HULDAH MINISTRY

No,56　　Jun. 26th 2000

　　　【 BIBLICAL DIET 】

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. …Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility - young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. … The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. … But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself in this way. Now God had caused the official to show favour and sympathy to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men of your age? The king would then have my head because of you." Daniel then said, … "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see. So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
Daniel 1:1~16.

A nutrition consultant Dr.Tessler claims: 'There are cultures that are virtually free of cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, arthritis, PMS, and many other ailments that are considered common in America. These cultures that follow lifestyles proven to promote health should be the standard of wellness promoted by all doctors, nutritionists, and dieticians. … Such healthy culture include the traditional Chinese and Japanese, the Vilcambambas of Ecuador, the Hunzakuts of Kashimir, the traditional Bulgarians, the Abkhazians of Georgian Russia, the Yucatan and Chihuahua Indians of Mexico and the Greek people from the island of Crete. Civilization and affluence bring with them the "king's delicacies" of high fat, refined sugars, and animal protein. As countries and cultures move from poverty to prosperity, infectious disease and malnutrition replaced by the "diseases of civilization"- heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity.' As a result of a five year (from 1983 to 1988) comprehensive joint study on diet and health by Cornell University in the United States, the Chinese Academics of Preventative Medicine and Medical Sciences and Oxford University, the biblical diet has been proven to be the best. However, this finding is not new; it had already been confirmed in Babylon almost 2600 years ago, in Daniel's day. Daniel, a God-fearing devout Jew abstained from the pagan king's choice of food and wine and resorted to a vegetarian diet instead, because he suspected that the food might first have been offered to idols on a pagan alter. Such food was considered defiled in the Mosaic Law. Indeed, among pagans, so-called ceremonially unclean animals such as pigs were being eaten. We now have scientific evidence that a plant-based diet consisting of carbohydrates and fiber is much better for man's health than the more appetizing, fatty food offered on the king's table! Leviticus 3:16~17 says: ' All the fat is the LORD's. … You must not eat any fat or any blood,' though the burning smell of fat might have been attractive and tempting as to be described as "an aroma pleasing to the LORD' (Lev. 3:5, :16) Our omniscient God who knew everything, far before science could prove it, had directed Daniel with divine wisdom and insight.
The joint study has revealed many exciting facts:
1. It negated one of the previous scientific thoughts that too much fiber hinders the digestion and absorption of minerals. Instead, the blood of Chinese, who consumed more than three times as much fiber per day than Americans, was found to retain sufficient levels of zinc, calcium, magnesium and even iron,
2. The Chinese consume less calcium than Americans but less are afflicted by osteoporosis. Their calcium comes primarily from plant sources such as leafy green vegetables and whole-grain cereals, rather than animal sources such as milk and cheese. The fact implies that "the greater the protein intake, the greater the loss of calcium"!
3. High animal protein diets increase the serum cholesterol levels and promote the development of tumor growth and liver cancer.
4. Increasing the consumption of plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole-grain cereals will lessen the risks of various chronic degenerative diseases such as arthritis, arteriosclerosis, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer and obesity.

Another recent Mediterranean study has revealed the excellence of "Olive oil" along with whole-grain cereals, beans, nuts, vegetables, and fruits. Much less people living the Mediterranean Sea have been found to be afflicted by heart disease. Only eight percent of the calories consumed by people in the island of Crete were from "Saturated fat", because of their low intake of meat and dairy products. Olive oil, which contains the highest percentage of "Monounsaturated fatty acids" (77%), apparently contributes to the building of healthy glands, hormones and vitamin E. It can be defined as the finest and most nutritious of all the vegetable oils. It is fascinating to know how much the Bible valued olive, in a wide variety of usage; as food, for the purpose of consecration and ordination of the priests, as the bread offering in the Temple, as fuel of eternal lamps in the Tabernacle, for the purpose of anointing of the sick, and as medicine. Olive boughs were used to build booths during the feast of Tabernacles. Significantly, this precious tree is used as symbols of friendship, peace, prosperity and righteousness throughout the Bible. For example, 'I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever' (Psa.52:8). Another characteristic of olive which is worth mentioning, is its enormous survival power within. Its strength is such a conspicuous feature that even when it has been cut down, new shoots spring up from the root, with as many as five more trunks coming out. This nature of olive is well pictured in Ps. 128:1~4: 'Blessed are all who fears the LORD, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labour; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots round your table. Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD.' (Line added) Olive is also used as a symbol of Israel and Judah, for example, prophet Jeremiah said, addressing Judah, 'The LORD called you a thriving olive tree with fruit beautiful in form.' (Jer. 11:16)

