Written and Compiled
by
Keith Hunt
VEGETATION LAWS
Most people who observe clean and unclean food laws as they
find them in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, are often quite shocked
to hear from someone like me that God also has a basic VEGETATION
Law.
Yes, true to the way God has written His word, not ALL
things on ALL subject in the Bible are in ONE PLACE....it is
indeed, a little here and a little there.
Interesting are the arguments of those who do not believe in
clean and unclean meats for the Christian today. They argue that
no specific laws as Lev.11 and Deut. 14 can be found in Genesis,
hence for them such food meat laws did not exist before Moses, so
they then do not have to exist today. Then, those who think there
is no vegetation food law, say God did not say anything about
vegetation laws in Leviticus or Deuteronomy, hence they do not
exist either.
Yes, interesting, put both arguments TOGETHER and there is
NO FOOD LAWS PERIOD for the Christian today....just eat whatever
takes your fancy...from MOSS and MUSHROOMS to SNAILS and
chocolate covered ANTS to CATERPILLARS, I guess.
God's VEGETATION law is given right up front, immediately
given to Adam and Eve:
"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb BEARING
SEED, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in
which is the FRUIT of a tree YIELDING SEED; to you it shall be
for meat (food)....I have given every GREEN herb for meat (food)"
(Gen. 1:29-30).
Thus NUTS, FRUITS, GRAINS, VEGETABLES are for food. They are
all GREEN at one time or another in their development and all
have SEEDS.
The American Heritage Dictionary states: "The ripened ovary
or ovaries of a seed- bearing plant, together with accessory
parts...."
Many VEGETABLES would also be included in this definition.
BUT.....the MUSHROOM (and others) is a FUNGUS and reproduces
not by seeds but by "spores." It has no leaves, flowers, or green
color at any time, nor does it have SEEDS!
Now, some "religious" people will here try to claim that all
are seeds, just different types of seeds, or something to that
effect (like some scientists claim all fish have scales,
just large or minute, as we will see in the study under
"Mackerel"). But the NONE RELIGIOUS, no axe to grind scientists
of BOTANY (the study of the physiology, structure, genetics,
ecology, distribution, and classification of plants - Oxford
Canadian Dictionary), will clearly tell you, as does the book
"ABC of Nature" that there is a large DIFFERENCE between SEEDS
and "spores" - they are just not classified as being in the same
group together. If this was so, then God had no need to stipulate
to Adam and Eve anything about "green" and "seeds." There would
have been no need at all for God to have said ANYTHING at all. He
would just have needed to tell the first humans what vegetation
was poisonous, and write nothing as He did in Genesis
1: 29-30.
Genesis was written (as most scholars agree) by the hand of
Moses. If there was NO food law of vegetation, if there had NEVER
been one, then God would have by the time of Moses, needed to
have said NOTHING on the matter. Mankind by Moses' time had
surely come to know what vegetation was poisonous, and would have
passed that information on down from generation to generation,
and the poisonous plants would have been well documented, if
mankind was not to die from eating them.
But God DID have Moses write a basic law about vegetation
for food. That law is stated in Genesis 1: 29-30.
The MUSHROOM is a FUNGUS, and it is never green, nor does it
bear seeds. Here is something interesting from the book "HOW TO
STAY ALIVE IN THE WOODS" by Bradford Angier, page 34, where we
read:
"....one should avoid whenever possible turning to mushrooms
for emergency food. Mushrooms have very little general food
value. If you are not already an expert, the incurred risks will
be far out of proportion to the possible gain. No single
practical test is recognized, unfortunately, by which all
poisonous mushrooms can be detected."
As Harold Hemeway points out: "Mushrooms, and any other
fungi for that matter, obtain their food, not by photosynthesis,
but from other organic material, like manure and dead leaves and
carcasses. In his article 'Dietary Carcinogens and
Anticarcinogens' Bruce N. Ames states that 'Most hydrazines that
have been tested are carcinogens and mutagens, and large amounts
of carcinogenic hydrazines are present in edible mushrooms.' "
(Are the Food Laws Scientific? pages 3,4).
