96: Biblical Food Observations from Genesis
Do you know one of the first things Noah did after he moved on with life after the ark? He planted a vineyard.
I feel you Noah!
I’d want wine too if I’d been stuck on a boat with my family and a bunch of stinking animals for all that time.
The good news is Noah would have been able to enjoy his wine with a plate of meat since God had just started permitting animal foods to be eaten after the flood.
These are the kinds of interesting insights we’re talking about in this week’s podcast. I reread the book of Genesis to find all of the foodie highlights. Come listen as we talk about plants, meat, erotic herbs and who got so hangry he made a poor life decision.
EPISODE 96: Biblical Food Observations from Genesis
SHOW NOTES
(0:00) Intro
Our foundational health needs are all revealed right in the beginning of the book of Genesis with the creation story.
I decided to reread the book of Genesis and note each time food is mentioned.
Today we’re going to hit the foodie highlights!
(3:53) Genesis 1:29
Then God said, “I now give to you all the plants on the earth that yield seeds and all the trees whose fruit produces its seeds within it. These will be your food.”
Plant and animal foods
Therapeutic diets
Real food starts as a seed
The “smarter” we get, the sicker we get.
(8:57) Genesis 1:30
To all the wildlife, to all the birds of the sky, and to everything crawling on the ground - to everything that breathes - I give all the green plants for food.”
You are what you eat, eats.
(10:54) Genesis 2:15-17
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
The woman said to the snake, “We may eat the fruit of the garden’s trees but not the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. God said, ‘Don’t eat from it, and don’t touch it, or you will die.” The snake said to the woman, “You won’t die! God knows that on the day you eat from it, you will see clearly and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” The woman saw that the tree was beautiful with delicious food and that the tree would provide wisdom, so she took some of its fruit and ate it and also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then they both saw clearly and knew they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made garments from themselves. Gen 3:2-7
The first example of food temptation.
The voice of the enemy
He tempts with food and he tempts with power
(14:30) Genesis 3:17-19
God said, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and you ate from the tree that I commanded, ‘You will not eat from it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you will eat from it every day of your life. Weeds and thistles will grow for you, even as you eat the field’s plants; by the sweat of your face you will eat bread - until you return to the fertile land, since from it you were taken; you are soil, to the soil you will return.”
Providing was no longer going to be easy.
God reminds us that we came from the soil.
Soil—Bacteria play a huge role in our health.
(19:20) Genesis 4:11-12
“You are now cursed from the ground that opened its mouth to take your brother’s blood from your hand. When you farm the fertile land, it will no longer grow anything for you, and you will become a roving nomad on the earth.”
No food will grow for him; he must leave.
He took some of the clean large animals and some of the clean birds, and placed entirely burned offerings on the altar. The Lord smelled the pleasing scent, and the Lord thought to himself, Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. Genesis 8:20-21
He says He will no longer curse the ground and never destroy all living creatures again.
(23:02) Genesis 9:2-3
All of the animals on the earth will fear you and dread you- all the birds in the skies, everything crawling on the ground, and all of the sea’s fish. They are in your power. Everything that lives and moves will be your food. Just as I gave you the green grasses, I now give you everything.”
Being granted meat was the gift of ease.
We have to look at the fullness and richness of God’s provision and consider that He gave us meat to eat for a reason.
(26:26) Genesis 9:20
Noah, a farmer, made a new start and planted a vineyard.
He (Abraham) looked up and saw three men standing near him. “Let me offer you a little bread so you will feel stronger…” So Abraham hurried to Sarah at this tent and said, “Hurry! Knead three seahs of the finest flour and make some baked goods!” Abraham ran to the cattle, took a healthy young calf, and gave it to a young servant who prepared it quickly. Then Abraham took butter, milk and the calf that had been prepared, put the food in front of them, and stood under the tree near them as they ate. Genesis 18:2-8
Serious hospitality and home-cooking at its finest!
(31:23) Genesis 25:29-34
Once when Jacob was boiling stew, Esau came in from the field hungry and said, “I’m starving! Let me devour some of this red stuff.” Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright.” Esau said, “Since I’m going to die anyway, what good is my birthright to me?” He sold his birthright to Jacob. So Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew. He ate, drank, got up, and left, showing just how little he thought of his birthright.
I think Esau was hangry 😂
He said, “Take your hunting gear, your bow and your quiver of arrows, go out to the field, and hunt game for me. Make me the delicious food that I love and bring it to me so I can eat. Then I can bless you before I die. Genesis 27:3-4
May God give you showers from the sky, olive oil from the earth, plenty of grain and new wine. May the nations serve you, may peoples bow down to you. Be the most powerful man among your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Those who curse you will be cursed and those who bless you will be blessed. Genesis 27:28-29
Food is so essential to these passages.
(36:42) Genesis 30:14-16
During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” Genesis 30:14
Mandrakes are roots of a certain plant that were used medicinally in a variety of ways but one of those ways to enhance sexual desire and fertility.
Leah said, "Wasn't it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son's mandrakes too?" "Very well," Rachel said, "he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes.” Genesis 30:16
(42:00) Genesis 32:32
Israelites don’t eat the tendon attached to the thigh muscle because he grabbed Jacob’s thigh muscle at the tendon.
(42:50) Genesis 37:25
As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
Joseph tells his brothers that he has dreams that he will ultimately rule over them. One of the dreams is a food dream where they are all binding up stalks of grain in a field and all of the brothers’ stalks of grain bow down to Joseph’s stalk.
While they’re sitting there eating, a caravan of Ishmaelites on their way to Egypt ride by on camels which are loaded with spices, balm and myrrh.
Another Bible version describes the goods as sweet resin, medical resin and fragrant resin - something that you taste, something that is healing and something that smells good.
(47:24) Genesis 41:28-30
God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are now coming throughout the entire land of Egypt. After them, seven years of famine will appear, and all of the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten.
There will be 7 years of food abundance, followed by 7 years of famine.
The rhythm of feasting and fasting based on food availability was a normal part of life.
In modern times we are disconnected with this rhythm because of abundant food availability
This concept is the basis of how I designed Feast 2 Fast where we interject intermittent fasting and occasional longer fasts into our routines to stoke metabolic flexibility.
(50:30) Genesis 43:11
Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.
Joseph instructed his house manager to slaughter an animal and prepare it for dinner in honor of their return. This is another example of meat being central to a celebratory or special meal.
You planned something bad for me, but God produced something good from it, in order to save the lives of many people, just as he is doing today. Genesis 50:20
God is always working through our lives.
(54:28) Outro & Disclaimer
Thanks for listening! Have a healthy and blessed week!