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The significance of eating in the Bible is to take something that is outside of us and receive it into us so that our insides are affected.
God uses the picture of eating to indicate man's insides can be affected by what he takes into his being.
"And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food,
the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." (Gen. 2:9)
"And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may eat freely,
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, of it you shall not eat; for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Gen. 2:16,17)
Man was created innocent and neutral between so sources that were as "food". That is two main sources that if he took into himself his inward being would be affected.
Above "the tree of life" represented God Himself as the divine life that can be taken into man's created life.
Above "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" represented the Satanic spirit that sought to be independent from God.
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17 Jul 18
From the opening of the revelation of the Bible EATING is used to teach man that something outside of him can be taken into him which will change him, constitute him, and fill him with something that can become our constitution.
This is like the nutritionists who say "You are what you eat."
The Bible from the beginning shows that we are what we eat. And man was created innocent and neutral between God and God's enemy Satan. Man could choose to take into himself either as "food".
But what man would take into himself would become the constitution of his very being.
Man could be divinized or he could be Satanified.
The inward constituent of man's being could be Satan and death or God and the uncreated eternal life.
This an early principle set forth in the Bible's revelation.
What man takes into him will become his constitution and the essence of the fabric of his being.
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17 Jul 18
Notice here that God did not give Adam a list of commands about morality. There is no prohibition on stealing. There is no "You Shall Not" concerning murder or adultery or bearing false witness.
What there is is a warning not to take INTO himself something which is edible yet will cause him to die, to be corrupted and die.
"And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may eat freely,
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, of it you shall not eat; for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Gen. 2:16,17)
"Be careful what you take INTO yourself.
What you take INTO yourself will effect your whole being.'
This is the negative warning about eating.
Not many ethical commands about how to behave were given. But instructions about EATING were given.
On the positive side God wanted man to partake of the "food" in the middle of that garden - "the tree of life".
" ... every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, as well as the tree of life in the middle of the garden ..." (Gen 2:9)
In the midst of the garden, in the middle of the Garden of Eden was "the tree of life". Central to God's creation of man was the revelation that man must take God into himself to be constituted with God's life and nature.
17 Jul 18
Originally posted by @sonship"represented"
Above "the tree of life" represented God Himself as the divine life that can be taken into man's created life.
Above "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil"represented the Satanic spirit that sought to be independent from God.
So now you are saying these trees are symbolic and not literal?
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17 Jul 18
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Originally posted by @divegeesterI believe the trees were literal with symbolic significance.
"represented"
So now you are saying these trees are symbolic and not literal?
Like the ark of Noah.
Like the Manna.
Like the ark of the covenant.
Like the tabernacle.
Like the incense altar and other furniture of the temple
Like the temple.
Like the bronze serpent
Like Gehenna.
Like the cross.
Like many physical things in the Old Testament.
I have written of this before. There is nothing new here.
17 Jul 18
Originally posted by @sonshipWell yes it is but you do not know what that means.
The significance of eating in the Bible is to take something that is outside of us and receive it into us so that our insides are affected.
God uses the picture of eating to indicate man's insides can be affected by what he takes into his being.
[quote] [b] "And out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight an ...[text shortened]... dge of good and evil" represented the Satanic spirit that sought to be independent from God.[/b]
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Originally posted by @tom-wolseyGod Himself and His word are to be "eaten" and "digested " that our inner constitution becomes of God.
What do you think the symbolic significance was when God commanded Ezekiel to eat the scrolls.
Jeremiah found God's words and ate them.
" Your words were found and I ate them, And your word became to me the gladness and joy of my heart." (Jer. 15:16)
God's truth constituted his mind, emotion and will and caused his soul joyfulness and rejoicing.
If we take in God's words prayerfully it also will be "food" to our spiritual being and make our soul joyful.
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Originally posted by @tom-wolseyEzekiel is another prophet told to eat God's word. He was to eat and to speak God's words to a rebellious non-listening people. It may have been a joy to Ezekiel but not fun to have his speaking rejected by the hearers.
What do you think the symbolic significance was when God commanded Ezekiel to eat the scrolls.
"And He said to me, Son of man, I sending you to the children of Israel, to rebellious heathen who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me unto this very day.
And they are impudent and hard hearted children. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, This says Jehovah. And they, whether whether they hear or not - for they are a rebellious house - they will know that a prophet has been in their midst." (Ezek. 2:3-5)
God shows Ezekiel scroll to be eaten. The experience will be mixed - pleasant on one hand and uncomfortable on the other because his prophesying will be rejected.
