Food and Health

Many religions have standards about what can and can't be consumed. Collectively, the world knows that there something important about what eat. In this episode, we're going to explore that.

16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not [o]eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.” Genesis 2:16-17 NASB

27 Health Problems Cause by Poor Diet

1. Hypertension (high blood pressure)
2. Alzheimer’s Disease/Dementia
3. Coronary Heart Disease
4. Stroke
5. Gall Bladder Disease
6. Osteoarthritis
7. Sleep Apnea
8. Respiratory Problems
9. Endometrial Cancer
10. Breast Cancer
11. Prostate Cancer
12. Colon Cancer
13. Dyslipidemia (an abnormal amount of lipids, or fat, in the blood)
14. Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (liver inflammation caused by a buildup of fat in the liver)
15. Insulin Resistance
16. Asthma
17. Hyperuricemia (an abnormally high level of uric acid in the blood)
18. Reproductive Hormone Abnormalities
19. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
20. Impaired Fertility
21. Adult Onset Diabetes (Type 2)
22. Depression
23. Anxiety
24. Low energy levels/fatigue
25. Tooth decay
26. Acne
27. Digestive health issues

Abrahamic Faiths

Judaism

• Food must be Kosher
• Bible outlines clean vs. unclean meat
• Fat is not to be consumed
• Diary and meat can't be mixed

Islam

• Requires halal food
• No pork, meat must be halal
• Halal is similar to kosher but not quite the same

Christianity

• Technically, Christianity has Kosher laws as well, despite the fact that most Chrsitians don't adhere to them (search the blog for more info on why we should)
• Most food restrictions in Christianity are debated, such as alcohol and caffeine

Hinduism

• Mostly vegetarian
• Regards the cow as sacred so meat eaters do not eat beef
• Also stays away from fat

Sikhism

• Many vegetarians
• May not eat meat killed accroding to other religious laws (e.g., Kosher)

Jainism

• Vegetarian or vegan

Rastafari

• Vegetarian or pescatarian
• Concered about eating quality food
• Avoid processed foods

References

1. Kate Eller. "These 27 medical problems are caused by a poor diet". Health News; visited July 2021
2. Sarah Patience. "Religion and dietary choices". Independenct Nurse. September 19, 2016
3. "For Rastas, Eating Pure Food From the Earth is a Sacred Duty". National Geographic. July 19, 2016
4. "Poor Nutrition". CDC; visited July 2021

You Are What You Eat

It's an old saying, and often used in jest, but what we heat actually says alot about our spiritual walk.

Season 1 Episode O

⁴The riffraff among them had a strong craving for other food. The Israelites wept again and said, “Who will feed us meat? ⁵We remember the free fish we ate in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. ⁶But now our appetite is gone; there’s nothing to look at but this manna!"Numbers 11:4-6 CSB

Photocredit: Unsplash/Andrea Tummons

How we deal with food says a lot about how we deal with our spiritual walk. In this episode, we're looking at Numbers 11:4-6 and how easy it is for the devil to tempt us away from God with something as simple as a meal.

Can you imagine eating something bland like oatmeal or grits, for days on end? Some times we have to give up the comforts of home to accomplish God's mission. How we handle giving up our favorite foods can indicate our willingness to turn away from sin. The Israelites thought it was better to be in bondage with great food, than free with a temporarily "bland" diet. When God is delivering you from a situation, what will you say?

Inspiration for the Episode

I went on a mission trip to Belize earlier this month[1] and after I'd paid all my money, I found out we weren't going to be having lunch—not like lunch isn't included so we have to pay our own way but like we won't be taking a break during that time so there will me no time for lunch. Y'all I was floored because I love lunch. Lunch is my favorite meal of the day. Not only do I just love food, but its a great break for resetting the day. If I had a rough morning, lunch is the time to reset for the afternoon. So, when I found out there wasn't going to be lunch, I had to have a deep conversation with God. I spent a lot of time mentally preparing for a week of no lunch. Once I got there, the very first night there was a mix up during dinner. Many people in the group got frustrated and while I don't want to go into detail about what was said, the situation very much reminded me of the how the Israelites behaved in Numbers 11. That is how we got to this episode.

What Happened in Numbers 11?

In Numbers 11:4-6, the Israelites are frustrated with their meal situation. God provided manna for them every day and this manna was sufficient for every need, but it wasn't the lavish feasts of Egypt. Although they were enslaved in Egypt, they had access to a variety of foods that they had grown used to. Now, they were free but only had manna.[2] They lamented this fact and actually wished to return to Egypt and bondage over the food!

How Does it Relate to Today?

The Bible doesn't tell us exactly what manna tastes like, but based on the description I think of it like oatmeal (or grits for my fellow southerners). Both oatmeal and grits are pretty bland by themselves, but can be really awesome if you add to them. Nonetheless, I can't imagine eating only oatmeal or only grits for days on end...

If you're like me, you are privileged to eat what you want when you want to eat it. Sure, there are times when I'm running late or something comes up and I have to eat late; or maybe I'm missing an ingredient and have to wait for a store run. However, ususally I am able to decide I want to eat, go to the fridge or pantry and find exactly what I want. In the times I don't have it, I may go get it. It's nothing for me to passover the vegetables in my freezer and go to the store because I suddenly had a craving for zucchini. Not everybody has that luxury There are people who don't know when they will get there next meal or what that meal will be.

Israel was in between the privilege of eating what they wanted whenever they wanted and not knowing if they would see food again. God gave them what they needed but not necessarily what they wanted. In this situation, they reacted the way many of us today would. For example, we know that certain foods are bad for us—fats and deep fried foods may give us high cholesterol and sugary things may give us diabetes—but it tastes good. We will often choose the deep fried oreo or a quick burger and fries over a kale salad. In other words, we would choose bondage to health problems over a healthy life style. In the same way, we choose bondage to sin over freedom in God.

In Belize we were being asked to eat what was prepared for us for one week. Just one week of discomfort. We're not talking about a 40 day no food fast or a 21 day Daniel fast or even a 10 day Daniel fast. Just 7 days... People were upset. If we can't handle that, how are we going to handle any other temptation Satan throws at us?

References and Footnotes

1. Mission Trip Episode: Miracles in Belize
2. As I edit these show notes 3 years later, I realized that this is very much like financial slavery as well. Many of us would not move to a place with less modern comforts for a cheaper cost of living so that we can reclaim our time; instead we give all our time to corporations to afford the comforts of modern life.

The Daniel Fast

If you can't control yourself with food, how can you control anything else in life? Fasting is an integral part of our walk with Christ, and an opportunity to grow. People don't usually associate fasting with Christianity, but Jesus expects us to fast! I tried out the Daniel Fast, so I wanted to share with you my experience with this fast.

