What Does the Bible Say About Meals and Fellowship?
The Bible often positions eating as a communal activity, underscored by fellowship, gratitude and joy. Meals are common set pieces for hospitality, celebration, provision for the needy, and comradeship. The Last Supper, with Christ sharing a meal with His disciples, epitomizes this theme. Additionally, the Bible highlights the crucial role of sharing meals in fostering and building relationships, both with God and mutual companionship amongst fellow human beings.
Why is Gratitude Emphasized in Relation to Eating?
Gratitude while eating is a recurring theme in the Bible. Practicing thankfulness, particularly for food, is a way to acknowledge God’s provision and care. The Bible encourages thanking God before meals as a profound recognition of His blessing and sustenance. This practice is also derived from the habit of Jesus, who often gave thanks to His Father before meals, embodying the humility and gratitude that should accompany the act of eating.
How Does the Bible Approach the Concept of Fasting?
Fasting, a practice of voluntary abstinence from food, also features prominently in the Bible, juxtaposing the act of eating. The Bible describes fasting as a spiritual discipline intended for penitence, prayer, and to cultivate a deeper relationship with God. Fasting is portrayed not as a punishment or deprivation, but as voluntary sacrifice aimed at intensifying focus on God and spiritual matters. Thus, the Bible presents a nuanced perspective on eating, demonstrating the necessary balance between physical sustenance and spiritual nourishment.
When Does the Bible Discuss Dietary Restrictions?
The Bible contains several discussions pertaining to dietary restrictions, particularly found in Old Testament laws. These regulations guided the ancient Israelites regarding consumption of clean and unclean foods. However, these rules also carried symbolic relevance, signifying a separation between the sacred and the profane, representing God’s holiness. It is striking to note that in the New Testament, such restrictions are seen to cease, symbolizing the inauguration of a new covenant, henceforth perceived as a matter of individual conscience and cultural practice rather than divine command.
Who is Encouraged to Feed the Hungry in the Bible?
The Bible consistently implores its readers to extend generosity towards those in need. There are numerous verses that serve as a call to action to feed the hungry. The Bible underscores the responsibility of those who have plenty to share their food with the less fortunate as an act of love, compassion, and obedience to God’s command. Hence, eating in the Bible is not simply a matter of personal survival or pleasure, it is also a matter of ethical obligation and communal care.
Below is the full list of bible verses on eating (King James Version – KJV). The list is ranked in order of popularity and we hope you find the inspiration you need.
Most Popular Bible Verses About Eating
1 Corinthians 10:31
“31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
Related Themes: Pride Dating Food Health Technology
Genesis 1:29
“29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”
Genesis 9:3
“3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.”
Ecclesiastes 9:7
“7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works.”
Matthew 4:4
“4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
Related Themes: Telling The Truth Fasting Lust Food Gluttony
John 6:35
“35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”
John 6:27
“27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.”
Related Themes: Food Life Labor Work Setting Goals
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Related Themes: Holy Spirit Lust Health Holiness Omnipresence
Proverbs 25:16
“16 Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it.”
Related Themes: Gluttony Health Temperance Food Moderation
Proverbs 25:27
“27 It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.”
Related Themes: Pride Food Moderation Overeating Gluttony
1 Timothy 4:3-5
“3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”
Matthew 15:11
“11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”
Matthew 6:25
“25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?”
Related Themes: Money Worry Anxiety Finances Nervousness
Romans 14:2
“2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.”
Ecclesiastes 10:17
“17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!”
Related Themes: Gluttony
Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
“12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.”
1 Timothy 4:4
“4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:”
Related Themes: Food Earth Creativity Thankfulness
1 Corinthians 8:8
“8 But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.”
Romans 14:3
“3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.”
Matthew 5:6
“6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
Related Themes: Justice Holy Spirit Hunger Food Holiness
1 Corinthians 11:29
“29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”
Related Themes: Food
Genesis 18:8
“8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.”
1 Corinthians 10:25
“25 Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake:”
Proverbs 16:24
“24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”
Nehemiah 8:10
“10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Ecclesiastes 3:13
“13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.”
Related Themes: Happiness Celebration
Colossians 2:16-17
“16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”
Related Themes: Judging Others Food Lent
1 Corinthians 10:23
“23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.”
Related Themes: Dating Freedom Indulgence Freedom
1 Corinthians 8:13
“13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.”
Mark 7:19
“19 Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?”
