Should I follow the OT “Food Rules”? (Part 1)

If you read last week’s post, in which I proclaim that there is no forbidden food, you already know what my answer to the title question is going to be.

I don’t believe that the believer in Christ has any obligation to obey the Old Testament dietary laws.

Saying that is the easy part. Judging by practice, this is the view of the majority of Christians worldwide.

But theology is not democracy, and majority vote means little by way of determining orthopraxy.

If we’re going to answer the question of whether New Testament believers are bound to obey the Old Testament dietary laws, we must look at Scripture itself.

The logical first step in this study is to look at the Old Testament dietary laws themselves. As we read through these laws, found in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, it is important to note who God is giving these laws to and why He is giving them these laws.

Observe the following verses, extracted from those two chapters:

“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.”
~Leviticus 11:2

“For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”
~Leviticus 11:44-45

“And whatever does not have fins and scales you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.”
~Deuteronomy 14:10

“You shall not eat anything that has died naturally. You may give it to the sojourner who is within your towns, that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a people holy to the Lord your God.”
~Deuteronomy 14:21

Our first question, when reading this text, should be to ask who God is giving these dietary laws to.

The answer should be plain. Leviticus 11 states that these laws were spoken “to the people of Israel”.

In Deuteronomy 14, we read a repeated refrain “it is unclean for you” (emphasis mine). The God who does not waste breath inspired those last two words as well as the previous ones. God does not declare these various animals unclean, period–He declares them unclean to the Israelites.

Furthermore, God declares that one of his “food rules” for the Israelites is explicitly NOT for the foreigners who live among them. The Israelites aren’t supposed to eat an animal who has been found dead–but they are more than welcome to give or sell it to the people around them that those others might eat the animal who was found dead.

An initial, simplistic answer to the question of whether a New Testament believer should follow the Old Testament food rules is apparent. New Testament Gentile believers clearly have no obligation to follow the Old Testament dietary law because the dietary laws were explicitly given to the people of Israel, and were not meant to apply to the people around them.

The Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 confirms this conclusion by stating that Gentile believers are not obligated to keep the law of Moses (contrast the Judaizers’ comment in Acts 15:5 with the apostle’s command in Acts 15:28-29).


As I’m getting a bit long, I’m splitting this post into as many posts as it’ll take to get through this topic. Judging from what I’ve got right now, it’ll be at least three, if not four or more posts. (And don’t worry, I will get to and discuss the Jerusalem council in more depth.)


House Hunting and Self-Discovery

I’ve been sorta house hunting.

Not seriously. I mean, I haven’t gotten pre-approved for a loan yet, or figured out logistics or what-not. It’s still just theoretical. Not that I haven’t been thinking about it for a rather long time. But I’ve started looking at what’s available again.

Along the way, I’ve been learning all sorts of things about who I am and what I really want.

I started with an open mind–a very open mind–about what I wanted. I looked at anything within my general price range. I’ve learned that there are definite things that I want and don’t want.

Things I want:

  • A Yard
    I grew up on three-quarters of an acre. We had a garden, mature trees, and a lawn. I want those things. Desperately.
  • Central Air
    It’s funny because I’m not really a huge fan of air conditioning (except that I pretty much have to use it due to nasty allergies). But what I’m really, really not a fan of is not being able to see out of windows. Window A/C stinks.
  • A Dining Room
    There’s little that brings me more pleasure than having people over to eat what I’ve cooked. Sunday dinner isn’t complete unless there’s at least a half dozen around the table–but preferably a whole dozen. I think nothing of having twenty-five people over for a Seder. So, yeah, a dining room is pretty important–preferably one that can easily expand into another room for those really big dinner parties.

Things I want but shouldn’t have:

  • An Acreage in the Country
    I want chickens and a pig and a cow (or maybe I’d have to settle for a goat). I want to be a lady-homesteader. I’m also a single woman who works and is a homebody–and who would end up being a recluse if she owned an acreage in the country. Not to mention that I really don’t have the diligence to keep animals alive. Maybe if I was at home full-time and I had a family to force me out of hiding, it’d be another story. For now, no cigar.