Season 1 Episode 23

¹⁶“Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. ¹⁷But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:16-18 CSB

00:01:20	Hey guys! Welcome back to the PSALMS to God podcast. Today, I want to talk about fasting. Fasting is a topic that has recently fascinated me. Growing up, the church that I attended did not talk about fasting. The churches that I was ping-ponging between and visiting—I never ever heard anyone say anything about fasting. I never saw anybody fast. We didn't really dwell on the passages in the Bible where people were fasting, and so it was never something that I associated with my walk with Christ.
00:01:59	When I went to college, I had a teacher who was Muslim and that was the first time I really saw somebody fast, because in Islam they have Ramadan, which is a month where they do an intermittent fast (for the whole month) where they can eat at night but they cannot eat while the Sun is up. And so that was the first time I ever saw that form of fasting or anyone like purposely fasting.
00:02:30	And you know, then I had friends in college again who did Lent—that's a whole ‘nother topic in and of itself—but even then, the one time that I went along with them, I was like sure I'll give up this up, it was moreso because somebody said that I couldn't do it, and I just wanted to prove to them that I could. It had nothing to do with the relationship with God. It wasn't like, “I'm leaning on God, I'm praying on God. Every time I want this I'm going to pray, I'm going to think about God or memorize verses.” Like, there wasn’t any spiritual this about it at all. it was all about to tell me what I can and cannot do; I'm going to prove you wrong. It was extremely self-motivated, and that's not how fasting is supposed to work—not from a religious standpoint, not from a Godly standpoint.
00:03:21	And it was out of college when I first saw somebody who did, like, what I would call an extreme fast or a full fast, where they were abstaining from everything but water. Or even the times where people are abstaining, period—like even from water! And so now that I'm, I guess, more into The Word, every day doing my devotions, and trying to really grow my relationship with Christ, the topic of fasting started coming up more and more. So for the past couple of years, I've been thinking more about how fasting should be incorporated in my life, and how I should be fasting, what that should look like, and how that should work for me. Because everyone's fasting life will look different. There are different types of fast, as I mentioned, and there's also different reasons for fasting.
00:04:22	So for instance, in the Bible you see that Jesus fasted,[1] obviously he did a all but... I think he had water during his fast[2]. Elijah fasted.[3] Daniel fasted.[4] Moses fasted.[5] Esther did a full fast![6] She called for the people to do the full fast, eating nothing, drinking nothing. There were playing fasts in the Old Testament. Before battles people fasted. Particularly women who wanted to have children and were unable to have children, they were fasting to have those children. There were just different reasons people were fasting and different ways that people fasted. And what I found particularly in this past month is that your fast has to also match your... The way you are. And what I mean is when you're fasting you're giving up things that you love, or things that you desire, in favor of spending that time with God. So you can't fast from... Like I can't fast for football, 'cause I don't watch football anyway! Like that's not giving up anything. It doesn't matter if that's not hard for me to do. And so when you think about it even in terms of food, it has to match what you're used to. You have to actually be giving up something that it's hard for you to give up for the fast to actually be an efficient fast.[7]
00:06:06	Now with that preface, I want to talk about the Daniel Fast specifically, because I just tried it in the month of May and this is actually one of the problems that I think I had with the Daniel Fast. So everyone raves about the Daniel Fast. It is supposed to be a very grand experience and people at the church that I attend now say wonderful things about it, so I decided that I wanted to try it.
00:06:38	So the Daniel Fast actually is comprised of two different passages in the Book of Daniel. People, when they first told me about it they were referencing the scenario from one but they were actually kind of doing from the second, and I'm not going to lie I got kind of confused about what the Daniel Fast was actually supposed to look like as I got deeper into the Word. So the first verse that is generally mentioned in association with the Daniel Fast is in Daniel 1:8-16. In this passage Daniel and his friends have been taken into captivity in Babylon. They're in some sort of servitude program and the king is feeding them. There is this man that is over them, and he is supposed to feed them what the king tells him to feed them. He supposed to watch them and train them and all of these things. And this program was supposed to be for like 3 years. And of course, because they're in Babylon—this is a pagan nation—the food that is being presented to them is not food that God allows for them. OK, they're probably presenting them with unclean food, but they're also providing meat that has been sacrificed to pagan gods and things like that. They are providing wine, and the wine has probably also been sacrificed a pagan god. And there's a lot of things that God would have condemned or had condemned that they as Israelites were not supposed to be partaking in.
00:08:20	So Daniel and his friends take a stand and say that they don't want this. They're not going to eat this, and they want to eat their own diet. The diet that God has prescribed for them. And so the person who's in charge of this is not really sure that this is a good idea. He doesn't want to get in trouble. And he thinks that if they do this that they're going to look sickly, and that they're not going to perform as well as the other people,[8] who are all of the same race—and I'm saying race with quotation marks (you guys can't see my hands) because it's really like a bloodline, or lineage. If you want to call it a race, I guess. So, when they get into this, basically Daniel said let us do this for 10 days and then judge our appearance and if it's good then we're going to do this, and if not then we'll eat the king's food. So that is how that fast began. So they did not have the wine, they did not have the meat, they had vegetables. So this is the first definition of the Daniel Fast: vegetables. Vegetables with no wine. So this is one definition.
00:09:42	Now, also for time duration this 10 da period was the test for the the overseer to say yes or no, but the ask was that they never had to consume the king's meat or the king's food. So I'm pretty sure that this was actually for the full three years that they were being trained not just for the 10 days, because obviously when everything happened after the 10 day. they showed to be better than the others.
00:10:17	Interesting side note before we talk about the second passage. When I started the Daniel Fast, because I started the Daniel Fast this May, it actually overlapped the time period that some of the people at my job are celebrating Ramadan, because I have a lot of Muslim coworkers. And so I was talking to one of my friends, my coworker, at work who is Muslim. I was telling her that I was going to be doing the Daniel Fast at the same time that she was going to be doing Ramadan. I actually started earlier and ended earlier. But we were talking about it, and she had found this article of a peer-reviewed journal (article that I will link in the show notes [9]), where they were studying these types of fasting and religious fasting and how they affect the body and what benefits they have. And it was interesting because she was talking about how they didn't really find a conclusive thing about Ramadan, specifically intermittent fasting, because when you do intermittent fasting, yes you have this period where you can't eat, but there's no restrictions when you can eat. So when you are allowed to eat, you can eat whatever you want to. So you could not eat anything all day and then at night you could cram down some fried chicken, some french fries, some Oreos, a bunch of soda, sugary things. Like you can be eating things that are horrible for you and that could do you harm, or you can eat things that are good for you. It really just depends on the person; so it could be a good experience or a bad experience.
00:11:53	But in this article, they actually found several health benefits to the Daniel Fast, because you are restricting what you're eating the whole time. And so I thought it was really cool. I wasn't really surprised because, obviously, God set this fast as an example in His Word. He's telling... Its something that He told us to do. And if you truly believe in the Bible, then you know that everything that God tells us to do is for the good of our body. Obviously, I already knew that Daniel did this fast and at the end he was better off than his peers, so clearly the Daniel Fast has benefits. But scientist is agreeing with the Bible, so there's that.
00:12:36	The second passage in Daniel that people cite for the Daniel Fast, that's slightly different, and probably why people have different definitions of the Daniel Fast, is I Daniel 10:2-3. So he says, "In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks. I didn’t eat any rich food, no meat or wine entered my mouth, and I didn’t put any oil on my body until the three weeks were over." So this is where people get the 21 day Daniel Fast. And so people... There're different translations of this passage, well of the Bible in general, but specifically for this passage, what's said here is different in different translations. So this was the Christian Standard Bible (the CSB), and here it says he didn't eat rich food—which would people generally assumed to be like sugar and things like that. Somehow that has morphed also into like processed food. I guess processed food is considered rich food. I would consider processed food maybe more like poor food, but hey OK. And obviously the no meat, but then it says no wine. So that's... People obviously assume that to be alcohol. But there are verses[10] that I think it says he only consumed water,[11] And so there are people who say that you can only have water. So I saw some people were saying like you can't even have tea, even though tea is just water with leaves in it, which leaves is technically a sort of a vegetable. And then, of course, you don't have like dairy and milk which I guess falls under rich food—dairy and eggs, not dairy and milk; milk is Dairy. I guess that falls under rich foods. And then, you know, people abstain from, like I said processed foods, white rice, white flour, all of these things.
