Unless otherwise indicated, the collection of scriptures found in Food for Thought are quoted from the Tanakh, The Holy Scriptures, (The Old Testament) pub. by, the Jewish Publication Society, New York, 1988; and the Jewish New Testament, translated by David H. Stern, pub. by Jewish New Testament Publications, Clarksville, MD, 1994.

~ Meditations ~
~ From the Word of God ~
(Meditations are meant to be
pondered carefully.)

~ The Clean and The Unclean ~

~ Food Before the Flood ~

      In the Beginning "...God said, Let the earth sprout vegetation: seed-bearing plants, fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’ And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that this was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day... And God created man in His image... male and female He created them. God blessed them and God said to them, ‘Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth.’
      "God said, ‘See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the earth. and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit: they shall be yours for food...’ And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day."
(Gen. 1:11-13, 27-29, 31)

      "The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat’... And the LORD God formed out of the earth all the wild beasts and all the birds of the sky..."
(Gen. 2:15-16, 19)

      "...Men began to increase on earth... The earth became corrupt before God; the earth was filled with lawlessness. When God saw how corrupt the earth was, for all flesh had corrupted its ways on earth, God said to Noah. ‘I have decided to put an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with lawlessness because of them: I am about to destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood...’"
(Gen.6:1, 11-14)

      "Then the LORD said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, with all your household, for you alone have I found righteous before Me in this generation. Of every clean animal you shall take seven pairs. males and their mates, and of every animal that is not clean, two, a male and its mate; of the birds of the sky also, seven pairs, male and female, to keep seed alive upon all the earth...’ And Noah did just as the LORD commanded him... Thus they that entered (the ark) comprised male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him. And the LORD shut him in... All existence on earth was blotted out -- man, cattle, creeping things, and birds of the sky: they were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark..."
(Gen. 7:1-3,5.16,23)

      "The waters then receded steadily from the earth. At the end of one hundred and fifty days the waters diminished, so that in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat... And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.
      "God spoke to Noah, saying, ‘Come out of the ark, together with your wife, your sons, and you sons’ wives. Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you: birds, animals, and everything that creeps on earth; and let them swarm on the earth and be fertile and increase on earth.’ So Noah came out, together with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives. Every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that stirs on earth came out of the ark by families.
      "Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking of every clean animal and of every clean bird he offered burnt offerings on the altar."
(Gen. 8:34,14-20)

~ Food After the Flood ~

      "God blessed Noah and his sons. and said to them, ‘Be fertile and increase, and fill the earth... Every (clean) creature that lives shall be yours to eat: as with the (edible) green grasses. I give you all these. You must not, however, eat flesh with its life-blood in it.’"
(Gen. 9:1,34)

~ Food After Egypt ~

      "And Moses said to the people, Remember this day, on which you went free from Egypt, the house of bondage, how the LORD freed you from it with a mighty hand: no leavened bread shall be eaten. You go free on this day, in the month of Abib. So, when the LORD has brought you into the land of the Canaanites... which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall observe in this month the following practice:
      "‘Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a festival of the LORD. Throughout the seven days unleavened bread shall be eaten; no leavened bread shall be found with you, and no leaven shall be found in all your territory. And you shall explain to your son on that day, "It is because of what the LORD did for me when I went free from Egypt."
      "‘And this shall serve you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead--in order that the Teaching of the LORD may be in your mouth--that with a mighty hand the LORD freed you from Egypt. You shall keep this institution at its set time from year to year.’"
(Ex. 13:3-10)

      "Remember the long way that the LORD your God has made you travel in the wilderness these past forty years, that He might test you by hardships to learn what was in your hearts: whether you would keep His commandments or not... Bear in mind that the LORD your God disciplines you just as a man disciplines his son. Therefore keep the commandments of the LORD your God: walk in His ways and revere Him.
      "For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill; a land of wheat and barley. of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey; a land where you may eat food without stint, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you can mine copper. When you have eaten your fill. give thanks to the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you.
      "Take care lest you forget the LORD your God and fail to keep His commandments, His rules, and His laws, which I enjoin upon you today. When you have eaten your fill, and have built fine houses to live in, and your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold have increased. and everything you own has prospered, beware lest your heart grow haughty and you forget the LORD your God... and you say to yourselves, ‘My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me.’ Remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to get wealth, in fulfillment of the covenant that He made on oath with your fathers, as is still the case."
(Deut. 8:2-18)

