Blessing 33- Genesis 9:1-3

Genesis 9:1-3
Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

A change is seen here, food-wise; God allowing Noah and his sons to have non-veg. food. Earlier Adam and Eve were told by God,” I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” (Genesis 1:29)

Later God placed restrictions for eating certain foods.

And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal. (Leviticus 7:26)

"'There are some that only chew the cud or only have a split hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you. (Leviticus 11:4)

"'These are the birds you are to detest and not eat because they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, (Leviticus 11:13)

You are not to eat any creature that moves about on the ground, whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet; it is detestable. (Leviticus 11:42)

Still later on in the New Testament, we read,

As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. (Romans 14:14)

“You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. (Acts 15:29)

Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. (Romans 14:20)

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. (1 Corinthians 8:1)

So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. (1 Corinthians 8:4)

But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. (1 Corinthians 8:7)

But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. (1 Corinthians 8:

He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. (Romans 14:6)

It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. (Romans 14:21)

Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall. (1 Corinthians 8:13)

Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, (1 Corinthians 10:25)

So, New Testament- wise it’s basically our choice- what to eat, how much we eat, when and where to eat, as long as we abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals. Also let us not eat certain foods in presence of others which can weaken their faith because of their lack of maturity in the faith. Moreover we have all to be careful to take care of our bodies, which is the temple of God and the Holy Spirit dwells in it, so let us eat wisely.