Yom Teruah Printable

I'm sharing a pretty printable today to get ready for Yom Teruah!

Yom Teruah is one of the most overlooked of the Hebrew holidays, in my opinion, so I thought it would be fun to make a sign to decorate with. How pretty are those watercolor ranunculous? (Courtesy of Angie Makes, love her stuff!) It is completely free for your personal use so download it and start getting ready for the Feasts!

Click here to download!

Why Daniel Refused to Eat the King's Meat

"Give us only vegetables to eat." -Daniel 1:12

Scripture regards Daniel very highly. He is described by Yahusha as, "a man greatly beloved," and YHWH specifically mentions the righteousness of Daniel along with Noah and Job (Ezekiel 14:14). He was able to interpret prophecy, pray for the return of Judah from exile, had incredible visions, prayed three times a day, and was supernaturally protected from an execution attempt. Nothing bad about Daniel is spoken of in Scripture.

And this highly regarded man spent at least part of his life as a vegetarian. Do you know why?

Maybe you have heard of the Daniel Fast. It is inspired by the events in the first chapter of the book of Daniel.

"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's food, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested to the chief of the officers permission to abstain that he might not defile himself." -Daniel 1:8

As we see a few verses later the initially hesitant officer decided to let Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah go on a vegetarian diet for ten days. Verse 15 says that after the ten days were up the officer was so impressed with the beauty and health of their faces that he put the rest of the captives on a vegetarian diet as well.

The premise of the Daniel Fast is a simple vegan diet with no dairy, meat, eggs, sugar, or alcohol for a determined amount of time in attempt to grow closer to the Messiah (and for some, lose weight or get their health back on track). I know many people who have been greatly impacted by doing the Daniel Fast, and personally many of my meals fit into these guidelines; so I'm not saying anything against participating in it.

But I do have a question: did Daniel think he was fasting?

We just read that Daniel purposed not to defile himself. The reason he requested vegetables and water wasn't so that he could 'focus on prayer' or 'grow closer to God' like many do when they start a fast. He said he didn't want to defile himself. Daniel wanted to keep Scripture's instructions about what to eat.

In ancient Babylon many animals that YHWH says not to eat were regularly consumed. Pigs, shellfish, and turtle, along with other animals (clean and unclean) were regularly eaten. While Scripture doesn't record exactly what was being served to Daniel and his friends, we can clearly see it was unclean, otherwise Daniel wouldn't have thought it would defile himself. Even if it was a clean animal that YHWH permits us to eat, like beef, there is no reason the pagan Babylonians would have been careful to drain the blood as YHWH tells us to. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah did not eat the king's meat since they didn't want to break a commandment of YHWH.

It would have been easy for them to make excuses. They were prisoners in captivity after all! But Daniel resolved not to defile himself. And YHWH and Yahusha both spoke so highly of him for it.

It can be argued that if Daniel hadn't been faithful to the dietary commandments in chapter 1 the rest of the book wouldn't have taken place. He wouldn't have been given the interpretation to Nebuchadnezzar's dream, seen visions, or been protected in the lions' den. Would Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah have worshiped the image the king set up? While I don't believe that diet alone is what made Daniel righteous, we do know that the action of keeping YHWH's commands is righteous. Daniel wouldn't have gotten credit for knowing he shouldn't eat unclean meat, it is the doing that YHWH esteems (Romans 2:13).

I do not say this to imply that vegetarianism or veganism is superior to all other diets, or the only dietary options that honor YHWH. He permits the consumption of clean meat and dairy throughout Scripture, and even specifically instructs lamb to be eaten at Passover. Daniel's option was unclean meat that Scripture says not to eat, or a vegetarian meal. The answer was easy for him, he wanted to honor YHWH and be obedient to his commands. Whether your next meal is vegetarian or not, make sure that it's one that follows Scripture's instructions.

More on Biblical eating:
Did the Messiah Declare All Foods Clean?
Understanding Peter's Vision

What is Biblically Clean Eating?

Praying Psalm 78 - That the Generations to Come Would Know the Torah

The 78th Psalm jumped out at me recently.

Give ear, o my people, to my Torah: incline your ears to the words of my mouth. (Verse 1)

For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a Torah in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children: that the final generation to come might know them, even the children who would be born, who would arise and declare them to their own children, that they might see their hope in YHWH and not forget his works, but keep his commandments. (Verse 5-7)

Let's make this our prayer shall we? That our ears would be inclined to the words of YHWH and that all the generations would know his Torah and remember his amazing works!

