Kill The Fatted Calf!

That sounds like a good idea!  But today, many who are sanctimonious think eating meat is bad, and say that anyone who does it is ‘weak’, or worse, ‘inhumane.’

To the first accusation: it is actually the vegetarian/vegan that scriptures call ‘weak.’

Would Yeshua use the epithet above, “Kill the fatted calf,” in order to express one of the greatest testaments to faith, if eating meat was a weakness?  Was the Father ‘weak’ to celebrate his son’s homecoming by slaughtering a bull, to eat with his guests?  Are we so arrogant to presume this was not the culture of the day, when every parable Yeshua told related to that culture?

“Assist him who is weak in HaEmunah. And do not waver in your reasoning. For one believes that he may eat all things; another who is weak eats [only] vegetables.”

This portion of scripture was written to former pagans.  Most people today do not realize that vegetarianism is a byproduct of paganism.  Many early gentile believers were former pagans, who had certain days they would only eat certain foods.  They worshipped the creation rather than the creator, who made animals FOR FOOD.  This is NOT an issue of salvation, NOR is it an issue of tzedaka, because we are NOT made righteous or unrighteous by what we eat.  However, to raise the status of the animal to that of human, OR to lower the status of human to that of animal, is an affront to the creator.  Much of vegan/vegetarian thinking does exactly that.

It is ELOHIM that created the animal to die as innocent for the sake of mankind.  That is NOT a weakness of man, that is an act of G-d.  Mankind was indeed vegetarian in the garden, and for 1,100 years thereafter, until the flood.  G-d HIMSELF killed an animal on day ten of human history, in order to atone for man’s new nakedness, his fallen estate.  An innocent creature died for the sake of man.

G-d Himself is the one who told No’akh to eat meat, after the flood, putting enmity between man and beast FOR THAT VERY PURPOSE.  We certainly would not call Avraham or the Malakh יהוה weak, even though we see the father of FAITH, who even in the weakest estate of his old body TRUSTED, eating meat together with the Malakh יהוה .  And this was BEFORE the written Torah and the covenant between G-d and Yisra’el through Moshe.  EACH TIME Elohim made the covenant promises to Avraham, animals were slain and eaten by Avraham.  When Avraham offered Yitz’khak on the altar, but Elohim provided a RAM to take his place, the animal died for the sake of the man.  This is a GODLY principle.  This is not a show of weakness.

When the Kohanim were set apart to serve Yisra’el, the whole nation of Yisra’el was to set apart one third of ALL THE CATTLE IN YISRA’EL, so that the Levi’im could EAT.  The tithe was FOOD for the Levites.  Further, EVERY SINGLE TIME any ONE Jew brought an offering to the temple that was a calf, a goat, or a bull, or a ram, the animal’s best part was given to Elohim, and the REST of it given to the Kohen who performed the rite, AND TO HIS FAMILY, who was with him in the Temple!  It was their DAILY FOOD.  They had to eat, and the DIVINE MENU was meat, along with grains, wine, and other produce.  That is not a sign of weakness, and neither is it inhumane.  It is the provision of the Almighty, under HIS DIRECTION.

To say that it is inhumane to kill an animal and eat it is so akin to worshipping the creation that it is disconcerting to hear believers support the notion.  To accuse believers who eat meat of being inhumane is a violation of the principles of scripture, most notably of Romim 14, where this very issue is settled, and where the vegetarian is called the weak one.  And, meat eaters are instructed there to STAY FIRM IN THEIR REASONING.  Even during the Millennium, while the Strong One, Messiah Yeshua, is ruling in Yerushalayim, we will be bringing BULLS up to the Kadosh City in order to offer them up, AND EAT THEM.  The killing of and eating of meat is NOT isolated to Pesakh, but was and will be a DAILY RITE in the Temple, including throughout the Millennium.

Elohim Himself consumed animal sacrifices, in fire.  Does that make the Creator inhumane?  Does that make Him weak?

We are instructed to eat meat in the Torah:  Gen 9 tells No’akh that every living thing that moves on the earth is now food for mankind.  But, at the same time, He tells us that there was already a classification of clean meat and unclean meat.  If Elohim did NOT want us eating meat at all, would HE not have classified it all as NOT FOOD?  He classified clean meat as FOOD, and tells us, IT WILL BE FOOD FOR YOU in VaYikra 11, and in D’varim 14.  Does a command from Elohim necessarily mean that He is feeding a weakness of man?  Again, mankind was weak BEFORE THE FLOOD, and He did not command us to eat meat until after.

It is not bad logic, but strong reasoning, to infer that man NEEDED meat after the flood.  When we consider that before the flood there was no rain, and that the flood was caused by the water that was between the firmaments falling to earth, we can see that that water probably served as a radiation barrier, protecting mankind from the harmful rays of the sun, and thus causing mankind to live up to 1100 years+.  After the flood, the lifespan of man quickly diminishes, and scriptures now say that a man is considered blessed just to live 80 years.  Rarely does one make it to 100+ any more.  This is certainly more sound reasoning than the notion that anyone who eats meat is weak in faith, especially since scripture plainly states that it is the vegetarians who are weak.

It is absurd to think that now, after 6,000 years, it is suddenly wrong to eat meat.  The Nation of Yisra’el is shown throughout history to be consumers of LOTS of meat, not only religiously, but in their daily lives.  It is the spirit of paganism consuming believers and dividing the Body of Messiah over the pettiest of doctrines, where vegans/vegetarians start hurling accusations of unrighteousness at meat eaters.  I have always said, choose not to eat meat for your own reasons.  But, do not try to foist the reason for it on other believers, especially since SO MANY ANIMALS died for the sake of mankind in scripture, as a DIVINE PRINCIPLE.   And also, since Sha’ul addressed this very issue clearly in scripture, telling both groups NOT to judge the other.  The difference today is that now, it is NOT FORMER pagans who are vegetarians, struggling with the notion of eating meat, but it is believers who grew up confidently eating meat, who now adopt the pagan idea that this is inhumane.  They seem to be turning, if ever so slightly, to worshipping the creation rather than the Creator, who gave us meat, FOR FOOD.