God’s Diet

God’s Diet

By these instructions you will know what is unclean and clean, and which animals may be eaten and which may not be eaten. Leviticus 11:47

Recently, a flood of diet cookbooks have suggested the health benefits of returning to the Levitical dietary laws. My wife, Karen, is a registered dietician and is familiar with many of these books.

From a religious standpoint, one of the reasons the Israelites were given dietary laws was to set them apart from the surrounding nations. God wanted them to be known as a holy people. What better way to distinguish them than by what they ate or didn’t eat?

There may have been good dietary reasons to follow the laws as well. During that time in history, many of the restricted foods had significant health risks associated with them. For example, pork carried trichinosis, a parasitic disease caused by the roundworm Trichinella spiralis. If the larvae are eaten in undercooked pork, humans can be infected with roundworms. Usually, the disease is self-limited and has flu-like symptoms. However, it can affect the heart and lungs and be fatal in patients with a compromised immune system.

Likewise, seafood restrictions can be traced to other toxins and infections found in certain kinds of fish.

We no longer worry about these dangers because our cooking practices have changed. We use thermometers to test the temperature of meat to make sure it is thoroughly cooked. In those rare instances where a food makes us sick, we often have medications available for treatment. The Israelites didn’t have any of these resources.

Just because some things have changed doesn’t mean we should ignore the Bible’s dietary advice. Most of us would be better off if we ate the way Adam and Eve ate in the Garden of Eden—where all their food was grown for them.

When I read the Levitical dietary laws, I see them as a promise from God to his people that he will care for his children if they will follow his laws. The Lord ensured the safety of the Israelites even when they did not have the technology or knowledge to know of the dangers that lurked on their plates. To me, this is a promise that God will continue to care for us—even in our ignorance or lack of resources.

TODAY’S RX

God puts a protective barrier around his children. Respect that barrier to live a healthy life.

Lord, thank you for providing for my most basic needs and for protecting my body from toxins and parasites. Your perfect law keeps me from harm. Thank you for your gentle guidance and direction.