[First posted in 2014; a good reminder that our Creator-Revelator God does not leave any part of human life unregulated. Actually this is a whole series so here are the sequels:
As the end of this article says, ‘bon appetit’!–Admin1]
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What is the biblical diet?
Obviously, it is not the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and just as obviously, it must be the fruit of the Tree of Life!
But figurative fruit from figurative trees aside, the Creator of the human body clearly prescribed food that is best for human physical health as early as Genesis 2.i
vs 9 . . .every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food . . .
vs 16-17: And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat . .
vs 29 I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
So, vegans are on the right track as are Seventh Day Adventists. Fruits, vegetables, root crops, pulses, nuts, grains, berries—all the colorful and fresh living food that grow from the earth! Man can’t go wrong with these, then or now. But before you despair, that’s not the end of the permissible menu.
Before the flood, Noah was commanded to load the ark with 7 pairs of clean animals and 2 pairs of unclean animals [Genesis 7:1-2]. How did Noah know “clean” from “unclean” in terms of fauna? The text does not say; we presume he was given more specific instructions.
Later in Leviticus 11, such animals were more clearly defined as part of the way of life that would set Israel apart from the nations. Imagine, God did not leave man guessing even in this basic need for daily sustenance, how so loving and kind of Him, what a heavenly Father indeed! And if you’re thinking “well, that’s only for Israel, Kosher diet is for Jews only,” think again. What’s good for the Jew is good for the gentile, we’re ALL human, right?
But back to Noah . . .God allowed the eating of meat after the flood, since all vegetation was under water until the floods subsided and undoubtedly left a very soggy earth surface. Even if the text does not explicitly say that Noah’s start-up family should eat only clean animals, we get our clue from the number of clean animals loaded on the ark. Presumably, these were to be used for sacrifice [Genesis 8:20] and food [Genesis 9:3].
As for unclean animals, don’t forget they were declared “good” as well as “very good” by our Creator God because to this day, they still fulfill the very purpose for which they were created—to clean up the garbage off the face of the earth; without them, we would have a dirty planet indeed! They are the scavengers, feeding off other living prey as well as dead and rotting matter, all fulfilling their Creator’s assigned role to maintain planet earth’s ecological balance. Animals have no problem sticking to their Creator’s plan, it’s only the two-legged one with the brain and free will that chooses to go against the Divine will.
Many pork-eaters are offended when they are told that pigs belong to the unclean category, rationalizing that pigs nowadays are raised under sanitary conditions and are corn/grain-fed. What they fail to realize is that it is the nature of the animals that makes them unclean, not the environment they live in. In the book The Maker’s Diet, Dr. Jordan Rubin explains that unclean animals naturally have in their system 2 death enzymes called “cadaverine” and “putrescine”. Such words alone bring to mind “cadaver” and “putrefy” . . . [collective ‘ugh’]. These unclean animals are designed such that their bodily systems are able to process harmful stuff without harming themselves [good for them, bad for us!] As we feed on these animals, our health is gradually threatened over a period of time since the human body is simply not designed for the consumption of even the most delectable unclean animal [aside from ham and bacon, porkchop, think crab, lobster, shrimp, oysters, squid, catfish, etc.], . Toxic build-up does eventually occur, specially if our plumbing system is not sufficiently aided by fibrous food.
Some pork-lovers argue that in the New Testament, all food was declared good by Jesus [Mark 7:15-23/Matthew 15:10-20], and that Peter’s vision of the sheet full of unclean animals in Acts 10:9-16 meant the Leviticus 11 diet has been abrogated. Simple common sense tells us that animals have not changed their nature since the day they were created, but then, this requires a separate article.
Consider this: Have you noticed that when we suffer from ailments that are now determined to be caused by lifestyle [specially diet], health practitioners and nutritionists advise that we avoid eating pork or start cutting down on red meat, shellfish, etc.? Medical science is just catching up with biblical sense. Fish without scales easily absorb toxic chemicals such as mercury that find their way into seawater or fresh water pools. They’re food no-nos whether or not red tide is visible.
And by the way, blood even from clean animals is not to be consumed. Blood will require another article; for now, just trust the Creator.
Why does the Creator bother to prescribe what is fit for human consumption? Why not? He designed the universe and its creatures; He knows and wants only what’s best for the only being He made in His image and so, even a “biblical diet” is part of His commandments. The blessing in obeying God’s dietary prescription is built in the inevitable consequences of good health, a quality of life, longevity, specially if it is combined with a daily dose of the fruit of the Tree of Life—YHWH’s Torah.
Bon appetit –to those who choose to indulge in
both food for the body and food for the soul,
NSB@S6K
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