Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land to which I am taking you and you eat the food of the land, present a portion as an offering to the LORD.’ – Numbers 15:18-19

Today's Scripture Reading (December 9, 2021): Numbers 15

After Thanksgiving 2021, CNN featured a report on an Afghan translator and his family encountering their first traditional Thanksgiving meal. An American family had wanted to share their traditional Thanksgiving tastes with someone new to the country. The kids asked questions like, "what is a turkey?" to which the reply was that "it is like a big chicken." And, of course, everyone needed to at least try that red sauce on the table made from cranberries. Some known Afghan delicacies were at this Thanksgiving dinner table, but according to reports, even the children tried a little of everything on the table. What they truly thought about the meal probably only they know, but the traditional American delicacies were accepted with a polite thanks and a report that it was good.

I admit that I am not a very adventurous eater. I am quite content to eat the same foods over and over again. I like restaurant chains because I know before I walk in the food that they offer. And, usually, I know before we sit down what it is that I want to order. I am seldom the person at the table that everyone has to wait on while I decide what I want. I already know, and I am ready to order. Those who know me realize that my eating choices have more to do with tastes limited by extensive food allergies rather than by likes or dislikes. I eat what has not made me sick in the past.

But periodically, I will try something new. I was sixteen before I tasted my first piece of pie. It was a blueberry pie made lovingly, without eggs in the pastry, which had always been my limitation, by my grandmother. I loved it, and it started a pie craving that lasts to the current day. (Apple pie is still my favorite, served with ice cream. My wife likes it with cheese, but that is a different story.)  

Israel was in the process of moving into the next phase of its existence. And it was likely that the food they would eat in their new land might be slightly different from the food they consumed in Egypt. It would definitely be different from the manna-driven cuisine that they were experiencing in the desert. But Moses wanted to make sure that they understood that whatever the food was that they would consume in Canaan, providing that the food was determined to be clean by the priests, it would fulfill the requirements for sacrifice. Just because the bread might be made of different grains than they had experienced in their prior existence did not mean that they could not offer it to God. Being grown on foreign soil did not disqualify it. God knew the land into which he was leading them and had already declared the grains and other ingredients acceptable.

It might be something that non-adventurous eaters like me need to remember. The foods we enjoy in different parts of this world might not be like what mom used to make at home. But God is not partial to local delicacies. He created it all, and it has been given for our benefit and to supply us with the strength we need to meet the day.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Numbers 16