00:14:39	And so what I saw people defining to actually be the Daniel Fast was different for different people, and so because I was like "OK, I'm going to read the Bible on the see what it says, what I think it says, and then I'm just going to pray. And me and God are going to come to an agreement about what I'm actually going to fast from." And so upfront it was just like, OK these are the things that I think Daniel said he was fasting from, this is what I'm going to try. And that's what I went for.
00:15:13	Now that being said, before I talk about the experience and what was good, what was bad, and all of that. I want to point out this last statement from Daniel 10:3. It said "I didn't put any oil on my body until the three weeks were over." When I first read this, I was reading—so I had to study Bible and then I have the Bible that I use for the podcast. I a lot of Bibles, OK, because I like to read the different translations. Of course on the podcast, I usually read to you guys from the CSB, because it's easier to speak because it's closer to our Modern English, but I grew up in a King James only church. So there's something about the King James Version that just speaks to me. So generally when I'm studying for myself, I read the King James Version. And the King James Version, here, says anoint. And y'all! I didn't pay no attention to the word anoint, because, I'm like "Oh, yeah, anointing. Like, they used to anoint themselves in the temple and stuff like that." And in the back of my mind I knew that they used to put like oil on their heads and things like that, but I didn't pay that any attention that didn't seem like something I ever do. I don't ever anoint myself, so that's not something I need to worry about. But at the end of the fast, as I was getting ready to do this podcast and I was looking at the CSB, and it was like "I didn't put any oil on my body," I was like "Wait a minute!" Y'all, every week I wash my hair, and I put oil in my hair; so I didn't do this part of the fast, at all. Just putting that out there. And so if I ever do this again I might have to re-evaluate how I do my hair. And then there's another translation, I can't remember which one it is; I will link it in the show notes. They actually said lotion; they didn't put any lotion on their body.[12] Y'all! I'm black—not putting lotion on my body... Like Jesus said don't go out looking like a hot mess while you're fasting. You should look happy, and if I don't put any oil in my hair and I don't put any lotion on my body, I'ma look a little crazy. I think. Maybe. I don't know. Maybe if I consume the correct amount of water I will be OK. I don't know; so this is something for me to investigate in the future. And I definitely think that those things definitely would have been game changers in this fast. It definitely would have made it more difficult is what I'm saying. So in the future I want to actually do that part.
00:17:38	Now back to the site itself, I am already vegetarian with plant-based tendencies. I say that because I may or may not be lactose intolerant. I don't really do well with dairy in general, so I already don't use milk—I use almond milk, soy milk, whatever. And I typically, like my yogurt and ice cream things like that are all from like coconut milk. I use vegan butter. The only real dairy products that I guess I use are cheese. Regularly, I use cheese. Sometimes, I'll dabble with some sour cream, but I usually substitute yogurt—like unsweetened yogurt—for the sour cream. Y'all, it tastes exactly the same! So giving up like the dairy portion was not such a stretch, and I already did a vegan challenge this past January for 30 days and that was fine. I slipped twice, it was an accident, but it was fine I didn't really struggle with that. So I was pretty sure that that part would be a breeze. The part of the Daniel Fast I thought would be the most difficult is the not having sugar, not having processed foods. Fried vegetables do not count. Like you can't have fried vegetables, according to someone. I guess that's considered rich food? I'm not really sure, like I said, I wasn't really sure where some of these rules that people were setting were coming from, but some of them I just liked them. I'm not really sure if they're necessarily biblically-based but as I was like "Yeah, OK I think I should not have fried foods," because for me, one of the things that I realized would be the difficulty is convenience. So processed foods, things with sugar, are easily accessible. At my office, we have a break room; we have potato chips. We have like little like brownie things, and cookies, and popcorn, and things like that that are So, they may be vegan or they may be vegetarian, but they're not necessarily good for you, and they are processed, and things like that. Those things I couldn't just snack on if I got hungry at work, and what I knew that I would default to is there is a burger place behind my job. And I would like I would just go and get—they have fried green beans and they have fries. So, those are vegetables: that's potato and a green bean. And I was like I will definitely cheat by just going and getting the fried food, and so I was like I'm going to adopt this whether this is part of the biblical definition or not. So that like, I said, that was my concern and you can't have sugar, you can't have processed food, excetera excetera.
00:20:32	Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Nadine Primeaue And so I was like this is where it's going to be hard. And people talked about you know, like having, like the withdrawals from the sugar, and things like that. And it actually was not as difficult as I thought it would be at all. The first week or so, I had in my head decided that I was going to try out like chia seed pudding, and I was going to do like my overnight oats and things like that, and I was just not going to use the sweetener—because I should add, a lot of people when they said no sweeteners included natural sweeteners like honey, because I guess that's considered rich food. Well. OK, chia seed pudding and oatmeal do not taste good without sugar. I'm just going to put that out there, all right. Don't try that. Do not just make oatmeal the way you normally make it and don't put sugar in it, or chia seed pudding. It does not taste good. You will not be able to finish eating it. You will have wasted food. Don't do it. That's what I did the first week, and eventually I bought like some dates and tried to blend up the dates in the milk—the almond milk, not real milk guys—to try to give it some flavor. And you know, it was a little bit better. It wasn't great, and then of course, because I could only find dried dates, the dates didn't blend as smoothly as I would like them too. So there were kind of like chunks of dates in the mixture and that just didn't go over as well as I wanted it to. So, after the first week, I gave up on having breakfast foods for breakfast, and I switched to this like potato thing. And so what I would do is roast potatoes and roast some veggies and have them together. Or I would do, like I did like a cucumber, a tomato, and avocado, and I would like combine them and squeeze like some lime juice on it, or something like that. And that's what I would do for breakfast. And then for lunch, I would have like salad, or I would have like brown rice and roasted vegetables and things like that and you know for dinner, dinner and lunch looked pretty much the same. Well, this isn't really an extreme departure from my normal diet, guys. What I realized is that, I don't know if I actually don't eat that much sugar normally, or if... I don't know. Like it just—as I got into the routine it wasn't that different. The only thing is like "OK, I'm not going to go to Pieology and grab a pizza, because I can't have that." or I'm not eating like brownies or whatever, but I don't eat sweets that often. And I don't normally eat egg—on occasion, but it's not like I ate eggs every single day. I did miss juice. I will say that; I like grape juice, and so I was a little annoyed at only drinking water. I did not consume tea, because I know myself, and I know that drinking just water is a challenge for me, and I thought like if I was drinking tea it would be easier, and so again like I said in the beginning fasting is about giving up something you love, so it has to be meaningful. So I did try the full, you know, just water, and I think that because it wasn't that much of a departure form my normal diet. It did not have as profound of an impact as I thought it would.
00:24:27	Now I'm not going to say nothing changed in my spiritual life. If you watch me—if you follow me on Instagram—if you don't follow me on Instagram should: shiree.hughes. I started doing Testimony Tuesday. I got back to the whole idea of sharing testimonies about what God is doing in my life, and that's something that I used to do that I had stopped doing, and I felt like, you know, I was a little bit I guess more distant from God. So I felt like I got more energy. I did get more energy. I did feel more energized in my spiritual life, so that is a thing, and that was a good thing. But in terms of like just feeling really different, or you know having to stop and pray because I'm having a craving for this food that I've given up, that didn't happen for me. It really wasn't difficult because it wasn't that far from my normal diet.
00:25:29	One of my friends is about to embark on the Daniel Fast. She also has a podcast: GirlTalkWithFo, she'll get your finances right. She is thinking about doing just vegetables and it says: just vegetables, in the beginning. I think that, you know, of course there's always a question: do you count fruit as a vegetable?[13] But I do think that perhaps if I do this again I may have to cut out like grains and things like that to try to make it more challenging. Again, that's something that I would be concerned about for myself, because I have iron deficiency anemia, and I'm about 10lbs underweight, according to what the doctor say you're supposed to weigh. So, for me I would be cautious of what I actually fast from 'cause I need to make sure that I'm getting the right amount of protein and nutrients and iron to, you know, not cause health problems. So I would have to do some research before I actually try that.
00:26:41	But you know, if you tried the Daniel Fast, how did it help you, and do you think it's more efficient for people who generally eat meat and things, than for people who are already living like a plant-based lifestyle or vegetarian lifestyle? Also, definitely, pray about fasting in general. Maybe God is calling you to do some fasting; like I said it doesn't have to be food. Maybe it's something else. It's definitely something you should think about incorporating into your life. Definitely remember that the point of the fast is to get closer to God, so you should be praying throughout the fast. And yeah, let me know about your experiences, and what you want to try, and what you have tried. How it works for you, and what blessing that brought into your life?
00:27:32	Thank you guys for tuning in! I will see you guys next time. Bye