Things I don’t want:

  • A New House
    Every house that I’ve spent extended time in that has been built in the past 35 or so years has been really shoddily built. What’s more, every house in my price range that has been built in the past 35 or so years looks shoddily built in the real estate pictures. Doesn’t inspire much confidence. And then there’s the fact that most new houses lack anything resembling charm.
  • A small house
    I’ve tried to be open to small. I need to be open to small. I’m a single woman buying her first home, for Pete’s sake. But I’m also a single woman who LOVES to just have a couple dozen people over for a Seder. Or host a dozen girls for a sleepover. I’m a single woman who wants to be able to have roommates–and still wants a spare room for visiting missionaries or kids up to run 5-Day Clubs. Not to mention that I’m a crafter AND a reader–both of which hobbies take up significant amounts of space (I probably have 300 yards of fabric in my craft room at present–and several thousand books in my library.) Small houses just aren’t exactly suited to my lifestyle.

Things I (still) couldn’t care less about:

  • School District
    Surprised you there, didn’t I? :-)
  • A master bathroom
    I don’t think I need a bathroom per bedroom. I’m going to be the homeowner and as long as there’s one working BATH, I’m good. For potential roommates’ sake, a shower would be nice. For general goodwill, it’d be nice to have a powder room in addition to the bathroom with a bath (I tend to take a while in the bathtub if I’m working on a good book). But I don’t need a master bath.
  • An Attached Garage
    I have grown rather fond of not having to scrape my windshields in the winter, but having an attached garage is not one of my priorities. Anyone who can’t handle a walk through the elements from house to car probably shouldn’t own a house anyway. Sheesh!

So there you are: what I’ve learned about my preferences thus far.


Book Review: “Always Talk to Strangers” by David Wygant

Remember how someone said to never talk to strangers?

David Wygant suggests that to find the love of your life, you must do exactly the opposite.

Since dating is a numbers game, Wygant surmises, the more people you meet, the more people you’ll date. And the more people you date, the better your chance of meeting the love of your life.

Wygant lays out his “three simple tips” in Always Talk to Strangers:

  1. Prepare before you leave the house
  2. Figure out when and where to meet people
  3. Meet them

In 218 very readable pages, Wygant breaks down his three simple tips. First, he says, you need to make sure you’re reasonably attractive to the opposite sex by getting a mental and physical makeover. Second, you need to recognize opportunities to meet people (He suggests blind dating, internet dating, and meeting people around town.) Third, you need to know how to approach someone, introduce yourself, strike up a conversation, and end with their phone number in hand.

I found that Wygant’s overall philosophy makes a lot of sense. The simple fact of the matter is that if you want to marry a man, you first have to meet him. So if you increase your meetings, you should be increasing your odds of marrying.

Of course, there’s a lot more that goes into it than that–but Wygant’s focus is on the odds. He’s not going to tell you how to do things once you’re in a relationship–he’s just telling you how to meet people.

I can respect that. It’s refreshing to read something with such a narrow (maybe?) focus.

As I read, a couple of thoughts kept running through my head. The first was that all that meeting and dating sounds exhausting (On one occasion, the author suggests arranging dates at least four evenings a week–with different people that you’ve met online or around town). The second thought was “This wouldn’t have to just be about getting a date.”

The fact is, the “techniques” for meeting people could just as easily be used simply as a way of developing relationships with people around you. Socially isolated mothers could use it to maybe find some adult conversation on their limited forays out of the home. Christians who work in some form of “ministry” could use it to meet unbelievers with whom to share Christ (Yes, I know there are plenty of us who, at some time in our lives, have had virtually no contact with unbelievers.) Awkward folks (like me) could use it to develop friendships when they’re transplanted into a new context (a new job, a new town, a new school…) The possibilities are endless–and the techniques (recognizing opportunities to meet people in unexpected contexts, directly approaching people, using props to strike up a conversation, asking for someone’s number in a non-creepy way) are useful.

