Topical Encyclopedia Biblical ContextThe allowance for humanity to consume animal flesh is a significant development in the biblical narrative, occurring after the Flood during the covenant God establishes with Noah. This event is recorded in the Book of Genesis, which serves as the foundational text for understanding the relationship between God, humanity, and the created order. Scriptural Reference The specific permission for humans to eat meat is found in Genesis 9:3-4 : "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you all things. But you must not eat meat with its lifeblood still in it." Pre-Flood Dietary Instructions Prior to the Flood, the diet of humanity, as outlined in Genesis 1:29 , was strictly plant-based: "Then God said, 'Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food.'" This indicates that the original divine intention for human sustenance was vegetarian, aligning with the peaceful and harmonious state of creation. Post-Flood Dietary Expansion The post-Flood permission to consume animal flesh marks a significant shift. This change is often interpreted as a concession to human weakness and the altered conditions of the post-diluvian world. The Flood had dramatically transformed the earth, and the introduction of meat into the human diet can be seen as a practical adaptation to these new circumstances. Theological Implications The allowance to eat meat is accompanied by a prohibition against consuming blood, as stated in Genesis 9:4. This restriction underscores the sanctity of life and the acknowledgment that life belongs to God. Blood, representing life, is to be respected and not consumed, highlighting a continued reverence for the divine order. Covenantal Context This dietary change is part of the broader Noahic Covenant, which reaffirms God's commitment to creation despite human sinfulness. The covenant includes promises of stability in nature and the establishment of human governance, as seen in Genesis 9:5-6 : "And surely I will require the life of any man or beast by whose hand your lifeblood is shed; I will demand an accounting from anyone who takes the life of his fellow man." Moral and Ethical Considerations The permission to eat meat is not without ethical considerations. The mandate to respect life and the prohibition against consuming blood suggest a framework for responsible stewardship and ethical treatment of animals. This reflects a balance between human needs and the moral responsibility to care for God's creation. Conclusion The post-Flood allowance for humans to eat flesh represents a pivotal moment in biblical history, reflecting both a divine concession to human needs and a reaffirmation of the sanctity of life. This development is integral to understanding the evolving relationship between humanity and the rest of creation as depicted in the biblical narrative. Torrey's Topical Textbook Genesis 9:3Every moving thing that lives shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. Torrey's Topical Textbook Library From the Fall to the Flood. The Objection is Raised, Why, Then, was the Limit of Lawful Food ... Letter xxii. To Eustochium. After the Whole People had Been Freed from all Distress... God's Barriers against Man's Sin Sunday after Ascension Day Covenanting Enforced by the Grant of Covenant Signs and Seals. The Wisdom of God's Counsels The Sibylline Oracles. Still Continues the Praise of "Wisdom. ... Resources Is God man-made? Did man create the idea of God? | GotQuestions.orgHow can Jesus be God, when Numbers 23:19 says that God is not a man or a son of man? | GotQuestions.org What is the origin of man? | GotQuestions.org Man: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus Subtopics Man of Every Nation, Made of One Blood Man: Able to Sustain Bodily Affliction Man: All the Ways of, Clean in his own Eyes Man: Allowed to Eat Flesh After the Flood Man: Called: The Potsherd of the Earth Man: Cannot Retain his Spirit from Death Man: Christ is the Head of Every Man: Christ was Found in Fashion As Man: Christ: A Refuge As, to Sinners Man: Christ: Approved of God As Man: Christ: As Such, is the Cause of the Resurrection Man: Christ: Called the Second, As Covenant Head of the Church Man: Christ: Made in the Image of Man: Christ: Took on Him Nature of Man: Clothed by God With Skins Man: Compared to a Wild Donkey's Colt Man: Compared to Clay in the Potter's Hand Man: Covered Himself With Fig Leaves Man: Created by the Holy Spirit Man: Created in Knowledge (Inferred) Man: Created in the Image of God Man: Created: A Type of Christ Man: Created: After Consultation, by the Trinity Man: Created: After the Likeness of God Man: Created: On the Sixth Day Man: Created: Under Obligations to Obedience Man: Days of, As the Days of a Hireling Man: Days of, Compared to a Shadow Man: Design of the Creation of Man: Disobeyed God by Eating Part of the Forbidden Fruit Man: Every Herb and Tree Given To, for Food Man: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made Man: Filled With Shame After the Fall Man: Gave Names to Other Creatures Man: God: Destroys the Hopes of Man: God: Makes his Beauty Consume Away Man: God: Makes the Wrath of, to Praise Him Man: God: Orders the Goings of Man: God: Prepares the Heart of Man: God: Turns to Destruction Man: God's Purpose in Creation Completed by Making Man: Has an Appointed Time on the Earth Man: Has Sought out Many Inventions Man: Ignorant of What is Good for Him Man: Ignorant of What is to Come After Him Man: Intellect of, Matured by Age Man: Involved Posterity in his Ruin Man: Little Lower than the Angels Man: Made by God in his Successive Generations Man: Made Wise by the Inspiration of the Almighty Man: More Valuable than Other Creatures Man: Nature and Constitution of, Different from Other Creatures Man: Not Good For, to be Alone Man: Not Profited by all his Labour and Travail Man: Ordinary Limit of his Life Man: Originally Naked and not Ashamed Man: Placed in the Garden of Eden Man: Possessed of Understanding Man: Punished for Disobedience Man: Quickened by the Breath of God Man: Received Dominion Over Other Creatures Man: Shall be Recompensed According to his Works Man: Sinks Under Trouble of Mind Man: Wiser than Other Creatures Man: Woman Formed to be a Help For Man: Would Give all his Possessions for the Preservation of Life Related Terms |
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