Food Through the Ages
By Bob Maffit
Recently I was asked what the Bible says about food, what we should and should not eat.
Usually I go to our website or to one of our books to find the answer to such questions, but
lo and behold, there was not one that covered this subject, so I decided to write one.
Don’t you just love to eat? Aren’t you glad that God came up with the idea of FOOD?, It is
what sustains man’s life, and He has much to say about it in His Word. What God says man
can and should eat has changed throughout the administrations in Scripture. If you know
little or nothing about the administrations in Scripture, we recommend our DVD class, The
End Times, which covers the topic extensively. Let us start where food is first mentioned in
the Bible.
Genesis 1:29 and 30
29 Then God said, “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. 30 And to all
the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on
the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for
food.” And it was so.
In the Original Paradise (the first administration), God gave the man and the woman every
seed-bearing plant, like corn and beans, and every tree that has fruit with seed in it, like:
apples, pears, peaches, plums, oranges, etc. Notice that the man and the woman never
asked for the A-1 steak sauce®! Neither did any animals that now eat meat. Lions and tigers
and bears ate every green plant, Oh my! That’s how it was until after the Flood, which
means there were no carnivores on Noah’s Ark. Notice the change God implemented in the
following verses:
Genesis 9:1–4
1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in
number and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of
the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the
ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything
that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now
give you everything. 4 “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.
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This was a major change! First for the animals that had come so freely to Noah to be
loaded on the Ark, who from then on will be full of fear and dread of man, which they
did not have before. Furthermore, God said that everything that lives and moves will be
food for mankind, and everything means everything. But, as per verse 4, God told them
to drain the blood out of the meat before eating it. These directives remained in effect
throughout the third administration [Civil Government] and all the way to the fourth
[the Law], which is where we are going next.
In the Mosaic Law God drew a distinction between clean and unclean animals, and He was
very specific about what Israel could and could not eat. I will insert my comments about
Leviticus 11 in brackets throughout the chapter, as follows:
Leviticus 11:1–47
1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Of all the animals that
live on land, these are the ones you may eat: 3 You may eat any animal that has a
split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud. 4 “‘There are some that
only chew the cud or only have a split hoof, but you must not eat them. The
camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is ceremonially
unclean for you. 5 The coney, [hyrax or rock badger] though it chews the cud, does
not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. 6 The rabbit, though it chews the cud,
does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. 7 And the pig, though it has a split
hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you [Bummer! no
HoneyBaked® hams For Moses, or bacon for Joshua’s breakfast]. 8 You must not eat
their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you. 9 “‘Of all the
creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that
have fins and scales [so fried catfish was out]. 10 But all creatures in the seas or
streams that do not have fins and scales—whether among all the swarming
things or among all the other living creatures in the water—you are to detest
[there go shrimp cocktails and lobster bisque]. 11 And since you are to detest
them, you must not eat their meat and you must detest their carcasses.
12 Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be
detestable to you. 13 “‘These are the birds you are to detest and not eat because
they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 14 the red kite, any
kind of black kite, 15 any kind of raven, 16 the horned owl, the screech owl, the
gull, any kind of hawk, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18 the white
owl, the desert owl, the osprey, 19 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and
the bat. [The precise identification of some of the birds, insects and animals in this
chapter is uncertain] 20 “‘All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be
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detestable to you. 21 There are, however, some winged creatures that walk on all
fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground.
22 Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper.
23 But all other winged creatures that have four legs you are to detest. …[there
is much about clean and unclean in verses 24–40, and it would be very good for you
to read, but I am leaving out of this article, as it has little about what to eat or not to
eat]…41 “‘Every creature that moves about on the ground is detestable; it is not
to be eaten. 42 You are not to eat any creature that moves about on the ground,
whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet; it is
detestable. 43 Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make
yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them. 44 I am the LORD
your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make
yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. 45 I am the
LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I
am holy. 46 “‘These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living
thing that moves in the water and every creature that moves about on the
ground. 47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between
living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.’”
There are a few finer points regarding food throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, but these
are the true basics according to the Levitical Law. Of course the Church is not Israel, and
these rules do not apply to Christians per se, BUT the reason God told the Israelites what to
eat and not eat was because His goal was to preserve the bloodline from which the Messiah
would come. Given that (a) our bodies are exactly like their bodies were, and (b) God wants
to preserve us Christians so we each can spread the Word as long as possible, it makes
sense to do our best to eat according to the “menu” God gave His people back in the day.
For the record, that menu did not include white sugar or processed “food.” Today, all food
is “clean” only in the sense that there is no prohibition by God for us not to eat it, as there
was for Israel. Even a little research shows that today many things like soda pop, candy, fast
food, etc., etc. are very unhealthy to consume. In that vein, here’s an interesting record:
Acts 10:9–16
9 About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the
city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something
to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven
opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners.
12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and
birds of the air. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 14 “Surely not,
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Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 15 The voice
spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.
The main point of what the Lord was showing Peter is that the Gentiles were not unclean in
God’s sight, and that He loved them just as much as He did the Jews, and wanted them
saved also. To make that point, the Lord used the metaphor of food previously forbidden
for the Jews now being all right for them to eat.
In Romans 14 [at this point I recommend our Romans Seminar], the Lord gives Paul more
revelation about food. These instructions are in the context of how Christians should get
along with one another and not allow matters of opinion to separate them. Remember that
there was also a cultural context for these directives, which was the fervor the Jews had
about keeping their dietary laws, and that this was not something they easily let go of.
Romans 14:2 and 3
2 One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is
weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The man who eats everything must not look down on
him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the
man who does, for God has accepted him.
Sounds like if you eat everything, it is okay, because God accepts you, but do not look down
on those who do not, and vice versa.
Romans 14:15
If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in
love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.
What this is about is walking in love [see Many Meanings in Agape/Agapao]. If I am
eating foods, in front of you that you do not think I should eat, I am not walking in love. We
do not want to cause our brothers problems. Look at this:
Romans 14:20 and 21
20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is
wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It is better
not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to
fall.
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Hey, if I am going out to eat with a new believer, I always let him order first so I do not
upset him by what I eat. The simplest thing may cause a brother to fall, and if we hold the
Bible as our standard for faith and practice, then love is where we live, even if I wanted a
steak. If I do not know you well, I will eat what you have, so as to not cause you to stumble
in your faith. It is a love thing!
There are still three more administrations to come: Tribulation, Paradise (Christ’s
Millennial Kingdom), and the Everlasting Kingdom. During the Tribulation and the
Millennial Kingdom, there will again be a Jew/Gentile economy, and it appears that the
Mosaic Law will again be in force, including the dietary laws in Leviticus. Time will tell.
During the eighth and final administration, things will be as God wanted them in the
beginning. WOW, I can hardly wait to see a lion eat straw.
Isaiah 11:6–8
6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the
calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion
will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and
the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.
Isaiah 65:25
The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
but dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my
holy mountain,” says the LORD.
Today, you and I as Christians can eat what we want, but it is the where and when, by
walking in LOVE, that separates us from the rest of the world. Now that is living right!
The Living Truth Fellowship • 7399 N. Shadeland Ave., Suite 252 • Indianapolis, Indiana 46250
Email: [email protected] • Phone: 317-721-4046 • www.thelivingtruthfellowship.org