Judah was taken away to Babylon to live in captivity. The Babylonians only took the best of the people; the weak and poor were left behind. Young men of intelligence and of strength were set aside and sent for special training for service in the king’s court. They had to be young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning. Among the young men taken, were four youths named Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. They were probably just teenagers when they entered this special preparation for the King’s service. The program was three years of intense training in body and in intellect. All of the young men were required to eat a special diet, food from the Kings table and abide by a daily regiment. They were taught the language and the culture of the Babylonians. The chief of the King’s officers changed the names of the four youths. Daniel became Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
Now the King was a typical Gentile who ate anything that his heart desired; foods that were forbidden by the LORD for any Israelite to eat. The LORD had given Israel a code of clean and unclean meats. The latter part of this study will discuss “Clean and Unclean.”
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah refused the King’s food and asked for a diet of vegetables and water. The King’s Chief Servant was afraid that if he allowed them to eat just vegetables and water, they would become unhealthy. Daniel insisted on being given a chance to prove his diet from the LORD to be healthy. All of the meat, even if it had been from an animal they could eat, would not have been slaughtered properly, according to Levitical Laws of Moses and it would have been sacrificed to idols first. So they asked to abstain from all meats. The Chief Servant tested them for ten days, giving them only vegetables and water. After ten days, they were healthier and stronger than the rest. The Chief Servant then took away their “choice food,” and gave them only vegetables and water.
TRAINING IN CAPTIVITY FOR THE KING
Daniel 1:1-10 ESV In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. (2) And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. (3) Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the nobility, (4) youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. (5) The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. (6) Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. (7) And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego. (8) But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. (9) And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, (10) and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, "I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king."
TESTED AND PROVEN
Daniel 1:11-16 ESV Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, (12) "Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. (13) Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see." (14) So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. (15) At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. (16) So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
We have gotten very accustom to eating processed food in our American culture; and the world is following America’s lead. Our fast food of High Saturated Fats, Fibreless Carbohydrates, Artificial Additives and Tons of Sugar along with Mega consumption of Soda Pop, Beer, Wine and Liquor; has left America Fat and plagued with Heart Disease, Diabetes and Cancer. Many young people have blown out their stomachs and colons. We are consuming death with every meal. This; along with our sedentary lifestyles are robbing quality and longevity of life. Our freedom to do what we want is killing us when it comes to the foods we eat.
CLEAN AND UNCLEAN FOODS (MEAT, SEAFOOD, POULTRY& INSECTS)
The laws of clean and unclean meats were laws that the church of my birth did keep. For the first 33 years of my life, I never deviated from them. They were the laws of clean and unclean meats as defined by Levitical Law, given by God through Moses. While following these laws, God blessed me with radiant health. Only animals that had a cloven or parted hoof AND chewed its cud could be eaten. Bovine or beef are cattle that have a cloven hoof and chew their cud. If you go to a farm and watch cows, they are always chewing. They have a multi-chambered stomach that allows then to chew, swallow into the first chamber and return it to their mouth to chew some more. Therefore beef is a clean meat. The pig has a cloven hoof but does not chew its cud, therefore pork is unclean. According to the WORD of the LORD in Leviticus the following were clean and unclean for food:
Clean meats good for food: Unclean meats not good for food:
Beef Pork
Veal Bear
Venison Dog & Cat
Lamb Horse, pony, donkey and camel
Mutton Rabbit
Moose Squirrel
Elk Possum
Gazelle Raccoon
Deer All rodents
Grazing animals Non-Grazing animals
Leviticus 11:1-3 ESV and the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, (2) “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, these are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. (3) Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.
Furthermore, anything taken from the waters of seas, oceans, rivers and lakes, had to have fins and scales. That made unclean; and eliminated all crustaceans and invertebrates along with many other predator fish and sea mammals, making filleted fish with fins and scales clean. The following lists detail such:
Clean seafood good for food: Unclean seafood not good for food:
Trout Shrimp, Crab & Lobster
Perch Squid & Octopus
Bass Crayfish (crawdads)
Walleye Clams
Northern Mussels
Bluegill Oysters
Crappie Scallops
Pollack Shark
Clean seafood good for food: Unclean seafood not good for food:
Cod Whale
Haddock Catfish
Flounder Bullhead
Sole Jellyfish
Red snapper Sea Urchin
And all with Fins and Scales and all without Fins and Scales
Leviticus 11:9-10 ESV These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat. (10) But anything in the seas or the rivers that has not fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is detestable to you.
Clean poultry good for food: Unclean poultry not good for food:
Chicken Eagle
Duck Raven
Goose Hawk
Pheasant Crow
Quail Vulture
Partridge Ostrich (also Emus)
Guinea Fowl Bat (flying rodent)
Non prey and non carrion birds Birds of prey and carrion
Leviticus 11:13-19 ESV And these you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten; they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, (14) the kite, the falcon of any kind, (15) every raven of any kind, (16) the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk of any kind, (17) the little owl, the cormorant, the short-eared owl, (18) the barn owl, the tawny owl, the carrion vulture, (19) the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
Insects were not meant to be eaten unless they had legs that were jointed above their feet and that hopped on the ground. This included grasshoppers and crickets. A friend of mine, when we were teenagers, caught a handful of crickets and fried them, he said they tasted like burnt popcorn. Not being there and not tasting them myself, we have to just accept his critique.