Footnotes and References

1. Matthew 4
2. "Did Jesus Drink Water When He Was Fasting For 40 Days". Never Thirsty; visited May 2019
3. 1 Kings 19:1-8
4. Daniel 1; Daniel 10:2-3
5. Exodus 24:28
6. Esther 4:15-17
7. I actually meant meaningful. I don't know why I said efficient (I actually did this twice).
8. People have this same reaction when I tell them I'm vegetarian.
9. John F Trepanowski and Richard J Bloomer. "The impact of religious fasting on human health". Nutrition Journal. 2010
10. Definitely meant translation
11. Actually this is from the first passage.
12. The version that says lotion is the NIV
13. What about things like squash and tomato: its actually and we think of them as vegetables.

Cacao vs. Cocoa

Can I just be the first to say that cacao and cocoa have too many of the same letters in almost the same place to be different words. When you add in the fact that they're almost the same thing, it's like having identical twins named Alex and Alix—no one can figure out the difference! Supposedly one is good for you, and the other may or may not be good for you (this is what I hear most often)? They both have something to do with chocolate, though, and I think everyone will agree that chocolate is pretty awesome—ok, so my soror who is allergic to chocolate might not agree, but I think it's awesome. I had to know the differences! So, let's talk about cacao and cocoa.

Difference Between Cacao and Cocoa

Photocredit: Unspalsh.com/NordWood Themes

Native to South America, cacao trees produce cacao beans which are used to make cocoa and chocolate.[1] The word originates from South American tribes, such as the Aztecs, who referred to the plant as such.[2] Merriam-Webster's Dictionary lists cacao as the second definition for cocoa, but the primary definition is that cocoa is a powdered form of the cacao bean.[3] The main difference is that cocoa is a more processed form of cacao.

You could essentially think of cacao and cocoa as dark chocolate and milk chocolate, respectively. Cocoa powder is made almost identically to cacao powder, including using cacao beans to make it. The difference is that cocoa is heated to really high temperatures during the process. This slightly changes the flavor and the molecular structure of the resulting powder. Because most people prefer sweetness over bitterness, some companies opt to add something to sweeten the powder into the mix.[4]

Health food and organic companies heavily prefer the term cacao, and it's been alleged that some products may not use cacao based upon the previously mentioned definitions.[5] However, most sources suggest that the true difference is the process in which the bean is turned to powder.

Health Benefits

All right, so once you know the difference between cacao and cocoa, the question should be "Why should I consume either?" I know you've heard there are benefits to chocolate—I remind myself of this all the time when I'm stuffing my face with it. Well, the high heat used in the process of creating cocoa powder lessens the potency of it, but there are definitely health benefits to consuming cacao (or cocoa).[8]

• Cacao is high in flavonids, calcium, iron, magnesium, and phenylethylamine (which basically elevates your mood!)[6][7]
• Cacao is high in antioxidants (like fruit!). Antioxidants are linked to health benefits such as lowering blood pressure, improving cholesterol, decreasing inflammation, maintaining proper blood sugar levels (note, you'll want to make sure you're getting cacao or chocolate that doesn't have a lot of sugar added to it to get that last benefit).[9]
• Cacao might lower your risk of stroke or heart attack.[9]
• Cacao helps with your brain; that's right eating chocolate can help your mental perfromance! (Now I have an excuse for the chocolate stash I have at my desk)[9]
• You've probably all heard that chocolate produces endorphins which make you happy. That may not be exactly what happens, as there are several possibilities of how cacao influences our mood, but the end result is that, yes, cacao improves your mood.[9] So, scientifically speaking, it is very appropriate for me to eat chocolate during that time of the month.
• Earlier in the list I said it could regulate blood sugar levels. You know what that means, sources say it can actually help relieve the symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes.[9] I have to point out that the studies are not 100%, so if you have diabetes or are at risk of diabetes, I would definitely consult a dietitian or doctor who believes in natural remedies before adding this to you daily food routine—I would also suggest sweet potatoes. Regardless, you want to be careful that you're eating pure cacao (probably in moderation) and not mainstream chocolate which has been heavily sweetened and would likely make diabetes more likely or worse.
• Cacao might be help you lose weight (or maintain your weight). Who would have thought, right? Studies showed that people who ate cacao regularly actually had lower BMIs than those who did not. BMIs have their own problems, but as a skinny person who frequently consumes chocolate, I could definitely see how this might be valid. Note, the study was likely performed with dark chocolate, which has more cacao and less additives. White chocolate and milk chocolate do not have the same benefits.[9]
• Cacao might reduce asthma. Early studies on animals show the potential for cacao to unrestrict air passages.[9]

Most grocery stores have cacao powder, cacao nibs, and dark chocolate that is devoid of the additives that reduce the aforementioned benefits. You can use it in smoothies, breakfast bowls, homemade granola/trail mix, and so much more!

Allergen Risks

As I said at the beginning of the post, I actually have a sorority sister who is allergic to chocolate. So if you find that eating cacao isn't sitting well with you, you might have an allergy. (Don't worry, God knew you would have that allergy so there are plenty of other delicious foods that have the same benefits and properties!) Caffeine is usually found within chocolate as well, so if you have caffeine sensitivity you'll want to watch out for that as well. Common symptoms can be found in this Medical News Today article.

The History of Cacao

I had fun checking out the history of cacao. Here are a few articles if you're interested:

• Dorothy K.Washburn, William N.Washburn, and Petia A.Shipkov. "The prehistoric drug trade: widespread consumption of cacao in Ancestral Pueblo and Hohokam communities in the American Southwest". Journal of Archaeological Science; Volume 38, Issue 7, pg. 1634-1640. July 2011
• Rosemary A. Joyce and John S. Henderson. "Forming Mesoamerican Taste: Cacao Consumption in Formative Period Contexts". Pre-Columbian Foodways; pg. 157-173. September 30, 2009

References

1. Cacao". Merriam-Webster; visited March 2019
2. Douglas Harper. "Cacao". Online Etymology Dictionary; visited March 2019
3. "Cocoa. Merriam-Webster; visited March 2019
4. Michelle Pellizzon. "Cacao vs. Cocoa". Thrive Market. April 8, 2016
5. Marsha McCulloch, MS, RD. "Cacao vs Cocoa: What's the Difference?". Healthline. September 10, 2018
6. Francesca Menato. "The Benefits Of Cacao Powder is Trending – Here's Why". Women's Health. March 29, 2018
7. "The Health Benefits of Cacao". Nature's Path. October 11, 2016
8. Rafael Franco, Ainhoa Oñatibia-Astibia, and Eva Martínez-Pinilla. "Health Benefits of Methylxanthines in Cacao and Chocolate". Nutrients. 2013
9. Elise Mandl, BSc, APD. "11 Health and Nutrition Benefits of Cocoa Powder". Healthline. August 9, 2018
10. Jon Johnson. "Chocolate allergy vs. chocolate sensitivity." Medical News Today. June 5, 2017

Isaiah 28: Don't Drink and Preach

In Isaiah 28, God describes the dangers of trying to teach when you're drunk or hungover. It sounds pretty obvious, but you know what, I think this is more of a spiritual message than a literal message—especially since He goes on to reveal the promise of salvation through the Cornerstone (aka Jesus the Messiah). Let's dig into it.