I will now quote from "BIBLICAL INSTRUCTIONS ON THE RIGHT
DIET" by P. Bennett (all capital letter words for emphasis
throughout these studies are from the author quoted or from
myself):
"There has been much debate concerning the legitimacy
of excluding the mushroom from our diet. Those in favor of
mushrooms point out that nowhere in the Levitical Law is there
any suggestion that they are banned. Invariably they will
emphasize the nutritional value of the mushroom, in that it has a
high protein content (so....big deal, I see TV ads all the time
telling us what 'good stuff' is contained in 'pork meat' - high
in this and that vitamin and protein, and that we would do well
to have pork in our diet - Keith Hunt). Both points can be
admitted, without affecting the argument against eating them. To
go one step further, if we consult a concordance, we will find
that nowhere in the Word of God are mushrooms, or even fungi,
mentioned. So, if we rely on a positive translation of the Bible
(i.e. does the Bible specifically say 'thou shalt not eat
mushrooms'), one could reasonably think that they were allowed
(hummm, yes, and the Bible does not say, 'thou shalt not smoke
the leaves that make tobacco - Keith Hunt).
Such an approach may well explain why the orthodox Jews
consider them fit and proper (and we shall later see that the
orthodox Jews consider some "fat" to be okay, when God speaks
against eating fat - Keith Hunt).
To understand the argument against the eating of mushrooms,
we must turn to the very beginning of our Bible. In Genesis
chapter 1 is the account of creation.....Then in verse 29 and 30,
God tells man what he and other creatures may eat......
When we look again at the sequence of creation, we find the
grass, herbs and fruit bearing trees were created before the
animals. God in His wisdom ensured that there would be food for
them from the moment of their creation......
Please note that the plant life given to man as meat was
(1). GREEN and (2). SEED BEARING. In order to appreciate the
significance of these two factors we need to look briefly at the
biology of plants, and the way they live and reproduce.
Plants are green because their leaves contain chlorophyll.
During the day-time the sun's rays pass through the leaf. At the
same time carbon dioxide is absorbed into the leaf, and water is
absorbed into the plant via its roots. The chlorophyll converts
the sunlight into energy, which the plant uses to change the
water and carbon dioxide to carbohydrates (i.e. sugar and
starches). This process is known as photosynthesis.
Flowers are essential to the production of seeds. Some
flowers are bright and colorful, and are grown to decorate our
homes and gardens. Other plants have flowers that are so small
and insignificant, that we rarely notice them. Each flower
contains stamens, and ovaries. At the end of each stamen is an
anther which contains pollen. In order for a seed to be produced,
it is necessary for the ovary to be fertilised by the pollen.
In plants, as in animals, in order to produce, there must be a
union of male and female.
When we look closely at the biology of fungi, we discover
two remarkable facts.
Firstly, for all their brilliant colors, fungi do not
contain chlorophyll. They do not obtain the carbohydrates they
need from the air through photosynthesis. Fungi, such as
mushrooms, must obtain their carbonaceous food from other organic
material. Hence the reason why we find them growing on compost
heaps and decaying vegetable and animal material. To this extent
they are the scavengers of the plant world.
Secondly, fungi, including mushrooms, are asexual. There is
no need for male to fertilize female in order to produce. The
mushroom spawn spreads out in the soil, devouring all the food it
can find. When it has exhausted its food supply, it throws up the
mushroom with which we are familiar. Under the cap of the
mushroom are the gills. The cells on the outside layer if the
gills become enlarged, and form sacs. These sacs develop minute
stalks, on which the spores are formed. These spores are then
released into the wind and carried away. They fall onto the
ground and grow into a spawn, and the cycle of the mushroom
continues.
