1st Kings 17:5 So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.
Even though God has given to us the ideal diet of fruit, vegetables, nuts, and grains, yet He still takes us from where we are to take us to where we ought to be. Elijah, like many of us used to eat flesh foods and so God took him from that stage to a higher level. It is to be observed that Elijah experienced a change in his diet through the providence of God, for after the ravens had stopped bringing him a "Big Mac and fries" every morning and evening, then he was moved to a non-flesh diet. Let's read:
1st Kings 17:8 And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, 9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. 15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.
Today however, we would like to address another aspect of diet as it pertains to our health and well-being, that of eating between meals. There are many in the weight-loss industry who advocate the eating of six small meals throughout the day as an accessory to losing weight. This knowledge does not come from above and is seriously flawed, since at its core, it violates the principle of rest so often advocated in the Bible. There is absolutely no where in the scriptures where we find the Lord instructing anyone to eat six times a day. This practice does not give the stomach adequate time to digest food properly and rest, and as a result it will wear out our digestive system prematurely if we were to adopt it.
In our passage of scripture for today we see that Elijah was fed twice daily. This system was ordained by God Himself for the benefit of man, and therefore is worthy of serious consideration. The Bible must be studied "line upon line" in order for us to draw correct conclusions as to what God's will for us is, so let's search for ourselves before we adopt a system of diet that is directly contrary to what God says. Let's read:
Exodus 16:11 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God. (Two Meals)
Leviticus 6:14 And this is the law of the meat offering: the sons of Aaron shall offer it before the Lord, before the altar. 15 And he shall take of it his handful, of the flour of the meat offering, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is upon the meat offering, and shall burn it upon the altar for a sweet savour, even the memorial of it, unto the Lord. 16 And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place; in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation they shall eat it. 20 This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall offer unto the Lord in the day when he is anointed; the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a meat offering perpetual, half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night. (Two Meals)
2nd Chronicles 13:10 But as for us, the Lord is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, which minister unto the Lord, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites wait upon their business: 11 And they burn unto the Lord every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the shewbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the Lord our God; but ye have forsaken him. (Two Meals)
1st Kings 17:6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. (Two Meals)
1st Kings 19:5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee. (Two Meals)
There is absolutely no scriptural precedent or instruction encouraging the consumption of six small meals per day. The question then is, can the same or better results be achieved by adopting God's wise plan? The answer is a resounding yes. Smaller portion sizes twice a day, with five to six hours between meals will result in dramatic weight loss, if coupled together with rigorous exercise, restful sleep, water, and trust in God. As a matter of fact, it is entirely possible to lose a tremendous amount of weight, without taking any weight-loss supplements, it just requires strict discipline, a characteristic that's too often missing in our modern world. If a person burns much more fat and calories than they ingest, they must lose weight. It's just that simple.
In closing we will like to remind ourselves that God's ways and man's systems often conflict and it's only to those who put their trust in The Living God, will the promises and systems of the Bible be fulfilled. We therefore end with a text and a promise, encouraging everyone to choose the principles of God's kingdom in every area of life. Let's read:
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own "mis"understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
May this be the experience of our lives, both now and forevermore. God bless!