Introduction

Isaiah 28 gives us a reminder not to be drunk, that God is the ultimate authority, and by His ultimate authority, He has given us a way to redeem us from death. One of the most beautiful things about the Bible is that even when God is telling us about our sin and wickedness, He gives us hope.

Drunkenness

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Thom Masat

I don't think anyone will argue about the Bible condemning drunkenness—how we carry that into our daily lives might be another topic. The first part of Isaiah 28 is evidence of God's stance against drunkenness. In His judgements against the drunkards of Ephraim, God points out their inability to do what is needed because of their drunken stupor. The reason it is illegal to drink and drive is because alcohol impairs our reaction time as well as our decision making. Have you ever seen videos of people after getting their wisdom teeth removed or other surgeries? The drugs used to put them to sleep leave them in a confused but often heightened stupor. Some are extremely emotional,[1] some are rambunctious,[2], and some are forgetful.[3]

Now imagine your pastor standing in the pulpit trying to explain the word of God in that condition. His words would be slurred, his interpretation probably wouldn't make sense. He would struggle to hold his composure and likely have random outbursts that you wouldn't be able to follow. His body would be fighting an internal war trying to process the alcohol, meanwhile his brain would be trying to recall the word of God. That's not an easy task.

Literal Interpretation

God describes this disaster in literal form. Isaiah 28:7-8 is exactly the image I had in my mind, complete with the after effects of a hangover. A person in this condition is in no shape to teach someone—to do anything, really.

Spiritual Interpretation

We know the literal effects of drugs and alcohol, but if we step back for a minute and realize that God is always talking to us about our salvation, we would see that there is spiritual meaning here as well. In Revelation 17:2, we see the "kings of the world" become "drunk" from sin. The specific sin mentioned is sexual immorality, but in context, we can infer that this references all sin. Why? Because, throughout the Bible God always refers to the Israelites' breach of the covenant as adultery or fornication with pagan gods. In Revelation, the woman is the false church, so the passage is referring to being a part of this false church and following her instruction instead of God's—which could be any and all types of sin.

In that light, if we are drunk with sin, we distance ourself from God. Our ability to understand His message or the visions He gives us becomes impaired. Similarly, it is hard for us to bring others into the Body of Christ or teach the gospel when we are so embroiled in our own problems.

Precept Upon Precept

Have you heard the phrase "precept upon precept, line upon line?" I've heard it a plenty. Usually it's given to mean that the interpretation gathered from a particular verse must match the rest of the Bible. It is basically a warning not to take things out of context. The actual verse is found in Isaiah 28:10 and Isaiah 28:13. Isaiah 28:10 seems to fit the use that I've heard it all my life, but Isaiah 28:13 confused me. The fact that the Word of God was given to them in this manner causes them to fall implies that this isn't a good method.

I read a few commentaries trying to figure out what was being said. Some agree with usual interpretation, concluding that in this passage, people were mocking the way Isaiah taught and wouldn't listen. The response in verse 13 is therefore God repeating their mockery to remind them why they are being punished.

Others had a slightly different take on it. They believe this is a reference to how children are taught, in simplistic terms with repetition. Reading the commentaries, I had a flash back to elementary school when we had math drills. We learned multiplication through memorization, which used repetition. 7 year old me probably couldn't tell you why 7 x 8 = 56 or 6 x 9 = 72, but I could have spat out the times table with ease. Sometimes, this is how we teach the Word of God. It's simply drilled into us with out tapping into the fact that the Word is living. It is meant to help us form a relationship with God, not robotically obey.

Regardless of which interpretation you agree with, I think there is truth in both. To understand the Word you do need to go line by line and each piece of the puzzle has to fit. It also beneficial to teach the Word through living examples as opposed to simple beating it into memory. Just as I could rapidly recite the times table as a child, but had no connection to what I was saying, the same can happen to believers who only memorize their beliefs. When we simply memorize the Word of God, it hasn't necessarily touched out hearts yet so it has no effect on us.

A Deal with Death

Isaiah 28:15 talks about mankind's covenant with death. Because we have sinned, we have chosen death over life. By sinning, we do Death's bidding and thus are marked as his instead of God's.

Cornerstone

The great news is that God has found a way to get us out of this contract with death. If you remember a few years ago, the LA Clippers owner was caught saying racist things. The players, though likely offended by his comments, could not just up and quit their jobs because they signed legally binding contracts that committed them to that team. This is what we have done with death. Luckily, God is a phenomenal lawyer, judge, and jury. He has agreed to both represent us and judge our case, ensuring that we can break that contract. All we need is to accept His cornerstone

The cornerstone discussed here is none other than God's Son, the Messiah. Other passages that speak of this cornerstone are Psalm 118:22, Zechariah 10:4, Matthew 21:42, Acts 4:11, Ephesians 2:20, and 1 Peter 2:6-7. From these verses, it is evident that here God is explaining the plan of salvation, redemption, and freedom from our covenant with death.

God's Approach to Justice

The last few verses in the chapter discuss the differences that happen on a farm, since that is was that is what the people would know best. He reminds us that there are several different tasks needed to grow crops (plowing, planting, etc.), and each crop needs different things. For instance, a cactus needs very little water to grow, but some plants actually grow submerged in water. This same principle carries over to the treatment of people. God judges us on a case by case scenario, determining what is needed for our specific situation.

References

1. Jayci Underwood. " Girl Desperate to be Nicki Minaj After Wisdom Teeth Removal". Youtube. October 21, 2014
2. Dolan Twins. "Ethan Gets His Wisdom Teeth Removed !!". Youtube. Dec 13, 2016
3. CNN. "Man after surgery: 'You're my wife?'". YouTube. September 10, 2013
4. "Isaiah 28:10 Commentary". Bible Hub; visited February 2019

#Veganuary

I am a vegetarian with a severe case of cognitive dissonance. You see, I discovered some time in high school that the more dairy I consume, the more acne I have. I can't tell you if dairy is truly linked to skin problems,[1] because I can only speak from my own experiences, but I can assure you that for me, dairy and skin problems go hand in hand. You'd think I would have given up dairy when I figured this out, but for some reason, I'd rather have acne or itchy skin than give up cheese.

When I started my vegetarian journey, I probably had cheese at every meal. Unlike meat, which disappeared from my diet without me even noticing, cheese was a major player in every meal. Breakfast: cheese grits, cheese in my omelette, egg and cheese biscuit. Lunch: cheese on my salad, cheese in my quesadilla, cheese on my rice... Dinner: cheese on my broccoli, macaroni and cheese, lasagna. I honestly didn't know how to make a meal without adding cheese. During this same time I was having a lot of trouble with me skin so I decided to finally back off the dairy products.

Most dairy products weren't hard for me to give up. I have a food aversion to milk, which means the taste and smell of milk actually make me nauseous. This means I can't do melted ice cream or milk shakes. I'm basically a one scoop, kid's size, for all dairy desserts. I only used milk to cook (which mean I wasted a lot of money buying the smallest container of milk I could find for 1/2 cup to bake something). When I discovered almond milk, coconut milk ice cream and yogurt, and vegan butter, I switched to using these products immediately. The skin trouble I had minimized significantly, but it didn't go away. Probably because cheese was still a part of every meal.

These are actually all vegan!