On the other hand, some of the information is specific to seeking out a date as opposed to just a friend. The author talks a fair bit about sex appeal and about telling someone you think they’re attractive (probably not the best “pick up” line for a same-sex friend). Also, the chapters on blind dating and internet dating are pretty much only applicable for someone seeking a date.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, Wygant is a secular author–with all the inherent values (or lack thereof). He takes a female liberation standpoint on girls taking initiative in relationships. He’s heavy on “sexy” and not so much on shared values or ideas. He apparently has no qualms about people jumping into the sack with each other at a moment’s notice.

So there are definitely things one wouldn’t want to learn from this book.

Nevertheless, it was an interesting read and one that I sort of wish I could put (partially) into practice.

Truth is, though, I’m struggling to keep my head above water without a lot of additional relationships. I simply don’t have the time or the energy to be actively pursuing a relationship right now. Maybe after I get my dietary manager done with her classes…


Rating:2 Stars
Category:“Relationships”
Synopsis:How to increase your odds of meeting “the love of your life” by meeting more people.
Recommendation: I can’t really decide. If you struggle to meet people (like I do) but really want to meet more people, this could be useful (if taken with a good dose of good sense). Otherwise, well, it’d be pretty pointless, wouldn’t it?


Thankful Thursday: Around the House

Thankful Thursday bannerI’m not going to lie by pretending that I’m anything but a homebody.

One of my favorite places to be is in my own home–curled up on the couch hand-quilting, at my computer desk blogging, in the kitchen baking, on the dock reading.

One of the unfortunate consequences of having to work for a living, though, is that I’m not home nearly as much as I’d like. And when I am home, my time is rushed and the house a wreck.

Nonetheless, I’m thankful for home, such as it is.

Today I’m thankful…

…for a box of vintage patterns categorized by date, sitting in my computer room (still there from when I was searching online for the dates for those last elusive patterns)

…for the quilt that is progressing, sitting in the living room (still there from when I was working on it while watching movies with my sisters this weekend)

…for the antique serving dish in the dining room, bought for me at auction by a good friend (and not yet in its place because I haven’t had time to rearrange the china to showcase it)

…for the handcrafted shelf given to me by another good friend–and still sitting in the hall more than a year post gift

…for the almost clean countertops and full fridge in the kitchen. Now that my little sister’s living with us, I have more impetus to cook (or maybe I’ve just been eager to do so all along.)

…for the tools scattered throughout the garage, evidences that Beth and I are making progress with our birthday wall-hangers

…for the lawn mowed with love, proof of the W boys’ willingness to help me–and to help their sister fund her missions trip to Greece this summer

…for the dock out back and conversations with Ruth on that dock

…for the sister now sleeping in the guest room

I have a home packed with blessings, undeserved gifts from God.

Thank You, Lord, for my home. Thank you, Lord, for my friends. Thank you, Lord, for filling my home–and my heart–with oh so very much.


There is no forbidden food

Since the original forbidden fruit, the history of humanity has been rife with food rules.

Don’t eat this, do eat that. That food is bad, that food is good.

Today’s modern dieter (and most women, regardless of their dieting status) have a deeply-seated conviction that some foods are bad (maybe even evil.)

Popular diet counsel might disagree over which foods are good and which foods are bad, but all of them agree that food is moral and some foods forbidden.

That is frankly unbiblical.

When God gave humanity food, He gave them all the plants and all the animals. In other words, He gave them everything for food.

Later down the road, after a group of Pharisees berate the Savior and His disciples for their eating habits, Jesus replies in a landmark exposition on food:

“Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.” And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.”
~Mark 7:14-20

In this passage, Jesus sets aright the wrong thinking of his day. Food cannot make one clean or unclean. Food is amoral.

Food enters through the mouth and is excreted at the bottom. It is external to the body, not internal to the soul.

Food doesn’t defile us, our hearts do.

In saying this, Jesus clarifies several hundred years of teachings and traditions regarding which foods one can eat and which foods one cannot.

As Mark, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote: “Thus he declared all foods clean.”

