What To Eat.... Keep Our Temples Healthy

Leviticus 11:46 - 47 -‘This is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.’”

One of the first tests of obedience God gave the Children of Israel was a list of living animals that could not be eaten. God gave them quite the list of things that were considered unclean. He said that eating these things would defile them…and make them unclean. If they even came into contact with any of them they had to wash and separate themselves until evening. Eating one of them could cause death.

Today…one must consider whether these rules are still in play.  If you read Acts 10…God told Peter that everything he made was now considered good. But research is showing that many of the animals on God’s no eat list could have dangerous consequences and make our body unhealthy in the long run. If we consider 1 Corinthians 6:19…we are living in God’s holy temple…and need to keep it as healthy as possible.

Personally…that means I must do my part to keep my diabetes in check so my eyes and kidneys can work their best.  I also have to be careful so that my blood pressure and cholesterol don’t cause my body to go into a stroke or heart attack. It would be different if God had not revealed these conditions to me…but since he did…it is my responsibility to eat healthy….which means salt … sugar ...and fatty foods are limited in my diet.

I think there is a deeper meaning here than just whether to eat or not eat all things.  Matthew Henry pointed out that this test of their obedience helped to keep them distinct…help teach them the value of holiness…and how contact with something unclean could defile their faith. It was all about keeping God first…and showing him you understood that to be holy…you had to obey all his rules.

It is just another reminder to me that my faith is strengthened when I am obedient. God still wants me to be distinct from those that do not believe. He still wants me to value the power of his holiness.  He wants me to realize that many things I will come into contact with in this earth are not of him and will weaken who he wants me to be.

Father…thank you for the reminder that my body is a temple where you live.  Forgive me for the times that I don’t care properly for your residence…and damage it with my choices.  Help me to think of the deeper meaning of how I care for my body and the way caring for it properly could deepen my relationship to you and teach me more about how to be holy like you.  Amen.