In conclusion then, we have seen that when God gave man
instructions on what vegetable matter he could eat, He stipulated
that it must be GREEN (i.e. rely on photosynthesis), and be seed
bearing (i.e. rely on fertilisation of female by male).
As fungi, which includes mushrooms, do not perform either
function, they cannot be included in the diet God gave us."
END of quote.
Someone is bound to bring up the subject of YEAST, which is
also a fungus, and yet leavened bread is permitted except for
during the 7 days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
First, let me state that on investigating yeast and bread I
discovered (by those writing the facts) that yeast does its job
of leavening in the bread but through the process of the heat it
is gone....it is out of there, vanished away!
Secondly, from the Bible, as Harold Hemeway as observed:
"....we are not told WHAT leavening agent was used to leaven
bread. Yeast is a word that cannot be found in the Bible. Other
leavening agents are "Creme of Tarter" - "Sodium Bicarbonate" -
"Phosphate" and "Alum" powders, and these are NOT fungi!
Then to be fair, God is not talking in Genesis 1:29-30 about
MICROSCOPIC yeast, but about VISIBLE HERBS and TREES" (Are the
Food Laws Scientific?).
Microscopic yeasts can float through the air, as does other
microscopic things not so good for you. Most, if not all of these
things are caught and are dealt with through the bodies natural
filtering system. Breathing in polluted air and microscopic dirt
particles, pollutants from car exhausts etc. etc. are by most
healthy people filtered by our wonderfully made bodies (as the
Psalmist said we are fearfully and wonderfully made).
God, in Genesis is talking about visible plants and trees
and giving a basic law to follow. Even then it is not a
comprehensive, in detail, law, for some green seed bearing
plants are poisonous.
As Harold Hemenway has stated:
".....we come to Genesis 9:3-4 which states, 'Every moving
thing that liveth shall be meat (food) for you; even AS THE GREEN
herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life
thereof, which is the BLOOD thereof, you shall not eat.'
Notice again the emphasis on GREEN photosynthesizing, herbs!
It should be added here that many POISONOUS plants are both GREEN
and SEED-BEARING (Deadly Nightshade, Foxglove, Sweet Pea, etc.)
so the rule isn't ALL-inclusive, just EXCLUSIVE......So when the
Bible generalizes by saying 'every herb bearing seed,' 'every
tree' 'all things' (9:3), it is of course speaking in a
particular context using a figure of speech known as a
'synecdoche' (all for part or part for all).....(Are The Food
Laws Scientific, pages 4,5).
Again, it really should be pretty simple, most people who
have ever grown a garden in their back yard, know what vegetables
as seeds to plant. They know what is GREEN and SEEDS and what
good basic vegetables are all about.....carrots, peas, broccoli,
cabbage, corn, potato, beans, cauliflower, onions, tomatoes etc.
The fruit trees are again well evident. God has given us so many
varieties of green seed-bearing vegetables and fruits, there
really is no need at all to wonder off into the world of "fungi."
I know of no one, no company, that collects MOSS from trees
or lakes and sells it to spread on your buttered bread, but
somehow people got into collecting and eating mushrooms, which if
you were doing it on your own, you would probably kill yourself
one day, by collecting and eating the poisonous mushroom.
BLOOD
Quoting again from "Are The Food Laws Scientific" by Harold
Hemenway:
"In addition to Genesis 9:4, the prohibition on BLOOD is
found in Lev. 3:7 also where it is called a 'perpetual statute.'
(See also Lev. 17:10-13 and 1 Sam. 14:32-33). Lev. 7:26-27
explains that this is a prohibition on 'any manner of BLOOD' of
'fowl' or 'beast.' The implication is that BLOOD of fish and
grasshoppers is not prohibited.
But why avoid blood at all? Deut. 12:25 answers, 'You shall
not eat it, THAT IT MAY GO WELL WITH THEE, AND WITH THY CHILDREN
AFTER THEE, when you shall do that which is right in the sight of
the Eternal.'