Perhaps we might still be able to excuse our attitudes and popular teachings about good foods and bad foods by saying that this is only one passage–and that the original context was about hand washing anyway.

But it’s harder to ignore the apostle Paul’s stunning of indictment of those who follow “deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons”:

“…who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.”
~I Timothy 4:3-6

Here, Paul not only says that forbidding food is unnecessary, he says that it’s demonic.

That’s right. It’s demonic.

The enemy would have us live in a world of forbidden foods. He would have us concerned about eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones. He would have us plagued with guilt over the food in our cupboards or what we order in a restaurant.

God, on the other hand, created all foods good. Nothing is to be rejected.

God (through the apostle) does not stipulate what we should eat, but how we should eat it.

There is no forbidden food. All food is to be received with thanksgiving.


I know that this is probably one of my most controversial teachings about food. I also know that many will ask about the Old Testament dietary laws–since Scripture certainly contains plenty of food restrictions. I plan to address those next week, explaining how the Old Testament dietary laws have been fulfilled in Christ–and are not binding on the New Testament believer (either as a command or as a suggestion of what to eat and what not to eat).


Sunday School in Review: Part 7

After hours trying to figure out how to teach Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, I gave up. In complete defiance to my usually very carefully typed lesson, I had no typed lesson, no handwritten notes. I opened my Bible to Nahum and started teaching.

In Nahum, we learned of God’s judgment on Nineveh–but wait, we asked, didn’t God show mercy to Nineveh? Why is He now going to destroy them?

In Habakkuk, we heard Habakkuk’s lament that God isn’t doing justice: “Why aren’t you giving people what they deserve?” We learned that God is just–which means that He DOES give people what they deserve.

My students had a legitimate question: “But didn’t we just learn last week that God is merciful–that He doesn’t give people what they deserve?”

I explained how God doesn’t give us what we deserve because Jesus volunteered to take what we deserved and give us what He deserved.

We moved on to Zephaniah to review the Day of the Lord–the day when God executes judgment on His enemies and shows mercy to the enemies that He’s made His friends.

We talked about God’s justice and God’s mercy. We talked about substitutionary atonement. We talked the salvation of God.

There’s no way I could have ended up there except for God’s orchestration of this unplanned lesson.

God is good.

I copied over my lesson for Zechariah and Malachi–and this time I don’t have any idea what I taught.

Ah, well. I guess we can’t remember everything.

Next week, I’d be moving into the New Testament–a terrifying chapter after the easy Old Testament.

Why do I say the New Testament is terrifying? I wrote about it on this blog as I moved into Acts:

“Teaching the Old Testament is easy.

Almost every line tells of our desperate need for salvation and our absolute inability to effect salvation of ourselves. Every line points forward, from where many of my students likely are (unregenerate) to Christ’s work.

Teaching the New Testament is hard.

The epistles are especially hard, since they’re written to believers. Most of the epistles answer the questions “What just happened?” and “Now what?”

Good questions, necessary questions, but ones I have a hard time teaching to little unbelievers.”

Read the rest of my explanation here.


Book Review: “Magi” by Daniel L Gilbert

Even after all the other magi have left for a feast, Ramates continues hunting the elusive white leopard. But his hunt is interrupted when he sees a new star, shining in the Virgin’s bosom.

Ramates is overjoyed at the chance to finally make a name for himself as a stargazer and rushes to the temple to make an official sighting–only to find the prized white leopard already dead along his way, shot by another man’s arrow.

Thus begins Daniel Gilbert’s tale of the magistenes search for Shoshia–the deliverer foretold by the cult of Belteshazzar.

Magi is rich with cultural and historical details of the Parthian (Persian) religious and political world–and of how the Parthians interacted with Rome. The reader will learn historically accurate information about how the Parthians buried their dead versus how the Romans did, how crucifixions were carried out and why, how kings were anointed in ancient Persia, and how caravans traveled through the ancient world.

I loved this aspect of Magi.

Other parts were less exciting.

The author sounds like a scholar (which he is). He gives careful attention to historical details, but his attention to the craft of writing fiction is rather less impressive.