"And I looked, and there was a hand out forth toward me, and in it there was scroll book..
And He spread it before me. And it was written on the front and back, and on it were written lamentations, mourning, and woe.
Then HE said to me, Son of man, eat what you find eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.
So I opened my mouth and He gave me that scroll to eat. And He said to me, Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your inward parts with this scroll that I am giving you. And I ate it,
and it was like honey in my mouth in its sweetness. Then He said to me, Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak My words to them." (Ezek. 4:9-5:4)
The prophet of God is made sweet inside by the word of God. But this same word may put him at unpleasant odds with the surrounding world which does not want to hear God's speaking.
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18 Jul 18
3 edits
Originally posted by @divegeesteri do not concern myself with that in the least.
In your opinion, where is the literal tree of life now?
The main thing for the believer in Christ to be concerned about today is that:
1.) Christ is in a form in which He can live in us - the Holy Spirit, the another Comforter - the Spirit of reality, the Third Person of the Triune God.
2.) We have an "organ" within us, our human spirit with which Christ the resurrected Son of God as Spirit can be joined, united, blended, and made one -
Concerning point 1.) this is crucial -
"The last Adam became a life giving Spirit." (1 Cor. 15:45)
"Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom." (2 Cor. 3:17)
Concerning point 2.) a few of crucial passages:
"He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit." (1 Cor. 6:17)
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:6)
" ... If anyone thirsts let him come unto me and drink. He who believes into Me, as the Scripture saod, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.
But this He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed into Him were about to receive; for the Spirit was not yet because Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7:37b-39)
"For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son, ..." (Rom, 1:9a)
"The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are the children of God." (8:14)
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." (Phil. 4:23)
"The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you." (2 Tim. 4:22)
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18 Jul 18
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None of these verses should be taken for granted. I will make a brief comment about how they are related to "eating" the Lord Jesus in order to have the way to live by Jesus.
"He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit." (1 Cor. 6:17)
This is akin to food getting into our stomach and from there being sent to various parts of our body to become our constitution.
Our innermost being cane be JOINED to the living and available Jesus Christ. And from our innermost being, our human spirit (regenerated) Christ can move out into the surrounding personality. This is eating and digesting Jesus.
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18 Jul 18
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:6)
The human spirit is that, shall we say, metaphysical "stomach". When we receive the available Lord Jesus into our being we undergo a second BIRTH. We may say the "stomach" receiving this food is also the healing, resurrection, and enlivening of this damaged "stomach".
"Eating Jesus" indeed sounds strange to our natural ears. But God is communicating to us that we can FEED our innermost hunger for life, relity, truth and goodness by asking the Lord Jesus to come into our hearts.
His coming is a new beginning. And this is the first MEAL of receiving God as food. How utterly satisfying to have the empty spot in our metaphysical being filled. We know that we know God has come into us.
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18 Jul 18
" ... If anyone thirsts let him come unto me and drink. He who believes into Me, as the Scripture said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.
I include this verse on DRINKING to be included in the concept of EATING Jesus. He is DRINKABLE. He is EATABLE by being in a DRINKABLE form.
This is profound. Do not grumble that its sounds strange. We are touching a spiritual realm.
God in Jesus Christ as the "life giving Spirit" can come into us as a healthy all-healing, all- satisfying "beverage".
We an call "O Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus I drink You. Lord Jesus I EAT You. Lord Jesus FEED me Lord Jesus."
And out of our innermost being rivers of the living Holy Spirit begin to flow.
But this He said concerning the Spirit, whom those who believed into Him were about to receive; for the Spirit was not yet because Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7:37b-39)
Christ was glorified when He was resurrected. He resurrected and entered into His glory ( Luke 24:26)
You see someone like ThinkOfOne may speak a lot about Jesus "when He walked the earth". But today, I mean TODAY, Jesus is in glory as the exalted God-man. And we can receive Him in His form as the life giving Holy Spirit that IS Him.
"the last Adam became a life giving Spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45)
You must see "life giving" means GOD GIVING.
You must regard "life giving" to mean CHRIST GIVING.
You must regard "life giving" to mean God gives Himself into your being in His form as Jesus Christ. He gives you the Person of Jesus Christ.
This too is eating Jesus.
If we eat Him we will live BY Him.
"As the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me." (John 6:57)
Do you realize what an unspeakable privilege and honor it is to LIVE by oneness with Him as He lived by oneness with His Father ?
He has given to us to WALK and LIVE as He did.