Kashrut: To Eat or Not to Eat (1 Tim 4:1-5)

Dr. Paul Manuel—2020

 Text:

1 Tim 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

Outline:

      I.    There will be opposition against the godly (vv. 1-2).
            A.    It will come from the supernatural realm.
            B.    It will come from the natural realm.

Application: Like man, “the devil and his angels” will receive punishment from God for their sin (Matt 25:41).

     II.    There will be legislation against the godly (v.v. 3-5).
            A.    It will distort God’s creation.
            B.    It will distort God’s intention.
                    1.    Marriage is forbidden.
                    2.    Diet is restricted.

Application: Realize that your encouragement of another person may be what keeps him from error and prevents him from succumbing to a lie (Titus 1:9).

Introduction: God’s laws are immutable not malleable, not adjustable to fit man’s situation and preference.[1]

A Jew who loves to barbeque moves into a Catholic neighborhood just as Lent is beginning, a forty-day period when Catholics eat no beef, only fish. The Jew barbeques every evening, mostly steaks and hamburgers. It is tortuous for the Catholics to smell the aroma of grilling meat during their restricted diet, so they appeal to the priest for help with this culinary torment. The priest approaches the Jew and, after considerable discussion, convinces him to become a Catholic [= the first absurdity], with the understanding that he will no longer eat meat during Lent. After sprinkling holy water on the man, the priest says, “You were once a Jew; now you are a Catholic. [= the second absurdity]

      The next evening, the smell of grilling beef again wafts through the area. The neighbors complain to the priest, who asks the new convert why he is doing this during Lent. The convert explains, “I just sprinkled some water and used the same pronouncement you used: ‘You were once a cow; now you are a fish!” [= the third absurdity]

God’s laws are immutable not malleable, not adjustable to fit man’s situation and preference. This is true of all His laws, including the ones governing diet, although some false teachers think otherwise.

Background: When the people of Israel leave Egypt for the Promised Land, God makes the second in a series of six covenants with them (Manuel 2011a), contracts that outline how this people relates to this deity. The first contract God makes is the simplest; it is with Abraham and establishes the practice of circumcision:

This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. (Gen 17:10)

The second contract God makes is the most detailed; it is with the nation of Israel and includes over 600 laws on all aspects of life, covering all sectors of society. Keeping these covenants is essential for Israel to have a proper relationship with the Lord.[2]

     The second contract/covenant includes laws to govern various aspects of life. Some laws are for particular occupations (e.g., farmers, priests). Other laws are for particular activities (e.g., sacrifices, holidays). These activities include what the people may eat (Manuel 2013, 2017), and the “other white meat” is not on God’s menu:[3] “The pig…is unclean for you” (Lev 11:7).

     The devil’s minions are rarely content to leave God’s people alone, be they Jews or gentiles. Here, Satan launches an offensive through his surrogates, some false teachers, who attempt to influence parishioners in Timothy’s congregation. Paul warns his young protégé…

      I.    There will be opposition against the godly (vv. 1-2).

1 Tim 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

     One of the signs that history is winding down is the rise of alternative voices, people who lobby for a different perspective than the one God presents.

            A.    It will come from the supernatural realm.

     The source of these notions is what Paul means when he writes to the Ephesian church, which is facing a similar problem:

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph 6:12).

“The spiritual forces of evil” do not operate alone. Satan has surrogates, followers who adopt and promote his agenda. Opposition to the godly comes from more than the supernatural realm, but the ultimate source of that resistance is the same and to which Christians must be alert because “your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8).

            B.    It will come from the natural realm.

     There are people who wittingly or unwittingly support Satan’s agenda, who have given the devil some “foothold” (Eph 4:27) in life. They do the devil’s bidding by advancing his interests,[4] and they will find themselves on the losing side in the end if they persist.

