Substitutes

Another thought to ponder by Dusty Sandals

Why substitute turkey bacon for real bacon?

Why substitute imitation crab for real crab?

If we are instructed by our Creator 

not to eat it

why would we want to fake it?

Why don't we just trust Him?

Is this a test of our Faith?

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I've been there, done this and ate that until I realized I didn't need to make something up to replace what Yah had already put in place. Oh, sure, now 'science' has proven pork is not good for human consumption, but why didn't we just obey Yah's instructions in the first place?

This may be a stretch, but it's what is playing out in my mind:

The 'golden calf' Incidents

They substituted a gold statue of a calf in place of YHWH. (Exodus 32:3) 

Jeroboam had temples built in Dan and Bethel while the temple in Jerusalem was still standing. In them were placed golden calves to be worshiped and he convinced the people that they didn't need to go to the temple in Jerusalem to worship Elohim. (1 Kings 12:25)

These are just a couple of examples of man taking things into his own hands for his own perceived good - instead of trusting and loving the one true Elohim and faithfully obeying His Instructions. Scriptures are a record of historical events that took place which we are to learn from so as not to make the same mistakes as our ancestors.

“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Cor 10: 11)

Even religions have become substitutes for the Truth of His Word. Oh, it may sound like Scriptures and taste a bit like Scriptures, but its not... don't be offering strange fire thinking you are pleasing Yah.

There is no substitute for YHWH

or His Instructions

Back to the topic of foods He said we could eat and those we should abstain from - trust Him to know what He's talking about - He created us and knows what we need for our health and well being.  He gave us an Owner's Manual and most folks try everything their own way before giving in and reading the Instructions.

If you did not know, here is what Yah says we can eat and should not eat, as written in Leviticus and Deuteronomy:

Animals with true hoofs (hoofs with clefts through the hoofs) AND chew the cud. The examples given for what not to eat are the camel, daman, and hare which chew the cud but do not have true hoofs. The swine has true hoofs but does not chew the cud - these are considered 'unclean'. It is alright to eat: ox, sheep, goat (domestic or wild), deer, gazelle, roebuck, ibex, antelope, mountain sheep and any other animal that has true hoofs which are cleft in two and brings up the cud: buffalo, elk, moose and beef.

Of the things that live in water, we may eat them as long as they have both fins and scales. This excludes from our menu such popular items as clams, lobster, oysters, mussels, squid and shrimp. This also excludes scallops, shark, whale, octopus, eel, swordfish and sturgeon.

I am of the mind that if you cannot see the scales on the fish without the use of a microscope then consider that particular fish unclean. Halibut, for example, have tiny scales naked to the human eye so they appear to us as not having scales... they should not be eaten. YHWH put forth His Instructions to benefit our health and well being. They didn't have microscopes or other testing equipment back then - they trusted Him - as we should in this day and age.

Birds that are not to be eaten: eagle, vulture, kite, falcons, ravens, ostrich, nighthawk, sea gulls, any hawk, owl, cormorant, pelican, bustard, stork, herons, hoopoe and bats.

It's OK to eat winged swarming things that walk on all fours and have jointed legs above their feet (hoppers) as in locust, crickets and grasshoppers.

Any animal that walks on paws, on all fours, are not on the menu. No variety of cat or canine is to be eaten. Also, we are not to eat: moles, mice, lizards of every variety or crocodiles.

We have been given every seed bearing fruit to eat and of grains of the field. Modern day 'seedless' varieties should not be eaten. I gave up one of my favorites: seedless watermelon! All genetically modified foods are off the list of things that can be eaten. They have been tampered with by man.

With all that said, in today's world the majority of our food sources have become corrupt, so sticking to Yahweh's Plan becomes even more challenging. Letting the land rest every 7th year is not being followed so over the years farming has depleted the nutritional value of the land. The food it produces is lacking in vitamins and minerals and what is being added (supplements) isn't nearly enough. I've read that almost all corn is now genetically modified. Seeds have been engineered that produce food that does not 'go to seed'. There are hybrid foods such as beets, carrots and potatoes as well as seedless varieties of apples, bananas, dates, pineapple and grapes. There is an evil plan behind this but that will have to be a study unto itself later on.

It is always easier to go with the flow than to come out of tradition, habits and falsehoods.  When the Hebrews along with the mixed multitude were set free from Pharaoh and their life of slavery in Egypt and began their journey towards the Promised Land, even they began to long for the conveniences they had in Egypt and were ready to give up their freedom to go back to the way they were.

Numbers 11:5 ~ We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna…

(Remember when we use to eat bacon & shrimp & crab? beefalo? seedless grapes & watermelon? pork chops and applesauce? Now that we know these are not of Yah's menu there's nothing tasty to eat. I know! Let's create something that tastes like pork but isn't really pork! Let's pretend!)

Ezekiel 20:21 ~ But the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to observe My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live; they profaned My sabbaths. So I resolved to pour out My wrath on them, to accomplish My anger against them in the wilderness.

And for what purpose?