There is another report that food in healthy cultures are well in line with the biblical diet. Those who live over a hundred years in good health, have some nutritional habits in common. They were all moderate vegetable eaters with only very little meat and dairy products, poor but happy, and worked a lot outside. Most of them stayed away from smoking and alcohol and ate only when they were hungry. Furthermore, last but not least, they placed great importance on families, relatives, neighbours and communities. 'We can not expect health in our bodies while we continue to eat man-made foods that are pleasant to the eyes and pleasant to our perverted taste buds, but have no nutritional value. When we sow to our fleshly desires (appetite) in the food area, we will reap poor health and premature death. Mankind doesn't just "happen" to get sick; there is a cause for every effect. … You will discover, as both Moses and Caleb did, that following God's dietary principles will help keep you healthy and strong in your old age' (Gordon S. Tessler, The Genesis Diet, Be Well Publications). This is Dr. Tessler's interpretation of Paul's warning in Galatians 6:1, 7~8 in conjunction with man-made deceptive foods: 'Brothers, … But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. … Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.'
God has entrusted man with care of one's own body. At the end man must give an account of how one's body has been used for the sake of the Lord; indulgently, rigorously, arbitrarily or with discipline, and so on? Especially for the Christians, we are not our own any longer but 'a temple of the Holy Spirit ', because 'we were bought at a price ' by God. We are all responsible for keeping God's property with respect and care in our lives.

Thought of the Month……….

In Rom11, Paul explained that Israel stumbled over the revelation of Jesus at His First Coming but this thankfully resulted in the Gentiles receiving the grace of salvation and that in the end all Israel faithful to God's promises will be restored to the original blessings. He argues that if Israel rises up once more in her fullness and maturity, in response to the revelation of Jesus, how wonderful it will be and that it will be likened to resurrection. Using a powerful allegory of "Ingrafted Branches", he explains that the rejection of the Jews is only temporary. This allegory contains an amazing paradox within it: 'Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! … If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, through a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and mow share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in," Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. … After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, know much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!' (Rom. 11:11~24) The fruit of the olive in its wild state is small and worthless, however, if grafted into a wild plant, it becomes prolific. Accordingly, an ordinary farmer would use this procedure to obtain higher productivity and quality. In other words, a farmer would never do the reverse, i.e., graft a wild branch into a cultivated precious stock, because if this is done, it means that only small, wild olives, far inferior in quality, would be produced, as the wild branch undeservedly saps all nutrition from the cultivated plant. However, contrary to nature, Paul argues, God chose the latter, unnatural way and paradoxically worked out His salvation to the Gentiles (a wild olive branch) through the Jews (a cultivated olive stock). Thus, as God has led the Gentiles to salvation through Jews as "hosts", so the Gentiles will also be used as the agents for the restoration of the Jews. However, this time, the cultivated branch will go back in its original place very easily. In this allegory, it is apparent that the Church is not the "New Israel" or "Spiritual Israel". There is no indication of such an idea that the Church has replaced Israel due to her rejection of Messiah Jesus. Although the Jews were removed from God's grace for a while because of their unbelief and had to experience hardship, they will completely be restored to their promised blessings through their faith again. We Gentiles cannot help but appreciate God's amazing grace, His paradoxical way of salvation for us, can we? It is made possible now for all of us who believe in Jesus to be included in His kingdom as well as faithful Israel. Paul's doxology might now hit home: ' Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" "Who has ever given to God, that God should replay?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen.'(Rom.11:33~36)

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This month a money gift has been sent to FREDERIC's Ministry in Kenya. He is going on a 7week mission at Kabuma refugee camp on 1st June. There, refugees from Burundi (his country), Rwanda, Congo, Sudan, Somalia and others are living together. Most of them are Muslims. There are also people living a primitive life in the surrounding famine-stricken area. Pray for the Lord's work being done through the mission's ministry to them and also for their protection in such a hot desert-like area.
Another money gift has been sent to MARY JANE in the Philippines. Pray for the Lord's continual blessings and guidance to her ministry to the children in poverty-stricken areas. She has just finished a month's Daily Vacation Bible School and she needs more helpers who will teach them primary education. Pray for God's perfect provision with financial aids, people and her physical strength.

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