What is sinful eating?
Sinful eating in a simple term, can be seen as a situation where a person’s intake of food items is inappropriate and not according to certain standards set by the bible.
Eating food is not sinful, but when food is eaten inappropriately that is when it can become sinful. There are eating habits that constitute inappropriate eating which are either directly or indirectly stated in the bible.
Is my eating sinful?
God commanded us to eat in the bible, in fact, there are places in the bible where eating was given to man as a commandment. Deuteronomy 14:23, “Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always.” On another occasion, God commanded the Israelites to bring out their tithes and offer them to the neder and foreigners, so that they may eat, Deuteronomy 26: 12, “When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied.”
God wants us to eat and he provides for us just as He provides for other living creatures He made. Food is so essential to our existence that God made a miracle to provide manna for the Israelites in the wilderness. Exodus 16: 35 “The Israelites ate manna for forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.” Therefore , it is not a sin to eat, but we can make our eating sinful as we shall see before the end of this article.
What can make my eating sinful?
Sinful eating can come in a few ways. To start with, let us not forget that God commanded us to eat, and He in that commandment, He added saying: “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you,” Deuteronomy 8: 10. This goes to tell us that God does not only want us to eat, He wants us to eat and be satisfied. Nevertheless, in as much as God wants us to eat and be satisfied, we have to be careful lest we fall victim to an inappropriate eating habit that can be sinful.
Below are habits that can constitute sinful eating.
When you eat without acknowledging God who had given you the food.
The bible passage we quoted above, God tells us that, when we have eaten and are satisfied, we should praise the Lord our God for the food and for the good land he has given to us. That is why grace after a meal is very important. Saying a prayer after a meal to thank God for the food we have eaten shows that we appreciate the blessings of God in our lives, and that we recognise Him as our provider. This is like when we say “Thank you” to someone who has done us a favor. The simple thank you we say tells the person we are grateful, and that can cause them to do more for us. Not thanking God after eating can be sinful, it shows we are not grateful and that we do not recognise God as our provider.
When we eat things in disproportion or in excess
The bible categorically states in the book of Proverbs 25:27 saying: “It is not good to eat too much honey…”, eating can become sinful when you eat things in excess. It is good to take anything in moderation. A little this, a little that. Do not be greedy in eating, or eat to finish everything in one bout. The portion of the bible cited above says: It is not good to eat too much honey, yes! Honey is good, it is medicinal but it can be harmful when taken in excess. It can be a sinful meeting when we eat anything to the point that we are rushed to the emergency room, to avoid sinful eating, we need to always eat in moderation and when necessary.
Eating things that can be harmful to our health or spiritual wellbeing.
The bible devoted a whole chapter to discuss animals that may and may not be eaten, Leviticus 11. The Lord that created the animals gave us instruction on the animals that may and may not be eaten, he also stated that eating those animals that he proclaimed ritually unclean will contaminate us spiritually. Eating those animals will amount to sinful eating. God is a spirit, and He knows why he commanded us not to eat certain animals. God also commanded us not to eat blood, and we have come to understand that blood contains several kinds of pathogens that can be harmful to our health. Eating anything that can be harmful to our health is also sinful eating.
Craving for unnecessary foods
The Israelites were punished by God in the wilderness because they craved meat that they did not need. They ate the food and it became a sin to them. Food is meant to be eaten so as to gain energy from it. In the bible, Elijah was fed food that he may gain energy for the journey ahead 1 Kings 19: 7. He ate what was necessary to keep him alive and active. In the wilderness, the Israelites needed food to eat when they were hungry, God made a miracle and manna fell from heaven for them. They ate and rejoiced in the Lord. But when they craved meat, which was not necessary, they were fed meat by God and were punished for that. Craving unnecessarily for food can lead to sinful eating. Sometimes, that’s what makes some kids steal, because they want to satisfy their craves, that too contributes to impulse buying in adults.
Is my eating sinful?
To answer this question, one needs to evaluate the points explained above that can lead to sinful eating. If your eating causes you to be guilty of the points listed above, then your eating is likely sinful. See what you can do about it.
Is it a sin to eat meat?
The bible did not say it is a sin to eat meat, but there are meats that God commanded His people not to eat, certain animals and animals that are prepared in certain ways. Read Leviticus 11 from verse one to the last verse to learn about that.
I hope this article has given you some insight and understanding on sinful eating, your thoughts are welcome in the comment section.
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