Clean insects good for food: Unclean insects not good for food:
Grasshoppers Maggots
Locust Worms
Crickets Beetles
Leviticus 11:20-22 ESV All winged insects that go on all fours are detestable to you. (21) Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to hop on the ground. (22) Of them you may eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind.
In addition to all of the above, the following are also unclean: Snakes, eels, scorpions, spiders, rats, mice, moles, turtles and all lizards.
God gave these laws to Israel, they were not necessarily based on health, but were ceremonially defined clean and unclean. However, pork has had a precarious history along with bear in regard to trichinosis worms. Many people are allergic to shrimp, lobster, calms and oysters (basically non fillet seafood). Doctors often remove these foods from patients with severe health problems.
After the flood (long before Israel) God said that every things that lives is food. Basically, no flesh animal will harm you to eat, health-wise. But when God called Israel, He gave them ceremonial laws to set them apart.
TO NOAH AFTER THE FLOOD
Genesis 9:3-4 ESV Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. (4) But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.
TO PETER AS THE GOSPEL WENT TO THE GENTILES
God told Peter that nothing was unclean or common and commanded him to kill and eat. No longer was the Church to call anything unclean. This was meant for not only food, but people. The Gentiles (non Jews) were considered unclean according to Jewish law. No Jew could associate with, touch or even talk to a gentile. It was strictly forbidden to allow a gentile into one’s home. It was also forbidden to enter a Gentile home; a Jew doing so would be unclean and not allowed to enter the temple. With this new revelation to Peter from God, nothing and nobody were to be considered unclean and avoided.
Acts 10:11-16 KJV And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: (12) Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. (13) And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. (14) But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. (15) And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. (16) This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.’
COUNCIL AT JERUSALEM
The issue of clean and unclean came to a heated argument with the issue of circumcision which was required of every Jew; but the Gentiles didn’t practice this custom. Gentile convert men were not quick to embrace this painful procedure which was usually done on infants; on the eighth day.
ONLY FOUR JEWISH REQUIREMENTS FOR GENTILE CONVERTS
Acts 15:4-6 KJV And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. (5) But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses. (6) And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
Acts 15:19-20 KJV Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: (20) But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
Acts 15:28-29 KJV For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; (29) That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
ALL CHRISTIANS ARE TO AVOID & ABSTAIN FROM THESE FOUR THINGS:
1. MEATS OFFERED TO IDOLS (Not an issue in our culture)
2. EATING BLOOD (Is still eaten by some, blood sauge and blood soup)
3. MEAT THAT HAS BEEN STRANGLED (slaughtering practices are out of our control)
4. FORNICATION (This sin defines America and much of the world today)
THEREFORE, A CHRISTIAN IS A PERSON WHO HAS REPENTED, BEEN BAPTIZED IN JESUS NAME, RECEIVED THE HOLY GHOST AND LIVES IN THE HOLINESS OF FLEEING FORNICATION AND ALL OF THE TRAPINGS OF FORNICATION; THE THINGS THAT LEAD TO FORNICATION; SUCH AS, WORLDY AMUSEMENTS (PROFANE, VULGAR, PROVACATIVE & IMMODEST) AND ATTIRE OF THE SAME (PROFANE, VULGAR, PROVACATIVE & IMMODEST).
FORNICATION COMPLICATES WITH A CURSE
In 2000, my wife of 20 years wanted to be free from our marriage to pursue a new life (in sexual freedom). I had tried for three years to keep her married to me; but it became futile to try to keep her married when she no longer wanted to be married to me. We divorced. The church of my birth had self destructed seven years earlier. The two hallmarks of my life were obliterated; CHURCH & MY MARRIAGE. Having been virgins on our wedding night, I never “sowed my wild oats.” Being confronted with dating after 20 years of marriage was a shock. Trying to find a wife in a venue of free sex was a temptation that I foolishly fell into. My life became cursed for my sexual sin, my fornication. For ten years I tried to find a wife my way and had a number of short, “long term relationships” without marriage.
Only after repenting and putting it all into God’s hands, did my life turn around. I vowed not to be intimate with anyone without marriage. I began praying this prayer everyday; “Father, from the beginning you never wanted us to be alone. Let your will be manifest in my life. Bring a help mate, a wife, to me of your choosing. Let that person be a blessing from heaven and not a curse of my own will.”
Six months later, God sent me a wife and we were married on October 23, 2010. The very first girl I ever kissed, a girl from my freshman year in high school, came back into my life, after 35 years. Our marriage is awesome. We are truly being blessed for doing it God’s way!
Prayer: Father in Heaven, thank you for your WORD that is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Help us to never compromise, but stand up for our belief, just as Daniel and his friends did. Lead us to what you are blessing, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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