But Samuel replied, "What is more
pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to His
voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better
than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and
stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the
command of the LORD, He has rejected you as king." 1 Samuel
15:22-23
King Saul was having a discussion with the
prophet Samuel after Saul had disobeyed, yet again, the Lord’s command. Saul
learned the hard way that partial obedience is the same as disobedience. [Read
1 Samuel 9-31 for King’s Saul story.] When God said to totally destroy the
Amalekites, Saul didn’t totally obey. He let his own will rule over the
situation and because he did things his own way…he lost his kingship. It was
given to David, a man after God’s own heart.
We don’t have to fight battles and wipe out
people like Saul was supposed to do—but we do have to be obedient to please
God. Obedience is like a pleasing aroma to the Lord.
The priest must present part of this
offering as a special gift to the LORD. This includes all the fat around the
internal organs, ... and the priest will burn them on the altar. It is a
special gift of food, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. All the fat belongs to the
LORD. Leviticus 3:14, 16
This passage goes on to say that the people
were not to eat fat. Hmmm. Some diets now are encouraging eating fat—to get rid
of the fat in our bodies. Such a dilemma.
You must set aside a tithe of your crops—one
tenth of all the crops you harvest each year. Bring this tithe to the
designated place of worship—the place the LORD your God chooses for His name to
be honored—and eat it there in His presence. This applies to your tithes of
grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn males of your flocks and herds.
Doing this will teach you always to fear the LORD your God. Deuteronomy
14:22-23
Respect—or fear the Lord—and treat your
body as His Temple. Only good fats allowed here. That is my desire—to submit to
eating foods that are good for my body rather than stubbornly eating only what
I want to eat.
Prayer
~ Lord, as we feast on the great variety of fresh foods that You created and
that are so abundant during these summer months, help us to seek good foods
that would bring health to our bodies and glory to Your name. I desire no fat
in or on my belly!
Daily
Bible Reading: Jonah
Friday’s
Feast at the King’s Table
As usual every Friday is Feast Day—Feasting at the King’s Table. We can’t
live on just spiritual food …nor can we live on bread alone. We’ve got to have
some meat, veggies, fruit and fat. Don’t forget the good fats!
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| Israeli Market |
Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) are
good for our bodies. Those contain antioxidants and actually help to lower
cholesterol. Some of the foods that contain monounsaturated fats include: olive
oil; avocados; nuts and seed—especially almonds, peanuts, and sunflower seeds; olives;
and even chocolate. Try to have a MUFA with each meal, such as 2 tablespoons
natural peanut butter, ¼ cup avocado, no more than 10 olives, 2 tablespoons raw
nuts, ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips, or 1 tablespoon olive oil. Watch the serving size of your MUFAs—the calories
can add up and deter any weight loss you for which are striving.
©
2017 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
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