You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you. (Lev. 11: 8)
Expanded Passage: Leviticus 11:4-8
I developed an allergy to fish as an adult. Interestingly, this also meant I could not eat turkey that had been fed fish meal. Fish is not a natural food for turkeys, and they cannot digest it completely, so fish protein is still present in the meat of those who’ve eaten it.
Just as turkey (fish) is not good for me, there were foods that were not good for Israel. Through his instruction to Moses, God protected Israel by restricting their diet to foods that were good for them. The Lord God had their best interests in mind. He knew that not every food available to them would be beneficial.
The Lord is concerned about far more than our physical health, which is a concern only while we are here on earth. His interest in our spiritual health is ever present in his Word to us. While we have been granted the freedom to choose, we have also been told what will result from our choices. We may be permitted to choose what we believe, but not every choice available to us is beneficial to our spiritual health.
Because of my allergy to fish, I choose to eat only grain-fed turkey. I want to make healthy food choices. We can make healthy choices about our spiritual food as well. Our spiritual health can improve today by good choices.
Name one healthy spiritual choice you can make today.
Randall A. Forbes was director of plant operations at Kingswood University (Canada). He is an artist, retired minister, follower of Christ, and lover of life.
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