The author gives each character a name (including the guy who opens the door at the inn), and expects that the reader will remember every name and the position of the individual (even if the only way he figures into the story is that he opened a door.) This makes it difficult to keep the characters straight–and even more difficult to figure out what people or interactions are truly important to the story. Further more, the point of view jumps from one character to another willy-nilly making it hard to figure out whose head you’re inside at any given time.

I could tell that the author had a grand scheme of developing the main character Ramates throughout the book. Ramates is eager for fame, even willing to take fame that does not belong to him. He must learn humility as he travels to pay tribute to the newborn king. All this is good. I think it’s a brilliant idea, but the author falls short of producing a natural transformation. Instead of experiencing Ramates’ soul and watching his transformation, we remain outside, noting clinically that apparently a transformation has occurred.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this book. A lot. But it was for the cultural details, not for the character development or writing style.


Rating:3 Stars
Category:Historical Fiction
Synopsis:After discovering a new star, Ramates must learn humility as he travels to pay tribute to the long-prophesied deliverer.
Recommendation: If you enjoy reading about historical and cultural details, you’ll enjoy this book. If you’re looking for a story to pull you in and a character to identify with, this probably isn’t going to cut it.


Sunday School in Review: Part 6

In Amos, we looked at a map of the nations surrounding Judah and Israel–the nations that Amos pronounced woes upon.

“For three transgressions of Damascus and for four, I will not revoke punishment because…”

We imagined Israel and Judah smirking as one after another of their neighbors came under God’s microscope. “Yeah, that’s right! You sic ’em, God.” We imagined them saying. “Kill all our enemies. Destroy them all.”

Then God began in on Judah. Judah, no doubt, was mortified, but we imagined Israel’s self-righteousness at being the only one God hadn’t pronounced judgment on.

But Israel was mistaken. God’s list of Israel’s sins goes on and on. Furthermore, God describes all He’s done to Israel to make them come back–but the repeated refrain announces “Yet you did not return to Me.”

God thundered out–and I thundered through the classroom–

THEREFORE, PREPARE TO MEET YOUR GOD!

We saw how God pronounced woes on those who seek the day of Lord. We learned that the people of Israel wanted God to come and destroy their enemies. That’s what they thought the “Day of the Lord” was all about.

What they didn’t realize was that the “Day of the Lord” isn’t when God destroys THEIR enemies, but when God destroys HIS enemies.

We discussed who God’s enemies are and came up with a long list–a list that included every person in our classroom.

We ended with a sober note, the reality that as enemies of God we are destined for destruction in the day of the Lord.

Which paved the way for the next week’s class, where we learned about God’s mercy through Jonah and Micah.

We asked four questions each of three different groups of people. First we looked at Jonah and asked 1) What did Jonah do? He disobeyed God 2) What does Jonah deserve? He deserves to drown in the ocean 3) What does Jonah get? Swallowed by a big fish and spit up on dry land, 4) Why doesn’t Jonah get what he deserves? Because God is merciful.

We asked the same questions regarding Nineveh–a wicked city that deserved to be destroyed but which was spared because God was merciful.

We moved to Micah and asked the same questions regarding Israel. Israel had broken God’s covenant and deserved death. But, because God was merciful, He sent them into exile and gave them the promise of a Messiah.

We closed with Romans 6:23, comparing what we deserve for our sins (death) with what God has offered us freely instead (eternal life in Christ Jesus).

To be continued…


Thankful Thursday: Shalom

Thankful Thursday bannerI didn’t grow up in a liturgical church, but my first pastor came from a liturgical tradition and he ended every service of my first ten or twelve years with the priestly blessing:

“The Lord bless you and keep you
The Lord make His face shine upon you
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you
and give you peace.”

To this day, whenever I hear those words spoken, I lift my heads towards heaven to catch the rays of God’s face shining upon me.

I’ve come to see something amazing about this blessing, the blessing God entreated His priests to bless His people with. When our heads are lifted up in joy, God makes His face shine down upon us. When our heads are bowed down in sorrow, His countenance is lifted up upon us. And amidst the ups and downs, He gives us His peace.