For the past three or four years, I've been slowly removing cheese from my diet. Last year, I attempted to do one week each month where I only ate plant-based. A lot of times I forgot, but when I remembered, I succeeded. So this year, I decided to participate in Veganuary. It's a month to raise awareness for veganism, and encourages people to eat a plant-based diet (and buy plant-based products) for the month of January. I think the goal is to show people how easy it is, and hopefully convert people to veganism.

Did I make it? With the exception of two days I made it the entire 31 days without eating anything that comes from an animal. One day I had a breakfast bar that was actually marked Kosher dairy, I'm not sure if there was actually dairy in it or if it simply came into contact with dairy during the packaging process. The other day, I went to a work function and ate a fruit dish that actually had cream hidden under the fruit. I was actually pretty proud of myself for managing to only slip up twice, especially since there were 3 events at work that had free cake.

The East Part

Since I'm already vegetarian and use substitute dairy products for most things, it wasn't that noticeable that anything changed. To me, ice cream and yogurt made from coconut milk is better than the original, so that's not an issue at all. I can't tell the difference between vegan butter and regular butter. Almond milk, especially if you get vanilla flavored, has a slightly different taste and smell that you have to get used to, but it isn't that much different either. Substituting these guys out in my every day recipes wasn't hard at all.

The Hard Part

Vegan cheese does not taste like real cheese. Period. I had vegan cheese a couple times throughout the month to curb my cheese cravings, but it wasn't as satisfying as real cheese. Also, eggs are a breakfast go-to of mine. When I wake up late and didn't prep anything, fried egg whites or scrambled eggs with spinach is super easy. I also found that many of the breakfast bars I usually eat aren't vegan, so breakfast suddenly became hard. In general, our society isn't set up to accommodate plant-based diets so this lifestyle requires forethought and meal prepping. Most of the food can be made vegan, stores just choose not offer vegan versions, which means you have to make your own.

Noticeable Differences

Ok, so the real question is was I converted to the plant-based life style and what did I notice health wise this month?

Health wise, I feel pretty much the same. I took a B12 supplement every day since B12 deficiency runs in my family and I primarily get my B12 from eggs, which were struck from my diet. My skin did improve and I don't have any acne at the moment. Unfortunately I still caught a bug the last week of the month due to the weather shift, so as I write this I actually feel pretty crappy. However, since the only real change in my diet was the consumption of cheese and eggs, I expect the difference should have been minimal.

Veganism isn't just about what you eat, it's a lifestyle about protecting animals and the planet. It encompasses much more than just what we eat. I'm all about protecting animals, of course, having grown up on a family farm where the chickens are not treated the way they are in factory farms, I don't feel any guilt about eating the eggs from home. Therefore I don't think I'll be 100% vegan any time soon, but you never know what the future holds.

References

1. Wendy Marcason RD. "Milk Consumption and Acne—Is There a Link?". Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Volume 110, Issue 1; pg 152. January 2010

You Are What You Eat: Isaiah 66

Isaiah 66 is pretty simple to understand. Once you accept it, you realize unclean meats will be unclean at the end of the world, so they must be unclean now too.

Isaiah 66:3, 17

³He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man;
he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck;
he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood;
he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol.
Yea, they have chosen their own ways,
and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
¹⁷They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens
behind one tree in the midst,
eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse,
shall be consumed together, saith the Lord.Isaiah 66:3,17 KJV

Introduction

Before you jump into Isaiah 66, take a minute to read Isaiah 65 and remember that someone divided to the book into chapters thousands of years after Isaiah wrote these words. Starting in Isaiah 65:17, God is detailing to Isaiah what it will be like when His creation is made new, re: after the end of this world. In Isaiah 66, God is basically telling us why He had to create a new Heaven and a new Earth. We get further evidence that this is talking about the end times in Isaiah 66:15-16—"[He] will come with fire" (Daniel 7:9).

Isaiah 66:3

In the third verse, God tells us about people who are going through the motions. These are the people who say they are His but have no relationship with Him. They do things that they think will please God, such as give offerings, but because their heart is in the wrong place, the acts are still an abomination. To show this, God juxtaposes the actions He previously commanded with actions He has condemned. In this He reiterates the uncleanness of swine, otherwise known as pigs (or pork).

Isaiah 66:17

In Isaiah 66:17, God makes His stance on the offense of eating unclean animals more clear by telling us that those eating unclean food will be consumed in the coming fire. These people are the ones who appear to be holy (sanctifying themselves) but are doing unholy things (eating unclean meat). In short, God is referencing hyprocrites, but the manner in which He calls them out, is to specify the particular sin of consuming unclean flesh.

Why These Verses Are Important

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Annie Spratt

As I've been saying throughout the series, the Bible cannot contradict itself. It is the same Spirit from God inspiring both Isaiah and Paul to write, therefore their teachings must exist in harmony. Isaiah makes it very clear that in the end, God still sees the things He called unclean in Leviticus as unclean. Isaiah could have easily used lustfulness or covetousness to make the point of disobeying God or allowing sin to fester in the shadows while outwardly portraying godliness. However, he specifically uses unclean meats. If eating pork was an abomination and will be an abomination, doesn't it make sense that it is an abomination?

Up Next: Romans 14

Ok, now that I've inserted this tidbit about Isaiah 66 so it makes sense when I say the Bible can't contradict itself, we can keep moving through verses. The next verse I think we should talk about is Romans 14.

Other Posts in the Series

You Are What You Eat: 1 Timothy 4:1-7

Another famous passage people use to justify eating clean meats is 1 Timothy 4:1-7. At first glance it seems to do just that, but once you add context to is that interpretation falls apart. So, let's add some context.

Abstaining from Meats is False Doctrine?

¹Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; ²Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; ³Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. ⁴For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: ⁵For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. ⁶If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. ⁷But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. 1 Timothy 4:1-7 KJV

Introduction

1 Timothy 4:1-7 is one—of two—of the only arguments for eating unclean foods that ever made the slightest bit of sense to me. It's a fairly convincing passage because, here, Paul is telling Timothy about some of the false doctrines that will appear in the end of days, and one such doctrine is abstaining from meats. Paul goes on to say that "every creature of God is good and not to be refused." Sounds not only like permission to eat whatever we want but a warning to be wary of those suggesting otherwise! However, as with all passages in the Bible, you have to put these words into context, and once you do, he's not giving us permission to eat unclean meat.

Putting the Passage into Context

The main difficulty of understanding what is written in the Bible stems from people assigning their interpretation based upon modern times and their own personal culture. However, the Bible was written thousands of years ago. Both the language and the culture of the people writing and reading the text was different from our own. To show how quickly phrases, words, and references can change, I have two examples:

When I was in middle school, I met a elderly lady from Alaska. After she described the scenery to me, I remarked that it sounded "cool." She immediately began to agree and explain the chilliness of the weather, but I meant "cool" as in hip, awesome, or interesting. Fast forward about 10 years and my younger cousin was going on about how much she loved the song "As Long As You Love Me." I agreed that I liked the song, but when she started singing it, she wasn't singing the song I was thinking of—she was referencing the more current hit by Justin Bieber and I was referencing the 90's hit by the Backstreet Boys.

My point: Biblical passages have to be put into the context of the people writing them and the time period in which they wrote. Since there's also a language change, studying the original text is helpful as well. At some point, I plan to take a class on Hebrew and Greek to help me when I study the word.