Application: Do not look for the forces of evil under every rock or blame them for your own bad behavior, like Flip Wilson’s excuse “The devil made me do it.”[5] Do not give Satan more credit than he deserves. Unlike God, the devil is not omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, or omni anything. He is created like everything and everyone else. Satan cannot read your mind, although he can read your actions, and respond to them with temptations that test your resolve.[6] Nevertheless, Paul says the devil “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Cor 11:14). He employs tactics that are attractive but deceptive, which may be why Ezekiel describes him in gemstone terms:

You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. (Ezek 28:13)

Such effusive language may describe the devil’s state before his fall, when he leads many angels in rebellion against God. Nevertheless, like man, “the devil and his angels” (Matt 25:41) will receive punishment from God for their sin:

Eternal fire [is] prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matt 25:41)

Their future is surely not one you should envy. Unlike man, who has two options, there is only one path for the devil and his angels, and their company is what you should avoid at all costs.[7]

     Paul wants Timothy to realize there will be opposition to the young minister’s efforts. More than that, Paul wants Timothy to realize…

     II.    There will be legislation against the godly (vv. 3-5).

1 Tim 4:3 [These false teachers] forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

     Forbidding marriage ensures a new movement will die out quickly, and abstaining “from certain foods” (v. 3), especially what God does not already prohibit, trends toward asceticism. This is the doctrine of Gnosticism. “The Gnostics teach that all matter is evil; only spirit is good” (Earle 1978:371). What these individuals advocate is damaged, the product of “consciences…seared as with a hot iron” (v. 1).

            A.    It will distort God’s creation.

     In the beginning, God institutes marriage and expects that a man and woman will join together to form a family, a practice Jesus affirms:

A man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. (Matt 19:5)

Marriage plays an important role in the first couple’s relationship and serves as the model for couples thereafter.

     Also in the beginning, God establishes clear dietary instructions, instructions that expand after the flood:

[Before the flood] God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” (Gen 1:29)

[After the flood] “Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.” (Gen 9:3)

In other words, man’s diet is completely open now. A person may eat whatever he wishes, but God’s people have some restrictions (e.g., no pork). (This is contra Earle 1978:372, who erroneously thinks Israelite dietary laws are abrogated, a view common among many Christians, although they need not care about something that does not apply to them.)

            B.    It will distort God’s intention.

     It is important that man, no matter how free he is, be attentive to God’s wishes. As Paul writes elsewhere:

Be careful…that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block. (1 Cor 8:9)

…and…

Do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. (Gal 5:13)

These false teachers advocate otherwise.

                     1.    Marriage is forbidden.

     God’s reason for instituting marriage is, in part, to provide a proper setting for sexual intimacy:

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. (Matt 19:5)

By eliminating marriage, these false teachers would either prevent procreation or consign all sexual activity to illicit liaisons.

     Only Paul enjoins celibacy, and never at the risk of society’s survival (i.e., zero population growth). Rather, his counsel targets a specific portion of society (young singles):[8]

If they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. (1 Cor 7:9)

Marriage has always been the norm for most people, as it is today, contrary to these false teachers who would prohibit it.

                    2.    Diet is restricted.

     In the beginning, man is an herbivore, eating only what he grows or what he finds on trees, and the Lord instructs Adam about what his diet should be:

God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.” (Gen 1:29)

At this point, man is a vegetarian.

     After the flood, man may eat meat, and with no dietary restrictions. In fact, he may eat whatever he wants (e.g., shellfish):[9]

Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. (Gen 9:3)

At this point, man is an omnivore.[10]

     But not everything man may eat is good for him or promotes his spiritual health, so God places restrictions on His people’s diet after the exodus. For example:

The pig…is unclean to you…. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them. I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. (Lev 11:7, 43-44)

Man is still an omnivore but with some limitations. God tells His people what they should not eat, and these prohibitions become the basis for Israel’s dietary laws. God’s purpose for these restrictions is to promote His people’s sanctification, their devotion to Him in all things, even in such seemingly minor matters as diet. In fact, no matter is minor that concerns obedience to God.[11]

     What these false teachers in 1 Timothy promote is more restrictive than what God permits to gentiles, who have unlimited sources for food, and more restrictive than what God prohibits to Jews, who already have limited sources for food.[12] In other words, what these men advocate is out of line with what God advocates, for both gentiles and Jews.[13]

Application: In the 1970s there were several pseudo-Christian cults, groups that peddled false Christian doctrine and attracted many young followers. They often imposed restrictions that went beyond anything scripture promoted.

     The primary distinction of these cults was often a deficient view of God (e.g., considering Jesus to be less than deity). Most of these groups died out or at least suffered contraction with the passing of their founders (e.g., Victor Paul Wierwille [d. 1985] and The Way International, Sun-Myung Moon [d. 2012] and The Unification Church[14]). Some older established groups remain, like Mormonism (Latter Day Saints) and Jehovah’s Witnesses, but they also espouse aberrant beliefs (Manuel 1990, 2009).