This week, I’m thankful…

…for peace when friends are hospitalized, close to death

…for peace when friends are celebrating, beginning a new life together

…for peace when I leave work at 4:30

…for peace when it seems I’ll never leave work

…for peace when there isn’t any food left on the line for me to eat

…for peace when I unexpectedly find a mulberry tree full of berries (in my own neighborhood!)

…for peace when I’m ecstatically joyful

…for peace when I’m frustrated and angry (is that a contradiction? except it’s true.)

I’m still working my way through Sarah Francis Martin’s Stress Point: Thriving Through Your Twenties in a Decade of Drama, and in one of the exercises, Sarah encourages her readers to read Jeremiah 29:11.

Since I’ve had Jeremiah 29:11 memorized for a couple decades (man, I’m old!), I was inclined to just recite it in my head and be done with it. But I didn’t, and I’m glad.

I read in the ESV: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Seeing the [a] behind “welfare”, I dropped my eyes to the bottom of the page for the explanation. “Or peace”, the footnote read.

In my childhood memorization, I’d learned the NIV: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”

Now, I’m not knocking the NIV, but I have to say that the two read completely differently to me.

When I think of prosperity, I have to force my mind to realize that this isn’t a material promise. I have to remind myself that this doesn’t mean God’s promising the American dream of a husband, kids, a home with a two car garage, and a chicken frying in a pan.

When I read the ESV, my mind travels of its own volition to the word that I quickly confirm is indeed there: shalom.

Completeness, soundness, tranquility, peace.

Shalom.

That life that can only be found when the face of God is shining down on you. That life that can only be found when the countenance of God is lifted up upon you.

Shalom. The thoughts God thinks as He gazes upon His children.

I am blessed to be one of His.

Blessed to experience shalom.


Book Review: “What Would Your Character Do?” by Maisel and Maisel

I’m sure I’m not the only avid reader who has an idea rolling around in their head for a book they intend to write someday.

As is befitting a catholic reader such as myself, I have a whole raft of ideas for dozens of very different books.

Several are novels. One, I think, has the potential to actually be a decently interesting novel.

Of course, everyone has a novel idea in their head. The knack is getting it into print.

Which is why I try to snatch time here and there (these days, it’s rare) to bang out a few hundred words on this one novel that seems to show the most promise.

The problem is, while I’ve got an interesting-ish plot, I discovered not too far in that I really didn’t have a character. At least, not a character who wasn’t me.

Which is where you’ve found me out. Most of my plots start with me trying on a different life and playing “dress-up” in my imagination.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with this until you try turning it into a novel. Face it, a novel with me as the heroine is just not a good idea.

Which is where Eric Maisel and Ann Maisel’s What Would Your Character Do? comes in.

In this imaginative writing helps book, the authors set up thirty different scenarios for you to plop your character (or characters) into. Then, they have a little quiz (a la women’s magazine personality quizzes) for you to answer about your character’s response to the scenario. The quiz includes an “interpretation” that explores what your character’s responses might say about what kind of a person they are. Next, the authors give some open-ended “what if” questions for you to answer to explore your character’s response to that or similar circumstances.

I completed just one scenario (and didn’t even dig too deeply into the open-eneded “what ifs”)–and already I feel like I know my character much better than I did before. My heroine is shaping into a real live person who isn’t me. And best of all, I’m back to writing (slowly, though-very, very slowly.)

Unlike many books on writing, which I find either distract from writing the story you really want to tell or get you focused on literary analysis instead of writing, this book is actually a useful tool for the writer of fiction (actually, I can see how it might be handy for the memoirist as well…)

I’m putting this on my Amazon wish list and will be periodically checking it out of my library until I finally get around to purchasing it. It’s really that good.


Rating:5 Stars
Category:Writing Reference
Synopsis:“What if” scenarios to plop your characters into
Recommendation: A marvelous writing reference that actually furthers your story. Huzzah for that!