12. Where do fasting and unclean food originally come from?

Exodus 34: ²⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a Covenant with you and with Israel.”

²⁸ Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the Tablets the Words of the Covenant—the Ten Commandments.

Deuteronomy 9: ⁹ When I went up on the mountain to receive the Tablets of Stone, the Tablets of the Covenant that the Lord had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water.

¹⁰ The Lord gave me Two Stone Tablets inscribed by the Finger of GOD. On them were all the Commandments the Lord proclaimed to you on the mountain out of the Fire, on the day of the assembly.

¹¹ At the end of the forty days and forty nights, the Lord gave me the Two Stone Tablets, the Tablets of the Covenant.

Esther 4: ¹⁵ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:

¹⁶ “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susan, and Fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will Fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

¹⁷ So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.

Daniel 10: ³ I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.

⁴ On the twenty-fourth day of the First month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris,

⁵ I looked up and there before me was A MAN(JESUS) dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around His waist.

 ⁶ His body was like topaz, His face like lightning, His Eyes like flaming torches, His Arms and Legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and His Voice like the sound of a multitude.

⁷ I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves.

⁸ So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless.

1 Samuel 7: ¹⁷ But he always went back to Ramah, where his home was, and there he also held court for Israel. And he built an altar there to the Lord. (8)

⁹ Then Samuel took a suckling Lamb and Sacrificed it as a whole burnt Offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.

⁸ They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our GOD for us, that He may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.”

¹⁶ From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all those places. (7)

⁷ When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. (7)

¹³ So the Philistines were subdued and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. (4)

¹⁴ The towns from Ekron to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to Israel, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵ Samuel continued as Israel’s leader all the days of his life.

⁴ So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only. (4)

⁵ Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the Lord for you.”

⁶ When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they Fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader of Israel at Mizpah.

¹⁰ While Samuel was Sacrificing the burnt Offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites. (1)

¹¹ The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.

¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord(Jesus) has helped us.”  3 & 8

7 ¹ So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. (1)

² The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim a long time—twenty years in all.

Samuel Subdues the Philistines at Mizpah

Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord.

³ So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve Him only, and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”

Unclean food:

Leviticus 11:  ²⁶ “‘Every animal that does not have a divided hoof or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you; whoever touches the carcass of any of them will be unclean.

⁴³ Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them.

⁴⁴ I am the Lord your GOD; consecrate yourselves and be Holy, because I am Holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground.

1 Peter 1: ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

¹⁵ But just as He who called you is Holy, so be Holy in all you do;

¹⁶ for it is written: “Be Holy, because I am Holy.”

Romans 12: A Living Sacrifice

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s Mercy, to Offer your bodies as a living Sacrifice, Holy and Pleasing to GOD—this is your True and Proper Worship.

² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what GOD’s will is—His Good, Pleasing and Perfect will.

1 Corinthians 3: ¹⁷ If anyone destroys GOD’s temple, GOD will destroy that person; for GOD’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.

1 Corinthians 6: ¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from GOD? You are not your own;

²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor GOD with your bodies.

Deuteronomy 7: ¹⁵ The Lord will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but He will inflict them on all who hate you.