     You must be aware of such deviant groups and be prepared to refute them, not necessarily by understanding their doctrine but by understanding your own beliefs, as Paul admonishes both Timothy and Titus:

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction (2 Tim 4:2).

Encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:9)

Admittedly, this is not easy and presupposes that you grasp the fundamentals of what you believe. But for someone else, your grasp of basic doctrine and the courage to communicate it may make the difference between life and death, between spending eternity with God or eternity apart from God. Realize that your encouragement of another person may be what keeps him from error and prevents him from succumbing to a lie.

Conclusion: In this first letter to Timothy, Paul tells the young minister about the resistance he will encounter as he promotes the gospel among Jews and gentiles. Some people will oppose his message, preferring to substitute their own opinions about what God expects (e.g., regarding marriage and diet), and Timothy will need to refer to God’s clear revelation, including His revelation to Jews about “Kashrut: To Eat or Not to Eat.” So it is with you when questions arise about God’s expectations. “Lean not on your own understanding” (Prov 3:5), but depend on His revelation for clarity and consistency.

Bibliography

Earle, Ralph

     1978    “1, 2 Timothy.” The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 11. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House.

Lewis, C.S.

     1969    The Best of C.S. Lewis. Washington, D.C.: Canon Press.

Manuel, Paul http://paulwmanuel. blogspot.com

     1990  “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormonism).”

     2007  “The Practices of Covenant Review and Covenant Renewal and Their Relation to the New Covenant.”

     2009  “Doctrinal Differences of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

     2011a “A Study of Law and Grace: Finding the Proper Balance.”

     2011b “Is the Sabbath a Universal Requirement?”

     2013  “Diet: A Demonstration of Depravity or Devotion.”

     2017  “Food for Thought.”

Rosen, Moishe

     1974    Jews for Jesus. Old Tappan: Fleming H. Revell Company.

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[1]This is one of my favorite jokes, because it illustrates the absurdity that often attends Jewish evangelism. That is, Jews do not need to become gentile Christians (contra Rosen 1974) to have a relationship with God. Moreover, the revelation (commandments) God gave to Israel does not expire, although the people’s commitment to those commandments does occasionally wane and need renewal (Manuel 2007). Judaism is not deficient because Jews do not recognize Jesus as the messiah; Christianity is deficient (i.e., a presentation of it) that does not recognize God’s abiding revelation to Jews. I owe this insight in part to my father who, although not a theologian, recognized that Jews have a unique role in God’s program and do not need to be converted to gentile Christianity.

[2]Paul recognizes the abiding relevance of circumcision. Hence, he has Timothy circumcised because of his maternity. His mother was a Jewess, and ancestry passes through that line:

Acts 16:1 He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. 2 The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

Paul does not apply the same rite to a protégé who is not Jewish:

Gal 2:3 Not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.

This distinction accords with Paul’s belief that gentiles do not need to become Jews (i.e., convert to Judaism) to be saved, which also accords with the Jerusalem Council:

Acts 15:5 Some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.” 6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question…. 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

The irony is that the church subsequently adopts the opposite view, that Jews need to become gentiles to be saved (as the opening anecdote illustrates). What all believers need to realize is that the law is a whole cloth, and circumcision is just part of it:

Rom 2:25 Circumcision has value if you observe the law.

1 Cor 7:19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts.

Gal 5:3 Every man who lets himself be circumcised…is obligated to obey the whole law.

Consequently, the law is not a smorgasbord from which gentile Christians can choose what appeals to them. Some do this, for example, by enshrining the Decalogue as a universal mean (usually just nine of the ten)—most Christians eschew the fourth command—but the Lord directs the Decalogue (all ten commands) to Israel:

Exod 20:1 God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

The NT does not use convert (prosh/luton) to describe a Jew who comes to Jesus, only a gentile. In fact, conversion is always to Judaism never to Christianity:

Matt 23:15 You travel over land and sea to win a single convert.

Acts 2:11 Both Jews and converts to Judaism

Acts 6:5 Nicolas [was] a convert to Judaism.

Acts 13:43 Many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas.

