“And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good…” Genesis 2:29-31a
One blessing God gave humans to enjoy is food. Food is a delight to all senses. Sight, smell, taste, and touch are all involved in the act of eating. Hearing is also involved in eating—whether through chewing a crunchy food— or a less-appealing scenario—hearing someone else smack while he or she eats food. Food existed before the fall, but like all other things, it was also affected by the fall. The first temptation involved food. The fruit of The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was the only thing that Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat (Gen. 2:17). When Satan tempted Eve to eat of the forbidden tree, Eve saw that it was a delight to the eyes. Because she thought God was withholding something from her (i.e. wisdom), she ate of the fruit, and she gave some to her husband. This act of disobedience would affect the rest of creation.
Have you ever thought about how the fall affected food, or better stated, our perception of food? Working for food became cumbersome. God cursed the ground to produce thorns. After man’s disobedience, it would be by the “sweat of man’s face” that he would eat bread (Gen. 3:19). Food—something “good” at the beginning of creation became disordered by the fall, including man’s view of it. The desire for food would drive people to do some pretty strange things. For example, in the Old Testament, Esau would exchange his birthright for stew (Gen. 25:29-34). The Israelites thought death by slavery in Egypt would have been better than God’s deliverance because they were hungry (Ex. 16:3). Jesus Himself would be tempted by the devil to turn stones into bread after He fasted 40 days (Matt. 4:1-4). Jesus, however, resisted that temptation and told Satan, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).
Food is a good gift given by God. God provided manna for the Israelites in the desert (Ex. 16). Jesus’ last act with the disciples before the crucifixion and after the resurrection was to share a meal with them (Luke 22:14-23; John 21:9-14). God gave food for us to enjoy. Like any good gift, when we want it too much, it can become an idol. Overeating, anorexia, and bulimia are all ways that one’s perspectives of food can become skewed. For the one who struggles with overeating, are hope, security, and comfort being found in the Creator, or are they being found in food? To the one who struggles with Anorexia—is there a morphing idea about a good gift from God (e.g. This food is bad)? To the one with bulimia—is there a lack of self-control regarding the quantity of what should be eaten and how it should exit the body? Good gifts come from a Good Creator. Like anything, though, our vision of that good thing can warp. Food is no exception. Keeping God’s glory in the forefront of our minds should include all things—even our eating. “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).