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Healthy Food Bible Study

Many people are concerned with their health which is a good thing. But why should we believe the latest report that this or that food is good or bad for us when we can go to God's Word and get the truth about what we should eat. God made us and everything else on the earth so I think that God knows best when it comes to our health. What was good then is still good now and the same goes for what is bad to eat. The only person we need to tell us what to eat is God. Leviticus chapter 11 and Deuteronomy 14:1-21 gives us a list of good and bad food and I'm going to list some of them here in this Bible study.

One of the things God tells us to do that will help us have a healthier life is, don't eat fat.

Leviticus 3:16-17
V16 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar: it is the food of the offering made by fire for a sweet savour: all the fat is the LORD's.
V17 It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.

Leviticus 7:23-24
V23 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat.
V24 And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it.

Israel is made up of the twelve sons of Jacob (Genesis 49:1-28) of which many today live in Europe and North America.

Ok now that we know to stay away from fat, let's look at what foods are good to eat and which ones we should not eat.

Animals that are clean and ok to eat

Animals that part the hoof, cloven footed and chews cud:

Cow - Deer - Lamb - Caribou - Buffalo - Elk - Goat - Moose

Fish that have fins and scales:

Bass - Bluefish - Crappie - Perch - Pike - Salmon - Sunfish - Trout

Birds that are clean:

Chicken - Turkey - Pheasant - Grouse - Quail

Clean creeping animals:

Locusts - Cricket - Grasshopper

Animals that are not clean to eat

Animals that do not do all of these: part the hoof, cloven footed and chews cud:

Pig (pork) - Rabbit - Raccoon - Squirrel - Monkey - Dog - Coyote - Fox - Wolf - Lion - Tiger - Horse - Mule - Zebra - Bear - Camel - Elephant - Llama - Hippo - Kangaroo

Water animals that do not have fins and scales:

Catfish - Eel - Marlin - Shark - Abalone - Clam - Crab - Crayfish - Lobster - Oyster - Shrimp - Jellyfish - Squid - Dolphin - Seal - Whale

Unclean Birds:

Bat - Eagle - Osprey - Raven - Duck - Swan -Vulture

Unclean creeping animals:

Frog - Toad - Crocodile - Lizard - Snake - Turtle - Salamander - Newt - Snail

Now you maybe wondering if eating only clean foods will be a benefit to you. For the answer to that, lets go to the book of Daniel.

Daniel 1:1-16

V1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
V2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god.

Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon and at this time he did not worship God or follow His laws. He was an idol worshiper.

V3 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes;
V4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

Nebuchadnezzar wanted the wisdom that the children of Israel had so he had some of them gathered up.

V5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.

The king treated these people very well. They got to eat of the very same food and drink that he did. The only problem with that was that he did not follow God's health laws and as it said in verse 2 he worshiped another god.

V6 Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
V7 Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.

Later in this book God gives two wonderful examples on how He can deliver His children from evil. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace in chapter 3 and Daniel from the lions den in chapter 6.

V8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

Daniel did worship the one and only true God and he also followed His laws. Daniel thought about the kings food and knowing the king worshiped idols and did not follow God or His laws, decided not to eat it.

V9 Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.

Daniel chastened himself before God and followed His laws (Daniel 10:11-12) so God loved him very much and was very pleased with him. If we do that, God will bring us into favour with the people over us.

V10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.

The prince of the eunuchs fears that if Daniel and his friends do not eat the kings food then they will look thin and the king would kill him.

V11 Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
V12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.

Pulse is vegetable food. Daniel is not doing this because he is a vegetarian but to avoid eating the king's idol tainted and unclean meat.

V13 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.
V14 So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.

Daniel is telling him to compare how he and his friends who don't eat the king's meat look to the ones that do. Daniel already knew what the out come would be, that they look better than the others.

V15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat.
V16 Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse.

In only ten days Daniel and his friends looked better than the others that did eat the king's meat. So we learn that following God's health laws will have a positive affect on how we look and also how we feel. God wrote His laws for our benefit and when His children follow them, He blesses them.

If you stop eating these unclean foods, you also need to be careful on how the clean foods you do eat is prepared. Let's take pork for example. Even if you eat a clean food such as a hamburger made from cow, if pork was cooked in the same pan you will get sick. Don't cook clean foods and unclean foods together. Some fast food restaurants come to mind here. They serve pork and hamburgers that are cook together. Even if they are not cooked at the same time, their is still bound to be a little grease from the pork left that the hamburger will get cooked in. What was once a clean food has become unclean from the pork and will make you sick. If you do stop eating unclean foods you should also stop eating at places that serve unclean foods. You maybe asking is it even worth changing my diet? Well, if you want to live a healthier life it is. When we eat only the foods that God said are good, we will not get sick as much, we will look and feel better and are chance of getting cancer will go way down.

posted 2-13-99