Crickets for lunch.  Israel was definitely on a diet.  They had to test and evaluate everything on the menu.  Meats must be from animals that both chew their cud and have a split hoof.  Seafood must have fins and scales.  Be careful about birds and flying insects.  Forget about reptiles.  Why all this selectivity?  “You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean” (11:47).  Beyond the dietary benefits, the spiritual issue was one of separation.  The people of God are special and unique.  They don’t live like everybody else.  Their uniqueness was reinforced in their diet, their government, their laws, their business practices, their schedule – everything about them reminded them that they were the special people of God.  Sometimes you may feel like God restricts or limits you from what others seem to enjoy.  When you see others “getting away with sin” without punishment and it irritates you more than it saddens you – you have a problem.  Believing that whatever God forbids must be enjoyable, entertaining, satisfying – is evidence that you have been deceived.  Only Jesus satisfies.  When I live a life out of control (eating whatever, watching whatever, saying whatever, doing whatever), I eventually crash into disillusionment and emptiness.  Nothing satisfies your soul but God.  Choosing closeness with Him over the thousands of lesser options in this world brings love, joy and peace. 

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