[3]The context of Jesus’ statement where he declares “all foods clean” (Mark 7:19) is a discussion among Pharisees about eating with ceremonially unclean hands, and the possibility that such action renders the food those hands touch ceremonially unclean. There is no question among the conversates about what constitutes (acceptable) food, and swine does not meet that criterion. Jews who claim to serve God yet who eat pork are “an obstinate people”:

Isa 65:2 All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people… 4 …who eat the flesh of pigs.

Moreover, their actions are “abominable” in God’s estimation, a condition on par with eating rats (which are also not kosher):

Isa 66:17 Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following the one in the midst of those who eat the flesh of pigs and rats and other abominable things—they will meet their end together,” declares the LORD.

[4]Unlike angels, who are loyal to God and support His program, there is no reason to assume demons have the same devotion to Satan. Their Fall already shows a divided loyalty, and their opposition to God may be all that unites them.

Matt 25:41 He will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

[5]It is important that we take responsibility for our actions and not attempt to foist blame elsewhere:

Jms 1:13 Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

2 Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each for his sin, one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

[6]C.S. Lewis’s book Screwtape Letters (1969) describe how the forces of evil may attempt to manipulate the believer.

[7]In eternity, the punishment of the wicked will be public, visible to the righteous as well:

Luke 17:23 In hell, where [the rich man] was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.

Rev 14:10 [They] will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.

Rev 21:8The cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. ()

In the end, there are only two conditions, salvation and condemnation, which is why it is important to decide now, before the end, which condition you will choose, because “man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Heb 9:27).

[8]Paul’s counsel may reflect his understanding about God’s timetable, especially concerning the imminence of Jesus’ return:

Phil 4:5 The Lord is near.

[9]This blanket permission is unlike the restrictions God places on His people’s diet which excludes many foods common today:

Lev 11:12 Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be detestable to you.

In this prohibition God’s people emulate the attitude of God Himself, who regards some of what He prohibits as detestable (n. 3). Some T.V. shows capitalize on exotic foods, the stranger the more interesting (e.g., “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern”).

[10]God may expand man’s diet to ensure that he gets proper nutrition, a vegetarian diet now somewhat depleted after the flood.

[11]Gentiles are not under the same dietary obligations as Jews, but neither should gentiles be oblivious to God’s concerns about such matters, especially when they reflect His opinion (n. 3). Like the Sabbath, God invites all men to keep it, but does not require all men to keep it. Observing the Sabbath is optional not obligatory for gentiles (Manuel 2011b) unlike its requirement for Jews. A gentile’s observing the Sabbath can bring insight into the mind of Him who commands it for Jews. In the same way, attention to one’s diet can help a gentile appreciate what it means to commit all of his life to God’s control, even what he may regard as a minor aspect:

Isa 56:2 Blessed is the man…who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it…. 6 Foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord… 7 I will bring to My holy mountain and give them joy in My house of prayer. 8 The Sovereign Lord declares—He who gathers the exiles of Israel: “I will gather still others to them besides those already gathered.”

[12]God does not explain His dietary restrictions for Israel, only that they are necessary for His people’s sanctification:

Lev 11:8 You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you…. 45 I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore, be holy, because I am holy.

Sanctity is the goal of God’s laws for Israel, and the nation’s dietary laws in particular demonstrate the people’s devotion to Him. God’s people, even those who should know better, do not always heed His instruction:

Luke 8:34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside.

Luke 15:15 He went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything

[13]Timothy is a Jew, unlike Titus, and, therefore, is subject to God’s laws to Israel (e.g., circumcision):

Acts 16:3 Paul wanted to take [Timothy] along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek [but that his mother was a Jewess].

Gal 2:3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, [because] he was a Greek.

Matronage not patronage determines lineage. Thus, Timothy is a Jew but Titus is not. Therefore, Timothy’s diet may be different from some of his parishioners, if his congregation includes both Jews and gentiles. Moreover, the additional part of Paul’s instruction about circumcision (n. 2) makes clear that people must consider all God has revealed. Paul takes a wholistic approach to obedience. It must include all God has said.

[14]The Unification Church does not forbid marriage, quite the opposite. It promotes (pre-arranged) marriage and organizes mass events (“blessing ceremonies”), but with Moon and his wife as its most prominent figures, as parents to all of humanity.