals from being eaten by his people. We may not fully understand their full implications, but those who follow God's expressed design will reap the benefits of health and strength. These dietary regulations are not binding to the Christians for salvation as we are saved by grace through faith.
i) 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8 NIV)
b) Wisdom and experience call us to take these biblical teachings seriously for the purpose of glorifying God through acknowledging God's desire and design for our health and well being and to portray responsible stewardship of the temple of God's Spirit.
c) There are 3 principles which Dr. Rex Russell drew from the Scripture to guide us in our nutritional decisions so that we can attain the best benefits from God's design for our food:
i) Ensure the things God designed for good, and avoid everything else.
ii) Eat the things God designed for food before they are changed into nutrient deficient or toxic products.
iii) Avoid addictions to any food. Regular fasting will help us to maintain balance in our eating.
d) Remember Daniel, he stood alone in his commitments to God's design and he reaped a bountiful benefit of health, wisdom and long-life.
e) In conclusion, many different diseases can be prevented by obeying the divine design for our food. May God grant us the wisdom to understand his design and the grace and commitment to abide by it.
4. Prayer focus
a) Pray that we will eat clean foods as encouraged by biblical health laws.
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