In order to better understand why EATING BLOOD causes things
to NOT go well, realize that one of the functions of BLOOD is to
TRANSPORT BODILY WASTES and POISONS to excretory ducts in the
body. Another well known medical fact is that INFECTIOUS diseases
can be transmitted to man by means of ingesting blood of
diseased animals (e.g. tuberculosis)! (and we have all heard
about contaminated blood in different countries that has given
rise to thousands contacting HIV, which can lead to full blown
AIDS - Keith Hunt).
In other words, BLOOD contains a concentrated amount of
disease, wastes, and poisons! (A fact not often published is the
truth of how many persons around the world die each year from
blood transfusions - it is very high indeed. If you are in a life
or death situation you may decide to go the route of a blood
transfusion. If you are unconscious you may get one
automatically. But if awake, then at least you should know the
risks, or you should know that it CAN be a risky undertaking.
Many today are having their own blood taken and stored, frozen,
just in case they ever need a blood transfusion. What God is
talking about in this law is eating blood or drinking blood as a
diet way of living. Many nations practiced eating blood as part
of their diet and/or their religion. I do not teach you should
never have a blood transfusion IF it is a matter of a life and
death situation - Keith Hunt).
The main reason to avoiding an animal which dies 'of itself'
(Lev. 17:15) is because the blood wasn't DRAINED OUT of the
animal (v.13). Of course another reason is that it may have died
of a disease. Animals 'torn with beasts' (v.15) should also be
avoided because the throat wasn't cut to allow the blood to
DRAIN.
In the U.K. a practice has been to stun animals with
electric shock before slaughter. This procedure also prevents the
blood from draining. Stunning with anesthesia is not acceptable
either.
John S. Fox, in his book 'TODAY, TOMORROW and the GREAT
BEYOND,' pages 353 to 354, says:
'The harmful presence of blood in killed meat has of recent
years been realized fully by modern scientists. It has been
found that in meat insufficiently bled, PUTREFACTION SETS IN
RAPIDLY, even though frozen; whereas meat which has been
adequately bled will keep for long period....Science also
shows that blood congeals in the flesh to such an extent
after death that no amount of boiling can properly remove
it.'
A person should avoid BLOOD PUDDING (also called BLOOD
SAUSAGE) which is made from swine's blood and suet and sold in
Germany and other nations (yes, growing up in England, blood
sausage was very popular with many people, and it seemed
to me as many people bought blood sausage as regular sausage -
Keith Hunt).
......Also a person should be careful to salt or roast even
drained meat to ensure that the BLOOD is extracted......
The 'Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics,' volume 2, page
716, mentions that 'when the fresh blood of victims is
drunk....The result is frequently seen in usual phenomena of
possession.' (This is probably why many pagan nations had blood
eating rites, it was all part of their demon or devil worship,
strange things taking place while worshipping these gods and
drinking animal or human blood - Keith Hunt).
The LAW forbidding BLOOD existed at least as early as the
time of Noah (Gen. 9:4), long before the Old Covenant was
ratified. Blood hasn't changed its chemical composition or
function at any time, so why should anyone think this prohibition
was repealed in the 'New Testament Era'? "
END of quote from Harold Hemenway
ANIMAL FAT
It is interesting to note the idea of not eating fat and
eating fat, as taught and practiced by even orthodox Jews.
P. Bennett writes:
"....when a Christian is brought to a recognition of the
necessity to keep all God's commandments, one of the first groups
of laws that will effect his daily life are those governing his
diet. A natural reaction is to purchase a Jewish cookery book and
take all the recipes from there. But would he be correct to eat
all the dishes described therein?
As a child, I was brought up to eat only permitted foods.
For many years now I have served in the areas of London populated
by orthodox Jews. Imagine my surprise to find that I could go
into London's leading Kosher restaurant and eat liver pate,
mackerel, mushrooms and other things that I had always believed
to be unclean.