Deuteronomy 8:2 ~ You shall remember all the way which YHWH your Elohim has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

Here is an edited quote from commentary by Matthew Henry:

They were tired of the food provision Yah had made for them. It cost them no money, and it took little work to gather the manna, yet they talked of Egypt, and the fish they ate there freely; as if that cost nothing, when in reality they paid dearly for it with a life of hard labor! They could not be satisfied unless they had meat to eat. It is evidence of the dominion of the carnal mind when we want to have the "delights and satisfaction of sense". We should not desire the things YHWH did not allow for us.  (end quote)

Look at ourselves today seeking the 'king's dainties' as we disregard the provisions made for us by our Creator.  I realize that the day will come when He restores all things, but I would rather be on the right track now in preparation for the times to come in the meantime.  Food is an idol for some and others make a living off it. I am not against collecting recipes but turning food into a form of art is elevating it way beyond its intended use for us. And pretending we're eating bacon is just wrong. There was just one tree off-limits to Adam and Eve and look what happened. Same thing is happening now.

Stop doubting the Word of Elohim. Take His Instructions seriously and live by them. Coming out of Egypt wasn't the end of something, it was the beginning.  For each one of us who heed the call to come out of the world system it is a beginning - the start of something new and wonderful in the Name of our Creator.  Don't hesitate to do what is right in His Eyes.

Click here to go to my study: Clean or Unclean

Quoted from Mike Clayton

B'resheet is the Hebrew word for
"In the beginning"

The account of Genesis begins with how the heavens and the earth were created. Scripture tells us that it took six days for all the work to be done. At the end of those six days, Our Creator gave everyone a day off, including Himself. The world, the creatures and even the people were perfect in that day. It was a life you and I can only dream of, but never fully understand. It is a time we long to be restored to.

Into perfection came a lie from the enemy which when accepted by Eve brought doubt into her mind. Until this time she had never wondered for a moment if Yahweh really had done what He had said. In those cool-of-the-evening conversations she had just accepted the how and why He had created everything. Why should she have any doubts, because after all He was the only one she knew who had been there and witnessed these things.

When satan came to Eve his trickery was not about getting her to eat a piece of fruit, it was to plant a seed of doubt in her spirit. It was to make her doubt the words of her Creator. The words, "Did Elohim really say?" would not only cause her to eat of forbidden fruit, they would cause her and all her descendants to forever ask the question, "Did He really say?" It is a question which still plagues His family today.

No other passage of scripture has been picked apart and ridiculed as much as Genesis One. In this chapter we read of the creation of the heavens, the earth and all that is in them. We read the order of creation and the astounding words that it was done in six days. We then count from this time period using subsequent scripture and find all this was accomplished about six thousand years ago! Could that really be so? Could He really mean it as He states it here? Is this not merely code language for six million days or maybe six billion years? Did He really mean what He said? "Did He really say?"

Men have done their best through the years using junk science and fuzzy logic to ridicule and prove wrong the words of Genesis One. They have come up with evolution (which makes a monkey out of them), big bang theories and any number of ridiculous thoughts to place doubt in the words of Scripture. This so called teaching has produced a generation of Godless thought and Godless actions in the world around us.

Now you can call me simple if you desire, but I choose to read Genesis One the same as I do all of scripture. I choose to read it and believe it just as it is written. I am of the opinion that if Yahweh had meant six thousand or six billion years that is what He would have written. If He had chosen to bring us from slime ponds and monkeys that is what He would have said. If He had used a big bang, He would have told us so.

But “What is the difference?” you may ask. “Is it really important to believe Genesis one the way it is written?” “What about science today?” Let me take these one at a time.

Does it make a big difference how we treat the words of Genesis One? I believe the answer is a resounding, “Yes!” The attitude you take toward the first chapter is the attitude that will direct your thoughts through the rest of Scripture. If you have doubts about the first chapter, it would be safe to say you are still walking in that same doubt when you get to the words of Revelation. The only difference is the seed of doubt will have now been able to grow into a full size tree of doubt.

What about science today? Scientists today break their own rules when it comes to the creation of the world. In order for a scientific principle to be called true, it must be observed by the scientist. We do have some old scientists around today, but not one of them is six thousand years old. The only One we have Who was around at the time of creation states the world was created in six days and records it as being about six thousand years old. He is the only eyewitness we have. I choose to believe the One Who was there!

Through the years scientists have changed their theories and books every few years. Every time they are proven wrong, they simply come up with another theory to get them through to the next blunder. The Word of Yahweh has never been proven wrong nor has it ever needed a revision. What He said has always proven the test of time and always will.

Today, we may not understand all that went on during the days of creation, but one thing we have a choice in. We have a choice to begin our time in scripture with faith or with doubt, with faith in His Words, or with doubt based upon man’s words. The choice we make today will affect us from the very first chapter to the very last. (End Quote)

Update 09/11/2018 ~ I am keeping this quote because it is a great lesson, but I no longer follow the teachings of Mike Clayton.  He has gone the way of many other popular teachers who, after realizing that Torah was for everyone and reveals the Hebrew Roots of our Faith, have gone 'Jewish' by following the traditions of man.