And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, 'These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.'" (Leviticus 11:1-2, ESV)
Sitting at the kitchen table with untied shoes, Billy chafed at another day of eating what his mother had told him. His stomach screamed for Lucky Charms, but the plate in front of him housed scrambled eggs. A DEFCON 1 moment, Billy dug down deep, yelled in defiance, and threw his breakfast to the floor.
Most children know the experience of a regulated diet. Good parents realize their kids don't yet have the maturity required to make healthy nutritional choices. As the adult in the room, they give proper guidance and boundaries until the child becomes able to adopt them as his own.
Our Father in heaven knows what we should consume. God gave ancient Israel dietary guidelines and restrictions long before the FDA came around. And, though Christ has fulfilled the law and set us free from that ceremonial menu, we can peruse the Old and New Testaments for the moral dietary standards God has prescribed.
As we look into his word, we can find out what's healthy for us (and what isn't). He is our good Father, and he knows what should fuel us. And God goes beyond taste buds; he knows what our eyes, ears, and bodies can and should handle.
But will we allow him—as Israel did so many years ago—to regulate our diet? Will we consult him about what we listen to, what we watch, or where we go? Or will we throw our plates on the floor?
