6 Reasons for God Ordained Vegetarianism in the Bible
The last post in this series debunked 10 vegetarian myths: 10 Vegetarian Myths Debunked by God, Science, and Common Sense.
Though vegetarianism is not the standard biblical diet, there are times and epochs that are given (or have been given) to abstain from eating meat. Here they are:
6 Reasons for God Ordained Vegetarianism in the Bible:
Before the flood, God demanded that the world inhabitants remain vegetarians. God is the creator and owner of the whole earth and all it contains. He dictates what man can and cannot eat. And at creation, God ordained that only plant food was to be consumed for food. At creation, He told Adam and Eve exactly what they could and could not eat. In Genesis 1:29, God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you." Genesis 2:16-17 clarifies this message: "The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Read more: Eat Food that Has Created to be Enjoyed. But this mandate was clearly and without controversy altered after the flood. Read The Evolution of Food in the Bible to learn more.
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah honored God by eating a vegetarian diet for a period of time. But let me assure you, they were NOT vegetarians. Prior to their captivity, the foursome would have regularly eaten meat -- it was part of their religious service to God. It is likely that they commonly ate meat for their own personal sustenance, but most assuredly during feasts and sacrifices. Their choice to abstain from eating meat while in the king's court was a threefold precaution against eating forbidden food. Forbidden food would have included food that was not slaughtered properly (and therefore contained blood); food that had been sacrificed to idols; and food that was declared "unclean" by God. Eating this kind of meat would have been an affront to God and would have defiled them spiritually according to the law of Moses. In addition, later in life, Daniel had returned to eating meat on a regular basis. As he grew in rank in the Babylonian Empire, he no doubt was able to find meat that was not offensive to him or the law. This is evident because Daniel 10:3 records that Daniel again "refrained" from eating meat for three weeks as part of mourning. This principle leads to a third reason for fasting.
Times of Limited Fasting. Daniel 10:1-3 records: "In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar; and the message was true and one of great conflict, but he understood the message and had an understanding of the vision. In those days, I, Daniel, had been mourning for three entire weeks. I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine enter my mouth, nor did I use any ointment at all until the entire three weeks were completed." In this context, Daniel had been "mourning" for three weeks after receiving a message from God. Part of his mourning included abstaining from meat. This was not a life-style choice, nor was it a "blessing." Rather it was a time of mourning. There may be times when a limited fasting from "meat" is necessary and acceptable in the sight of God. But after the flood, abstinence from eating meat has never been intended as a way of life.
Love vs. Strife. Proverbs 15:17 tells us "Better is a dish of vegetables where love is than a fattened ox served with hatred." Vegetables are generally more affordable than animal meat. And according to this Proverb, one would be better off with a small serving of vegetables with love, than a fattened ox with hatred. We can glean three things here. 1. The contrast would not be made if a bowl of vegetables was to be preferred over meat. If that were the case, the Proverb would lose its value. Clearly the meat is to be the preferred sustenance. 2. Love is to be preferred above meat. If all that one has is vegetables to eat, an abundance of love will fill in the gaps. 3. Meat, on the other hand, will bring no benefit if it is found in a house filled with hatred and animosity.
Weak Conscience. Romans 14:2 discusses another biblically acceptable reason for vegetarianism: "One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only." Interestingly, this is tied closely to the reason Daniel and his friends abstained from meat when they were first taken captives in Babylon (reason #2 above). And it is also linked to the 3 Overlooked Dietary Laws in The New Testament. In Daniel's case, the young captives were seeking to stay faithful to the Old Testament dietary laws to keep themselves from being defiled spiritually. In the New Covenant era, the spiritual defilement had been done away with. Christ declared that it was not what entered the mouth that defiled a person, but rather what came out of the mouth. The New Covenant believers, however, were still instructed to abstain from food that had been sacrificed to idols. This is the context in which Paul writes Romans 14. Elsewhere, Paul had instructed believers to eat whatever was sold in the meat markets without asking questions for conscience sake. But if the believer was made aware that food had been sacrificed to idols, they were commanded to abstain. Some, however, had consciences that were weak. And so they chose to abstain from eating all meat so as to not accidentally eat food that was sacrificed to idols. In response, Paul writes Romans 14:3: "The one who eats [meat] is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him." Paul demonstrates that love is the primary concern, not food.
Our Eternal Home. Randy Alcorn, author of many books on heaven, including an Amazon Bestseller by that name (Heaven), suggests that in our final abode we will not be consuming animal meat. He bases this on Revelations 21:4, which states: "and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” He also looks for a return to Edenic conditions here upon the earth. While, we can not be sure there will be no meat eating in heaven, Alcorn makes a strong case. Yet, this time is not now. While on earth, we cannot reject all that God has given us for food. Read here about my first hand experience with avoiding meat. But we should remember carefully, each time we partake of animal flesh, that an animal had to die so that we could live. This should guard against excessive meat eating, as we are commanded to avoid "gluttonous eaters of meat" according to Proverbs 23:20.
In conclusion, the Bible has expressed limited examples of vegetarianism. We should be careful to take the Scriptures no farther than God allows. To promote a lifestyle of vegetarianism and call it "biblical" is taking it too far. God tells us through the Apostle Paul that He condemns men “who advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in 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 gratitude” -- I Timothy 4:4-5. Yet, there are times and seasons when abstaining from meat can (and at times should) be observed. In all this we have freedom.
Next we will tackle another controversial food in the Bible. Well...actually it is a drink.
So stay tuned.
Next: Can We Drink Wine to the Glory of God?
Return to: Biblical Health Study
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