In most recent years I have had many dealings with members
of the Muslim communities that abound in London. Although they
also appear happy to eat items which I have regarded as taboo.
It is against this background that I have been looking at
some of the 'grey areas'......
May I be allowed at this stage to acknowledge with gratitude
the help given by The Board of Deputies of British Jews. The
Islamic Cultural Centre, The Zoological Society of London. The
British Museum (Natural History) and the Health Education
Council. All of whom answered my queries so promptly, and in some
cases suggested further avenues of study.
Animal Fat
The orthodox Jew believes that there is nothing
intrinsically wrong in beef suet, provided it is obtained from a
correctly slaughtered animal. Perhaps it is because of this
apparent seal of approval that most Christians observers of God's
diet laws ignore His command to refrain from eating fat, as set
out in Leviticus 3:17. 'It shall be a perpetual statute for your
generations in all your dwelling place, that you eat neither FAT
nor BLOOD' (Amplified Bible).
This command is repeated in Leviticus 7: 22-25: 'And the
Lord said to Moses, say to the Israelites, you shall eat NO KIND
OF FAT of ox, or sheep, or goat. The fat of the beast that dies
of itself, and the fat of one that is torn with beasts, may be
put to any other use, but under NO CIRCUMSTANCE ARE YOU TO EAT OF
IT. For whosoever eats the fat of any beast of which men offer an
offering made by fire to the Lord, that person shall be cut off
from his people' (Amplified Bible).
When we read the Ordinances given to the priest concerning
the offering of animal sacrifices, we find no less than 60
references to fat being burnt. The reason is given in Leviticus
3:16, 'All fat is the Lord's.' In certain circumstances the
priests were allowed to eat the flesh of the sacrifice, but only
after the fat had been burnt off. 1 Samuel chapter 2 recalls
God's displeasure with the sons of Eli because they wanted the
flesh with the fat.
Clearly then ALL fat is forbidden. What a problem this
presents to us. As we wander along the shelves of our
supermarkets, selecting the items we believe to be fit
and proper, how many of us stop to study the list of
ingredients.....
Many people are surprised to discover that in the western
world more people die from HEART disease than any other illness,
including cancer......In truth there is not one cause, but a
combination of many factors, i.e. lack of exercise, stress,
smoking, family history. Without doubt, a major cause of heart
disease is atheroscleroses, or hardening of the arteries. Medical
science has discovered that the arteries fur up through the
accumulation of fats, cholesterol and calcium on the wall. For
this reason western society is being advised to reduce its
consumption of animal fats, and to eat polyunsaturated fats
which come from vegetables.
It has taken a vast amount of money for mankind to discover
that the eating of ANIMAL fat can be hazardous to health. Our
creator God gave us this warning through His servant Moses almost
3,500 years ago."
END quote from P. Bennett
Now here is what Harold Hemenway has to say on this matter:
"......Even before Abraham, Genesis 4:4 states, 'And Abel,
he also brought of the firstlings of his flock AND of the FAT
thereof. And the Eternal had respect unto Abel and to his
offering.'
Now, if Abel used FAT as an offering in Genesis, the same as
we find in Leviticus 3:16 where 'ALL the FAT is the Eternal's'
and was to be burned upon the altar, then Abel would have NONE
left to eat. He would have BURNED IT ALL! So Abel must have
avoided FAT too! God is consistent.....certainly FAT hasn't
changed its chemical composition from one 'dispensation' to
another. These dietary statutes existed from the beginning and
did not originate later with Moses or the Old Covenant!
......Leviticus 3:8-9 clearly shows that INTERNAL FATS of
animals are included in this prohibition also.
Quoting from PREVENTION magazine, February 1980, page 134,
we read, 'In the case of heart disease, blame does not fall
equally on all fats. Chemically, the fats in food come in several
varieties. SATURATED fats....are most commonly found in meats,
POLYUNSATURATED fats....are found more abundantly in vegetables,
and in fish and fowl. A large body of research indicates that
SATURATED fats are the ones to watch, in keeping guard against
heart disease. Where the diet is rich in these animal fats, heart
disease is generally a problem.'