Biblical Context

Another important point of context for each passage is what other passages in the Bible say about the topic. Malachi 3:6 tells us that God does not change, which means if He didn't like it when Moses was writing it, He doesn't like it now. One example where God appears to change is when He grants Noah permission to eat flesh. Prior to this, everyone was vegetarian (or at least they were supposed to be vegetarian). Did God change His mind about killing animals for the purpose of food? No. In Isaiah 1:11 God says He hates the sacrifices and gets no pleasure from the blood. Remember, back then, people didn't go to the grocery store or the local burger place to get meat for their meals. The way they got meat was by first sacrificing an animal to God; it was the meat from this sacrifice that they ate (Exodus 12:1-10). If God didn't like needless sacrifices of the animals He created, do you think He delights in us killing the same animals in the name of gluttony? God simply allowed additional sources of nourishment because of the need that arose from flooding the planet. A secondary theory is that this a part of what he used to diminish the length of our life in punishment of the events preceding the flood.[12] We'll get into that in a different post.

In short, Paul's teachings cannot contradict the teachings of God; if they do, then Paul would be a false prophet.

What is Meat?

You may not think much of it, but I think it's important to define meat. Like the mix up I experienced with the lady from Alaska, words have a tendency to change, even if only in connotation, over time. Meat is one of those words. During the time the Bible was first translated to English, meat was used to describe any food substance. Even today, you can see the evidence of this if you look up "meat" in a dictionary. Merriam-Webster lists the top definition of meat as food or the edible part of something.[1]

We think of meat as the flesh of an animal: chicken, turkey, beef, pork, etc. Evidence of the Bible using "meat" to mean food as opposed to flesh can be seen in Genesis 1:29 and Leviticus 2:1. In these verses meat has nothing to do with flesh. This tells us that we need to be careful when interpreting the word "meat" in the Bible.

The word translated to "meat" in 1 Timothy 1:3 is βρωμάτων, which actually means "food of any kind."[3][4] So, the command Paul is referencing isn't specifically tied to flesh. Now, as we continue into verse 4, Paul references creatures (κτίσμα[5][6]), which indicates a focus on flesh. There are fewer restrictions on non-flesh foods so while the false doctrine might require unnecessary fasting of all foods, the real issue Paul is addressing is specific to the flesh.

Thanksgiving

Photocredit: Unsplash.com/Mantra Media

Once we establish that Paul is in fact addressing an issue related to flesh, it still seems like the passage is giving the OK to eat anything, right? Especially if that's what you've been taught your whole life and that's what you want it to mean. However, the clauses at the end of verse 3 and verse 4 add meaning that is often over looked. Notice that both verses reference "thanksgiving."

In 1 Timothy 1:3-4, Paul makes it clear that he isn't actually talking about any food, he's talking about the food that was created to be received with thanksgiving. What did God create to be received with thanksgiving? Herbs and fruit from plants bearing seeds (Genesis 1:29; 3:18) and clean meats (Leviticus 11).
Remember when I mentioned that the original Greek word is βρωμάτων? Strong's Exhaustive Concordance gives us the following definition of the word: "From the base of bibrosko; food (literally or figuratively), especially (ceremonially) articles allowed or forbidden by the Jewish law -- meat, victuals." In contrast, the word for unclean is ἀκάθαρτος[7]—though it does not ever seem to have been used in reference to food. ἀκάθαρτος is the word used in Acts 10:14,28, which we previously discussed.[7][8] The word in Timothy 4:3 is referring to ceremonial meat—that which was allowed by Jewish law (sacrifices to God, which are no longer necessary now that Jesus has given the ultimate sacrifice) and that which was forbidden by Jewish law (sacrifices to idols or things handled by pagans/Gentiles). The original is not specifying unclean meats.

Who is Speaking? Who is Being Spoken To?

Another thing we should consider is the point of view of the author and reader of the text. If you are speaking to an American and use the phrase "boot," he or she will assume you're talking about footwear. However, if you are talking to someone from Great Britain, he or she will assume you're referencing the trunk of your car.[10] Same language, different context.

The author of 1 Timothy is Paul, and although he is known for preaching Christ to the Gentiles, he was born a Jew. The recipient of the letter was Timothy, who was the son of a Greek man and a Jewish woman (Acts 16:1). Both men would have been well versed in the Jewish customs; specifically clean and unclean meat.

Assume I go out of town for a while and ask you to stay at my home to watch my cat. Before I leave, I tell you to make yourself at home and feel free to eat or drink anything you find in my home. Are you going to drink bleach or try to eat my cat's food? Of course not, you will know automatically that I'm giving you permission to eat the things we both agree are edible. Paul and Timothy would have the understanding that clean meats are food, but unclean meats would not have been considered βρωμάτων in their minds.

The Actual Command

From a modern perspective it seems really odd that someone would be forbidding us to eat clean meats. The debate within the church is on unclean meat, not clean meat; even among Seventh Day Adventists who promote vegetarian and vegan lifestyles it is clear that clean meats are still OK for us to eat.[9] So what is Paul talking about? As with most Biblical passages, there is a meaning that is specific to the time Paul was writing it, but there is also a meaning specific to today.

In Paul's Day

There was actually a few ways clean meat could become unclean according to Jewish tradition. The one I think bears the most relevance is that of meat sacrificed to idols.

In 1 Corinthians 8, another letter by Paul, the discussion of meat is around meat offered to an idol. In this passage, Paul is reminding believers that we know idols are not real. In Acts 15, once again we see a council of believers discussing the issue of eating meat offered to idols, and here, forbidding it. Paul and Timothy, as well as many other apostles, were teaching in societies that were not based on Godly worship. The people they were ministering to were not just Jews who trusted in Christ, but Greeks and Romans who had been worshiping pagan gods before. Their daily practices and marketplaces would have been abundant in meat sacrificed to idols because that is what was considered normal.

Back in South Carolina, where anything goes when it comes to food, it is very difficult to find Kosher food. Almost everything is cooked in fatback (pork) and since people do not care about the dietary laws, they don't think about mixing the utensils, surfaces, pots, etc. that come into contact with clean and unclean meats. This makes it hard for me to eat when I go home. I fully understand the plight of the people Timothy was ministering to. Their families and friends would likely continue to serve meat that had been sacrificed to idols and the marketplace would have contained meat to purchase that had been sacrificed to idols. Their question to Timothy would have been if it was OK to still eat that meat.

Today

Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats... 1 Timothy 1:3 KJV

Are you familiar with Lent? Many Denominations participate in this fast from Ash Wednesday until Easter, but it was started by the Catholic Church. When Lent first began it was actually a fast from flesh, though today people typically fast from anything they choose. Today, some Catholics still observe fasting from flesh on Fridays during the Lent season.[2][11] The Catholic Church also forbids their priests from marrying...

Up Next: Isaiah 66

We established earlier that each passage must fit within the context of the Bible. If our interpretation of a verse contradicts something else in the Bible, we have to go back and reassess our interpretation because something isn't right. If any of the verses I've been sharing with you actually mean you can eat unclean meats like pork, we have a problem with Isaiah 66. So next time, let's look at Isaiah 66.

Other Posts in the Series

References

1. "Meat". Merriam-Webster Dictionary; visited September 15, 2017
2. "US Bishops Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 1983
3. "Interlinear Bible 1 Timothy 4:3". Bible Hub; visited December 29, 2018
4. "1033. bróma". Strong's Concordance via BibleHub.com; visited December 29, 2018
5. "Interlinear Bible 1 Timothy 4:4". Bible Hub; visited December 29, 2018
6. "2938. ktisma". Strong's Concordance via BibleHub.com; visited December 29, 2018
7. 169. akathartos". Strong's Concordance via BibleHub.com; visited December 29, 2018
8. Ree Hughes. "You Are What You Eat: Acts 10". PSALMS to God. December 16, 2018
9. Dr. Mark A. McCleary. "Meat on Adventist Church Property". Adventist Today. October 20, 2015
10. "boot". English Oxford Living Dictionaries; visited December 29, 2018
11. "Lent". Encyclopædia Britannica. March 22, 2018
12. Bodie Hodge. "Why Did People Start to Have Shorter Lives After the Flood?". Answers in Genesis. July 16, 2010

You Are What You Eat: Acts 10

In Acts 10, Peter has a dream about eating unclean food. Some people use this to justify eating unclean meat, but in the Bible a dream is rarely what it seems. In every case where God gives people a vision, the vision is interpreted elsewhere in the text. Similarly, Peter's vision is explained later in the chapter. As it turns out, Peter was actually being told to accept Gentiles, not to consume unclean meats.

