You shall not eat any detestable thing. (Deuteronomy 14:3)
As Moses moves onto different issues pertaining to those who are the children of God, it is interesting — maybe even a bid odd — that he addresses what and what not to eat. For several verses, he reiterates what is first laid out in Leviticus as to what constitutes food for God’s people and what does not. All of the details are there to read for anyone who wishes to, but the principle is summed up in the statement above — “You shall not eat any detestable thing.”
It is very interesting that man’s fall came about because he decided to eat something that God said was not to be considered as food. In fact, He declared that, “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). It’s hard to see how any one could read any ambiguity into this statement — He really meant, “Don’t eat it.” Perhaps because He knew it was detestable, meaning it was not good for man physically and, as it turns out, spiritually. Frankly, the two are connected which is why I feel He makes such a big deal about what to eat and what not to eat — He knows that food is one of the more intimate issues of life.
I realize that there are those who live to eat and then there are those who eat to live (you can decide here which of the two you are). Regardless of which one you happen to be, the fact remains that each of us must, at times, suppress our physical appetite if we wish to live abundant and healthy lives. If that is true with physical food, then I would argue it is even more true when it comes to ingesting spiritual food — and by that I mean, who we allow to speak and what we allow to be spoken into our lives. In other words, certain ideologies and philosophies are far more deadly than a pork chop.
Not everything that appeals to our appetite is healthy, in fact, in some cases, it might be detestable. Likewise, not everything that appeals to our senses is good for us — it might be deadly. So then, it is important to understand what God says is clean, pure and holy before we allow it into our lives. Thus is the daily challenge to all who are His children.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
Recent Comments