Isn't it proof of inspiration when the Bible says nothing
forbidding FAT of FISH or FOWL, yet specifically enumerates the
OX, SHEEP, and GOAT FAT as forbidden?
THIS IS THE SCIENTIFIC DIVISION BETWEEN SATURATED AND
POLYUNSATURATED FATS!
Incidently, Nehemiah's command to 'eat the FAT' (Neh. 8:10)
refers to the 'fatted calf' (using 'fat' as an adjective) rather
than the white, greasy trim on meat (using 'fat' as a noun). So
there is no contradiction!
Eating animal fat (saturated fat) causes a build up of
cholesterol in human arteries and veins. This in turn causes
atherosclerosis. But vegetable oils (polyunsaturated fats)
significantly reduce cholesterol (Prevention, Nov. 1982, p. 79).
But make no mistake! These vegetable oils are UN-HYDROGENATED or
only LIGHTLY HYDROGENATED!
HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS are just as BAD as SATURATED
animal fats (Hydrogenation, America's Deadliest Killer, by John
H. Tobe, 1962)!
Excess 'animal fat' has been linked to Pancreatic and
Colorectal Cancer (pp. 224 and 228 of 'Disease,' copyright 1983
by Springhouse Corp.)
Animal poisons are stored and concentrated in the FAT!
Consumers should take warning and avoid LARD, SHORTENING,
SUET, GREASE, HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS, and even EMULSIFIERS
or MONO, DI and TRIGLYCERIDES which can be made form either
vegetable or animal fats!....."
END quote from Hemenway's booklet "Are The Food Laws Scientific?"
Harold Hemenway also points out that generally speaking over
the counter GROUND BEEF and HAMBURGERS are HIGH in FAT, animal
fat. He also mentions that certain ethnic foods like MEXICAN and
LATINO foods, like the BURRITO are "notorious for their high FAT
content."
He also in a later "appendix of additions" to his booklet
points out that EGG YOLKS and WHOLE MILK are categorized as
SATURATED FAT but the Bible ALLOWS BOTH to be part of our diet!
He suggests that it is possible that NOT ALL SATURATED FAT is bad
for you. He asks a question: "Are there different TYPES of
saturated fat?"
I'm not sure if modern science has brought forth the answer.
Hemeway gives an interesting statistical fact: "Compared to
the general population, Seventh Day Adventist males, who abstain
from tobacco, alcohol, pork and all other Biblically unclean
food, live SIX years LONGER, suffer 47 percent less CANCER, 45
percent less HEART disease, and 47 percent fewer STROKES."
Those are quite the facts. I have over the years been
associated with the Seventh Day Adventists people on many dozens
of Sabbaths (when living in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, for
a number of years, the SDA churches were the only Sabbath
observing churches in the area, except for the Worldwide Church
of God, from which I had departed two decades before). In other
parts of North America I have also attended the SDA church on the
weekly Sabbath. I have fellowshipped during their often "pot
luck" Sabbath dinners, the food being generally wonderful and
varied (though most "official" SDA pot luck meals will have no
meat of any kind - individual families at home often will
eat clean meats), yet I have noticed over the years, far too many
dishes made from white flour and white rice, both which contain
just about no nutritional or health value at all.
But the statistical facts on SDA males that Hemenway brought
out are still worth noting. Although my view and teaching on the
use of "wine" is not the same as the official stand taken by the
SDA church.
Reports that have been aired on NATION WIDE news programs,
as well as many articles in various magazines, show that in the
year 2003 as I write and compile this study, we as North American
people are not just fatter than ever before in our history but
we have an ever larger OBESITY problem. And further these reports
show that the facts declare that our CHILDREN are fatter and
OBESE than ever before. Some of this problem is due to less
physical activity, too much sitting in front of the TV and
Computer. But a large part of this problem is also that we eat
way too much "fast food" and "junk food" than ever before.