Kill and Eat?

¹²Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. ¹³And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. ¹⁴But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. ¹⁵And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.Acts 10:12-16 KJV

Introduction

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Acts 10:9-18 details a vision Peter is given from God. In this vision, Peter sees animals of all types, and a voice commands him to kill these animals to eat. When Peter receives these instructions, he protests. Peter says he has never eaten anything unclean, implying that he isn't about to start eating unclean animals now. Since God is the one commanding Peter to "rise and kill," many people take this as proof that we can eat unclean animals. However, if we really look at the passage, that isn't what's happening here.

The Punchline

After Peter experiences his vision, he has to think on it (Acts 10:19)—it isn't clear to him that God is giving him permission to eat unclean flesh! Eventually, Peter tells us what he has determined his dream means. In Acts 10:28 and Acts 11:5-18, it is explained that God gave this vision to Peter to prepare him for the inclusion of Gentiles in the movement. This makes sense because if you read prior to Peter's vision, you'll see that we are told about a Gentile, named Cornelius, who is sent by God to Peter. Cornelius receives his instructions in a vision as well. Prior to the dream's revelation, the Jews did not associate with Gentiles; Peter likely would not have received Cornelius without God revealing this message.

Other Examples of Beasts in Visions

If you remember back in Genesis, Joseph was an expert at interpreting dreams. Many of the dreams he interpreted weren't literal translations. The objects and animals in the seen in the dreams were usually metaphors or symbols for a larger picture. In Daniel 7, Daniel recounts a vision he was given from God that also includes beasts. These same beasts are repeated in the vision given to John and recorded in Revelation. If you compare Peter's dream with the visions given in Daniel and Revelation, you will notice continuity of symbolism in beasts or animals representing nations.

Moral of the Vision

Up until this point, the gospel was reserved for the Jews. The Jews didn't associate with Gentiles and essentially looked upon them the same way they looked at unclean animals such as pigs. Although God never told them to treat other people with such disdain (they weren't to yolk themselves with pagans, but strangers could be converted, at which point they became part of Israel), the Jews developed this tradition anyway. The development of unbiblical traditions was one of the main problems Jesus had with the Pharisees. He was constantly trying to get them back on target with God's word and to abandon man made traditions. Despite following Jesus during His ministry, Peter would have been raised in the Jews' tradition and been wary of Gentiles. So, when God sent Cornelius to Peter, He had to also send Peter a message to inform Peter that he should receive Cornelius with open arms. In the Old Testament, prophets like Isaiah talk about the time when the Gospel would be preached to the Gentiles, this is the beginning of the fulfillment of those prophecies.

Up Next: 1 Timothy 4:1-7

In the next post we'll look at 1 Timothy 4:1-7, another popular passage in the "can we eat unclean foods" debate.

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References

1. Jeffery Spitzer. "The Non-Jew in Jewish Law". My Jewish Learning; visited December 2018

You Are What You Eat: Mark 7:15

The most often quoted passage to excuse eating unclean foods is Mark 7:15. In this verse Jesus tells the Pharisees it isn't what goes into a man but what comes out of a man that defiles him. But is this verse actually giving us permission to eat whatever we want?

Mark 7:15/Matthew 15:11

There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. Mark 7:15 KJV

Introduction

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It's not what goes into our mouth that defiles us, but that which comes out of us. This is the go-to explanation for why we can eat whatever we want as Christians. It makes sense if you don't think about it too long, but when I stopped to ponder it for a minute, it wasn't what it seemed.

Permission to Eat Anything?

To argue that this gives us permission to eat unclean flesh, you have to interpret Mark 7:15 to mean we can ingest anything. After all Jesus is saying nothing external to us can enter and defile us. Can you drink bleach? How about tar? No? Certainly Jesus didn't mean we could just go off eat any and everything we see. Paul reaffirms this in 1 Corinthians 10:23.

Let's think about this. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, what actually happened? Did they die right then? Did it bar them from enteral life? Did they become defiled? Adam and Eve suffered, but it wasn't the fruit's fault. Adam and Eve weren't punished because the fruit was bad, but because they chose to eat the fruit. Remember, the action of eating the fruit didn't start with the fruit, it started inside Adam and Eve, in their mind. Their disobedience to God is what defiled them and caused problems.

Putting it in Context

In the previous section, when I asked if you could drink bleach or tar, you may have rolled your eyes at me and thought I was out of line making such a comparison. After all, who would eat something that isn't even food? That's dumb, right? If you stayed the night at my house and I said feel free to eat anything you find in the house, you would automatically restrict that to that which you consider edible, right? You wouldn't attempt to eat my couch or cleaning supplies. Similarly, when Jesus spoke to His audience in Mark 7, they probably would have assumed Jesus was referring to things designed to enter the body. Unclean foods were never designed to enter the body. The Jews (which includes Jesus), would not have considered unclean flesh to be something to eat!

If we read the verses leading up to that passage, we see that the squabble was over Jesus allowing the disciples to eat bread without washing their hands. There are no unclean foods in the passage.

The Pharisees claimed the disciples had defiled themselves by eating clean food before washing up. Jesus chastises the Pharisees for following man made laws (washing of hands before eating) and not believing in their hearts. They followed the details of the law, but never made a relationship with God and had weak faith. This is the very definition of legalism. To make the situation even clearer, Jesus explains that whatever the people eat, it will eventually pass through the body and disappear. However, the evil thoughts in their hearts would stay within them; that is what defiles them.

We have to remember that while Jesus' comments hold truths for us today, He was talking to a specific group of people. Jesus was essentially telling the Pharisees that they were worried about something as trivial as washing your hands before eating bread, meanwhile they were rotting on the inside with unclean thoughts and desires. Matthew 23:24-25 expounds on this. The Pharisees were concerned with the pots and pans they put the food in and making sure a fly wasn't in the water, but they would eat a camel (unclean) and take part in shady dealings. Jesus was calling them out for sweating the small stuff when they needed to be looking inward.

Matthew 15

Matthew 15 provides another reference for this encounter. As we continue through to the end of Jesus' explanation, He summarizes His point at the urging of the disciples. In this He specifies that He is permitting the eating of food with unwashed hands. Jesus' critique was not about clean and unclean food but about the tradition—made up by man—of washing up before eating foods already declared clean!

These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.Matthew 15:20 KJV

Proof of Understanding

When Jesus has this conversation, there are two groups present, the Pharisees and the disciples. The Pharisees were always at odds with Jesus, but the disciples spread and followed His teachings. This means, if the disciples understood Mark 7:15 to mean they were free to eat anything, that is what they would have taught.

However, in Acts 10, some time after Jesus' crucifixion, we find Peter appalled that God would command him to eat an unclean animal. Yet, Peter is the one who asks for more clarity in Matthew 15:15. Peter vehemently denies ever eating anything unclean. Clearly, Peter didn't think Jesus had given them permission to eat unclean food when He told them it was the stuff within that defiles men.

Up Next: Acts 10

It's only natural that since we brought up Acts 10 we talk about that next. In the next post, I'll discus God commanding Peter to kill and eat unclean animals.

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