      "When the LORD enlarges your territory, as He has promised you, and you say, ‘I shall eat some meat,’ for you have the urge to eat meat, you may eat (clean) meat whenever you wish. If the place where the LORD has chosen to establish His name is too far from you, you may slaughter any of the cattle or sheep that the LORD gives you, as I have instructed you; and you may eat to your heart’s content in your settlement. Eat it, however, as the gazelle and the deer are eaten: the unclean (person) may eat it together with the clean. But make sure that you do not partake of the blood: for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the life with the flesh. You must not partake of it; you must pour it out on the ground like water: you must not partake of it. in order that it may go well with you and with your descendants to come, for you will be doing what is right in the sight of the LORD."
(Deut. 12:20-25)

      "You shall not eat anything abhorrent. These are the animals that you may eat: the ox, the sheep. and the goat; the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, the mountain sheep, and any other animal that has true hoofs which are cleft in two and brings up the cud -- such you may eat. But the following, which do bring up the cud or have true hoofs which are cleft through, you may not eat: the camel, the hare, and the daman -- for although they bring up the cud, they have no true hoofs--they are unclean for you; also the swine -- for although it has true hoofs, it does not bring up the cud -- is unclean for you. You shall not eat of their flesh or touch their carcasses.
      "These you may eat of all that live in water: you may eat anything that has fins and scales. But you may not eat anything that has no fins and scales: it is unclean for you.
      "You may eat any clean bird. The following you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, and the black vulture; the kite, the falcon, and the buzzard of any variety; every variety of raven; the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, and the hawk of any variety; the little owl, the great owl, and the white owl; the pelican, the bustard, and the cormorant; the stork, any variety of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.
      "All winged swarming things are unclean for you: they may not be eaten. You may eat only clean winged creatures.
      "You shall not eat anything that has died a natural death; give it to the stranger in your community to eat, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a people consecrated to the LORD your God..."
(Deut. 14:3-21)

~ Peters Vision ~

      "There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a Roman army officer in what was called the Italian Regiment. He was a devout man, a ‘God-fearer’, as was his whole household... One afternoon around three o’clock he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, ‘Cornelius!’ Cornelius stared at the angel, terrified. ‘What is it, sir?’ he asked. ‘Your prayers,’ replied the angel, ‘and your acts of charity have gone up into Gods presence, so that he has you on his mind. Now send some men to Yafo (Joppa) to bring back a man also called Kefa (Peter). He’s staying with Shim’on (Simon) the leather-tanner, who has a house by the sea.’ As the angel that had spoken to him went away, Cornelius called two of his household slaves and one of his military aides, who was a godly man; he explained everything to them and sent them to Yafo.
      "The next day about noon, while they were still on their way and approaching the city, Kefa went up onto the roof of the house to pray. He began to feel hungry and wanted something to eat; but while they were preparing the meal, he fell into a trance in which he saw heaven opened, and something that looked like a large sheet being lowered to the ground by its four corners. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals, crawling creatures and wild birds. Then a voice came to him, ‘Get up, Kefa, slaughter and eat!" But Kefa said, ‘No, sir! Absolutely not! I have never eaten food that was unclean or treif (not permitted by the Jewish dietary laws).’ The voice spoke to him a second time: ‘Stop treating as unclean what God has made clean.’ This happened three times, and then the sheet was immediately taken back up into heaven."
(Acts 10:1-16)