FOOD LAWS BEFORE THE OLD COVENANT
By putting certain Scriptures together we should be able to
see that God's physical food diet laws have always been in
existence from the BEGINNING. Verses to note are:
Genesis 1:29-30; 4:2; 7:2; 8:20; 15:9; 22:8,13; 26:5;
1 Timothy 4:1-5
.........................
Written May 2003
POSTSCRIPT
The argument has been put forth that Genesis 1:29,30 is
nothing to do with a diet food law on vegetation, but just a
"general" God giving Adam and Eve (mankind) DOMAIN over
everything, in the land, sea, and air. Sounds like it could be
plausable looking at verse 28, and the use of the word "domain."
But the fact is God uses a specific phrase in verse 29, "to you
it shall be for FOOD (meat, KJV). And likewise in verse 30, "for
FOOD."
God is giving a vegetation food law of "seeding seed" which
we have covered above.
Then we have an interesting passage in Gen. 9:1-7. God gives
pretty specific instructions in verse 1 and 7, nothing too
general here. The specifics of verse 2 are well documented in the
history of mankind. Verse 4, is a specific law, nothing there as
generality, very specific I would say. Verse 5 and 6 is also very
specific, nothing general about that at all.
So now verse 3. It would seem that the first part is very
specific, "EVERY MOVING THING that lives shall be food (meat) for
you..."
Hummmm, look back at chapter 7:1-9. God instructs Noah to
take 7 pair of CLEAN beast, and ONE pair of UNCLEAN beast into
the ark. Noah does this as we see in verses 7 and 8. Clean and
unclean....what, in how they looked, or how they smelled, or how
they walked, or how they slept, or how many times they washed
themselves in the lake or river? I do not think so! They were
clean or unclean as created FOR HUMAN FOOD!
Are we supposed to determine from this passage and the rest
of the Bible (Lev.11 and Deut.14 and 1 Tim. 4:1-4) that the
Eternal had His food laws of clean and unclean in the days of
Noah and from creation? Yes, I contend that is exactly what
we are to understand.
Then, in Gen.9:3, is God here telling Noah after he comes
out of the ark onto a somewhat new earth (after the huge flood
that had taken place), that he and his family and mankind can NOW
eat ANYTHING that MOVES and LIVES?
Notice the last part of verse 3, "even AS the GREEN HERB
have I given you ALL things."
Well now, if there NEVER was a "vegetation law" - if
anything and everything in the vegetation world was ALWAYS for
food (obviously except for things like "deadly night-shade" that
would kill you if eaten) and there never was a vegetation law of
"green" and "seeding seed" food law, THEN here is a verse that is
definately teaching that God REMOVED any food law, if there was
ever one in the first place. And some indeed contend there NEVER
was ANY food laws until Moses. And there are those that say those
laws under Moses were not really food laws, but laws that made
Israel different from other nations, for some kind of "holiness"
as God looked at it anyway.
But if there WAS a vegetaion law that was "green" and
"seeding seed" as in Genesis 1: 29,30, then we have no problem
with understanding Gen.9:3. Every moving thing that liveth was
for food for Noah and his family and mankind, AS, in like
manner, with laws governing it all, as there were laws governing
"green herbs" for food. The details not spelled out but God
surely would have instructed him in detail if there was a need
to. Obviously Noah knew there were clean and uncleam beasts
before the flood, as we have seen from chapter 7.
It was also another way and time that God was telling Noah,
that nothing had changed concerning food laws in anything that
moved and lived, just as nothing had changed in God's vegetation
law. As Noah was re-entering the land surface of the earth and
building from his family more and more to fill the earth, so if
was appropriate for God to reiterate certain things and even
emphasize what God considered important.
I do not believe Gen.9:3 is saying that God was removing ALL
and any food laws from the things that lived and moved.
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