A prayer from Psalm 78:

YHWH, give your people ears to hear your Torah. Let us incline our ears to your words. Give us understanding and teach us who you are. Don't let us hide your words from our families and friends. Give us wisdom and creativity to share your truth in all areas of our lives. Help us to teach your word to our children, that every generation would praise you, YHWH. Let every generation know your strength and remember the wonderful works you have done, both in our lives and your mighty acts for our spiritual and physical ancestors in Scripture. Let all the generations know of your great Torah. Let the final generation to come know your Torah, your truth, and keep your commandments. Even the children who have yet to be born: let them arise and declare your word. Let us and all the generations set our hope upon you, YHWH. Don't let us forget your works and help us to keep your commandments.

More:
How to Pray for Our World + Verse on Prayer
Praying Psalm 1
Seven Simple Ways to Pray More

What does Scripture say about what we eat?

Does YHWH care what we eat? I admit this was initially a very hard idea to swallow for me. Doesn't God care more about what kind of person I am? Before you get to hung up on that question remember humanity's very first sin. Adam and Eve ate something they weren't supposed to. They were kicked out of Eden because of something they ate.

YHWH cares about every part of our lives. He gave us instructions for food for a reason. And he cares very much if we are willing to be obedient to his word.

Many teach that Yahusha “made all foods clean,” but did He?

Mark 7:19 is the verse that is used to say that, “All foods are clean.” However, that statement was added by translators who misunderstood the text. That sentence is not in original copies of the manuscript. Taking a closer look at the context of the verse helps to clarify this. Chapter 7 isn’t focused on what is being eaten; it discusses eating with unwashed hands.

We should also understand that in the Scriptures if something is not Biblically clean, then it is not called food. Nowhere in the Scriptures will we find something unclean or forbidden referred to as food.

Mark 7:5, The Pharisees and the Torah-teachers asked him, “Why don’t your disciples live in accordance with the Tradition of the Elders, but instead eat with ritually unclean hands?”

Please note: if Yahusha had in fact taught that it was okay to eat any type of meat their question would have been, “Why do you let your followers eat shrimp and bacon?” But that is not what they asked! They inquired why Yahusha and his disciples weren’t following oral tradition—doctrines of men, which required a ceremonial hand-washing before a meal. Yahusha taught that this practice was not required, as it is not written in the Torah. Yahusha never taught against YHWH's directions on what to eat. We know since he never sinned (1 Peter 2:22) he never violated any dietary commandments.

What does Scripture permit us to eat?

-Certain meats including cows, sheep, and goats.
-Milk and milk products from permitted animals.
-Fish with fins and scales. Salmon, cod, tuna, tilapia, perch, etc.
-Certain poultry including chicken, turkey, duck, goose, pigeon, and dove.
-Eggs from permitted poultry.
-Locusts, grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles.
-Fruit, vegetables, grains, and nuts.

What does Scripture tell us not to eat?
-Pigs, rabbits, camels, and horses. (Leviticus 11)

-Ostriches, eagles, bats, swans, pelicans, vultures, and herons. (Leviticus 11)

-Milk or eggs from unclean animals. (Leviticus 11)
-Blood (even from permitted animals) (Deuteronomy 12:23)
-Fat from cows, sheep, or goats. (Leviticus 7:23)
-Meat sacrificed to idols. Including 'halal' certified chicken, beef, etc. (1 Corinthians 10:28)
-Swarming insects. (Leviticus 11)
-Beef, lamb, or goat cooked with dairy. (Exodus 23:19)
-GMOs. (Leviticus 19:19)

The majority of food instructions are found in Leviticus 11, and it's a little gross. Mostly a list of things most of us would never think about eating. Bats, ravens, camels, vultures, uhh no thanks! While it's a little hard to fathom in this culture, YHWH has the same thoughts about pork and shellfish. Gross.

There is a lot of evidence to suggest that eating a lot of these unclean animals is bad for us. Be it from high levels of toxins in shellfish to trichinosis in pigs. But that is really not the point. The point is simply to follow YHWH's instructions. There is some cost to it, perhaps you'll need to give up something you've grown up eating; it takes effort to eat as Scripture instructs. It's not always easy, but it is always worth it to be obedient to the Creator.

More about what Scripture says about what we eat:
10 Times Scripture Talks About Clean Eating

Why Daniel Refused the King's Meat
How to Start Eating a Biblically Clean Diet
A Hebraic Perspective on Peter's Vision of Eating Unclean Animals