~ Gentiles Are Accepted ~

      "Kefa was still puzzling over the meaning of the vision he had seen, when the men Cornelius had sent, having inquired for Shim’on’s house, stood at the gate and called out to ask if Shim’on known as Kefa was staying there. While Kefa’s mind was still on the vision, the Spirit said, ‘Three men are looking for you. Get up, go downstairs, and have no misgivings about going with them, because I myself have sent them.’
      "So Kefa went down and said to the men, You were looking for me? Here I am. What brings you here?’ They answered, ‘Cornelius. He’s a Roman army officer, an upright man and a God-fearer, a man highly regarded by the whole Jewish nation; and he was told by a holy angel to have you come to his house and listen to what you have to say.’ So Kefa invited them to be his guests.
      "The next day, he got up and went with them. accompanied by some of the brothers from Yafo; and he arrived at Caesarea the day after that. Cornelius was expecting them -- he had already called together his relatives and close friends. As Kefa entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell prostrate at his feet. But Kefa pulled him to his feet and said, ‘Stand up! I myself am just a man.
      "As he talked with him, Kefa went inside and found many people gathered. He said to them, You are well aware that for a man who is a Jew to have close association with someone who belongs to another people, or to come and visit him, is something that just isn’t done. But God has shown me not to call any person common or unclean so when I was summoned. I came without raising any questions. Tell me, then, why did you send for me?’
      "Cornelius answered, ‘Three days ago around this time, I was at minchah (afternoon Temple sacrifice) prayers in my house, when suddenly a man in shining clothes stood in front of me and said, "God has heard your prayer and remembered your acts of charity. Now send to Yafo and ask for Shim’on, known as Kefa; he is staying in the house of Shim’on, a leather-tanner, by the sea." So I sent for you immediately. and you have been kind enough to come. Now all of us are here in the presence of God to hear everything the Lord has ordered you to say.
      "Then Kefa addressed them: ‘I now understand that God does not play favorites. but that whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him, no matter what people he belongs to.
      "‘Here is the message that he sent to the sons of Israel announcing shalom (peace) through Yeshua the Messiah, who is Lord of everything. You know what has been going on throughout Y’hudah (Judea). starting from the Gail (Galilee) after the immersion (baptism) that Yochanan (John the Baptist) proclaimed; how God anointed Yeshua from Natzeret (Nazareth) with the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) and with power; how Yeshua went about doing good and healing all the people oppressed by the Adversary, because God was with him. "‘As for us, we are witnesses of everything he did, both the Judean countryside and in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem). They did away with him by hanging him on a stake; but God raised him up on the third day and let him be seen, not by all the people, but by witnesses God had previously chosen, that is, by us, who ate and drank with him after he had risen again from the dead.
      "Then he commanded us to proclaim and attest to the Jewish people that this man has been appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. All the prophets bear witness to him, that everyone who puts his trust in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’
      "Kefa was still saying these things when the Ruach HaKodesh fell on all who were hearing the message. All the believers from the Circumcision faction who had accompanied Kefa were amazed that the gift of the Ruach HaKodesh was also being poured out on the Goyim (Gentiles, pagans), for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Kefa’s response was. ‘Is anyone prepared to prohibit these people from being immersed in water? After all, they have received the Ruach HaKodesh, just as we did.’ And he ordered that they be immersed in the name of Yeshua the Messiah. Then they asked Kefa to stay on with them for a few days."
(Acts. 10:17-48)

~ Reaction In Jerusalem ~

      "The emissaries and the brothers throughout Y’hudah heard that the Goyim had received the word of God; but when Kefa went up to Yerushalayim. the members of the Circumcision faction criticized him, saying, ‘You went into the homes of uncircumcised men and even ate with them!’
      "In reply, Kefa began explaining in detail what had actually happened: ‘I was in the city of Yafo, praying; and in a trance I had a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came down to me. I looked inside and saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, crawling creatures and wild birds. Then I heard a voice telling me,       "Get up, Kefa, slaughter and eat!" I said, "No, sir! Absolutely not! Nothing unclean or treif has ever entered my mouth!" But the voice spoke again from heaven:
      "Stop treating as unclean what God has made clean." This happened three times, and then everything was pulled back up into heaven.
      "‘At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where I was staying; and the Spirit told me to have no misgivings about going back with them. These six brothers also came with me, and we went into the man’s house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, "Send to Yafo and bring back Shim’on, known as Kefa. He has a message for you which will enable you and your whole household to be saved."
      "‘But I had hardly begun speaking when the Ruach HaKodesh fell on them, just as on us at the beginning! And I remembered that the Lord had said, "Yochanan used to immerse people in water, but you will be immersed in the Ruach HaKodesh." Therefore, if God gave them the same gift as he gave us after we had come to put our trust in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who was I to stand in God’s way?’
      "On hearing these things, they stopped objecting and began to praise God, saying ‘This means that God has enabled the Goyim as well to do t’shuvah ( repent, turn from sin to God) and have life!’"
(Acts 11:1-18)

~ Paul Explains God’s Plan ~

      "...Brothers, I want you to understand this truth which God formerly concealed but now has revealed, so that you won’t imagine you know more than you actually do. It is that stoniness, to a degree, has come upon Israel, until the Gentile world enters in its fullness; and that it is this way that all Israel will be saved. As the Tanakh says,

‘Out of Tziyon (Zion) will come the Redeemer;
he will turn away ungodliness from Ya’akov (Jacob)
and this will be my covenant with them,...
when I take away their sins.’"
(Rom. 11:25-27)

      "That means that there is no difference between Jew and Gentile --Adonai (the LORD, YHVH) is the same for everyone, rich toward everyone who calls on him, since everyone who calls on the name of Adonai will be delivered."
(Rom. 10:12)

      To God be the glory!

      "And now, brothers,... Put yourselves in order... be of one mind, live in shalom (peace)-- and the God of love and shalom will be with you."
(II Cor. 13:11)

SAW