The Creator (see the Fact Finder question below) knows what is good for life and what is contrary to it. Diet is very important to good health because, physically, we are literally what we eat. Humans and animals began as vegetarians: "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food" (Genesis 1:29-30 RSV), however, after the Flood, The Lord permitted humans to also consume clean animals, fish and birds: "The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the air, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything" (Genesis 9:2-3 RSV).
Clean and Unclean
animals were already known to humans while humans were yet vegetarians
i.e. before the flood, while humans were yet vegetarians, "Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean,
and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, two and two,
male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded
Noah." (Genesis 7:8-9 RSV). The principle was repeated later because
what is good is Timeless."You shall not eat any abominable thing. These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the hart, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain-sheep. Every animal that parts the hoof and has the hoof cloven in two, and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat. Yet of those that chew the cud or have the hoof cloven you shall not eat these: the camel, the hare, and the rock badger, because they chew the cud but do not part the hoof, are unclean for you. And the swine, because it parts the hoof but does not chew the cud, is unclean for you. Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. Of all that are in the waters you may eat these: whatever has fins and scales you may eat. And whatever does not have fins and scales you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.Tithing was established as a practical act of worship, a humble recognition of the Creator's "Now therefore, if you will obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine" (Exodus 19:5 RSV).
You may eat all clean birds. But these are the ones which you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey, the buzzard, the kite, after their kinds; every raven after its kind; the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk, after their kinds; the little owl and the great owl, the water hen and the pelican, the carrion vulture and the cormorant, the stork, the heron, after their kinds; the hoopoe and the bat.
And all winged insects are unclean for you; they shall not be eaten. All clean winged things you may eat." (Deuteronomy 14:3-20 RSV)
"You shall tithe all the yield of your seed, which comes forth from the field year by year. And before The Lord your God, in the place which He will choose, to make His Name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstlings of your herd and flock; that you may learn to fear The Lord your God always. And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to bring the tithe, when The Lord your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which The Lord your God chooses, to set his name there, then you shall turn it into money, and bind up the money in your hand, and go to the place which The Lord your God chooses, and spend the money for whatever you desire, oxen, or sheep, or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves; and you shall eat there before The Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. And you shall not forsake the Levite who is within your towns, for he has no portion or inheritance with you." (Deuteronomy 14:22-27 RSV)Deuteronomy Chapter 15
God's people were free to work and prosper, but they were at the same time to be responsible citizens, as Christ Himself had done ("And Jesus said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" They said, "Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" Matthew 22:20-21 RSV; note: the coins spoken of there by Christ were similar to those shown in the illustration - Caesar Augustus reigned at the time of Christ's birth, Caesar Tiberius at the time of Christ's crucifixion) and compassionate toward their fellow man.
"At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because The Lord's release has been proclaimed. Of a foreigner you may exact it; but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release. But there will be no poor among you, for The Lord will bless you in the land which The Lord your God gives you for an inheritance to possess, if only you will obey the voice of The Lord your God, being careful to do all this commandment which I command you this day. For The Lord your God will bless you, as he promised you, and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you." If there is among you a poor man, one of your brethren, in any of your towns within your land which The Lord your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him, and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take heed lest there be a base thought in your heart, and you say, 'The seventh year, the year of release is near,' and your eye be hostile to your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to The Lord against you, and it be sin in you. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him; because for this The Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For the poor will never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in the land." (Deuteronomy 15:1-11 RSV)Deuteronomy Chapter 16
The Lord's true Holy Days were established as living symbols of the process of salvation, through and by means of the only Savior, Jesus Christ.
Christ's Passover and Christ's Feast of Unleavened Bread:"Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover to The Lord your God; for in the month of Abib The Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night. And you shall offer the passover sacrifice to The Lord your God, from the flock or the herd, at the place which The Lord will choose, to make his name dwell there. You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat it with unleavened bread, the bread of affliction--for you came out of the land of Egypt in hurried flight - that all the days of your life you may remember the day when you came out of the land of Egypt. No leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory for seven days; nor shall any of the flesh which you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain all night until morning." (Deuteronomy 16:1-4 RSV)Christ's Pentecost (regarding the instruction "You shall count seven weeks," you may listen to the detailed sermon Pentecost, A Day Of Reckoning as well as sermons for all of God's true Holy Days from our Sermons page and our Holy Day Calendar page.
"You shall count seven weeks; begin to count the seven weeks from the time you first put the sickle to the standing grain." (Deuteronomy 16:9 RSV)Christ's Feast of Tabernacles ("the feast of booths") and Christ's Eighth Day, which are preceded by Christ's Feast of Trumpets and Christ's Day Of Atonement:
"You shall keep the feast of booths seven days, when you make your ingathering from your threshing floor and your wine press; you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your manservant and your maidservant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns. For seven days you shall keep the feast to The Lord your God at the place which The Lord will choose; because The Lord your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you will be altogether joyful. Three times a year all your males shall appear before The Lord your God at the place which he will choose: at the feast of unleavened bread, at the feast of weeks, and at the feast of booths. They shall not appear before The Lord empty-handed; every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of The Lord your God which he has given you." (Deuteronomy 16:13-17 RSV)
No comments:
Post a Comment