keywords: Noah, Noah’s Ark, flood, Old Testament, vegetarian, vegetarianism, Bible, ark, animals, Bible story, Bible stories, Sunday School

Why were humans vegetarians before the flood?

Genesis 9:1-3

9 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth. ² The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands. ³ Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

After Noah and his family exited the ark, the Lord told him that the beasts of the earth would fear him and that they were given into his hands as food. I’m assuming, at this point, the birds and animals would run away when approached by humans and we’d need to start hunting then down to eat as food. I’m also assuming, before the flood, animals would willingly come up to humans much like domesticated pets? What do you think?

My main question is, why did the Lord let us eat meat AFTER the flood? I’m assuming before the flood, everyone ate a vegetarian diet? Was it possible that the earth changed after the flood and it’d be difficult for man to receive all of his nourishment from plants?

Why do you think humans were vegetarians before the flood?

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Can you believe that Jonah was inside the belly of a fish/whale for three days and three nights?

Jonah 1:17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 2:10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

I was talking to my son about Jonah recently. He’d mentioned that he’d thought that Jonah would have been digested by the whale while inside the belly. How could he still be alive? God kept him alive, was the best that I could explain it.

Jonah ran away from his calling and he had to pay the price. He prayed while in the belly of the fish – he prayed to the Lord. The Lord then commanded the fish to spit Jonah out.

While inside the belly, God protected Jonah from harm. He protected him from being digested by the fish. Jonah did not provide sustenance to the fish (as far as I can tell). The Lord kept him safe, which is good.

I keep thinking about how it feels to be trapped in the belly of a whale. It sounds scary and frightful. Is there enough oxygen in there to breathe? I guess so if the Lord provides it for us. How long could one stay alive in the belly of a whale if one were NOT protected by the Lord?

I also felt that this would make a cool movie! Can you imagine making a movie about Jonah? I wonder how one would film the scenes inside the fish’s belly?

So what do you think it was like for Jonah inside the belly of a fish/whale for three days and three nights?

This is a partial repeat of an old blog post! Enjoy and leave a comment – feel free to leave a comment even if you have no insight. I love hearing from folks!

Are you familiar with The Book of Jashar/Jasher? I’m not, and from what I can tell, neither does anybody else! I do wonder about this book that is referenced in the Bible. It’s referenced when Joshua commands the sun to stand still when the Israelites were battling the Amorites. It’s referenced again in First Samuel when David is lamenting over the death of Saul and Jonathan.

I just find it strange that there seems to be so little information about this book. Have you ever wondered about it? Have you ever wondered what else was written in this mysterious book that was referenced in the Old Testament?

I know I have. I’m a curious person by nature, and I can’t help but wonder. If your pastor has ever mentioned this book in a sermon, or if you’ve ever discussed it in a Bible class, it’d be interesting to hear what you were told about this book. Please share your thoughts!

Joshua 10:12-13New International Version (NIV)

¹² On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:

as it is written in the Book of Jashar.

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day.

2 Samuel 1:17-18New International Version (NIV)

¹⁷ David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, ¹⁸ and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):

I hope all of you are well! Today I want to talk about Joseph (the Old Testament Joseph), and I was seeking an answer to this question:

Why didn’t Joseph’s brothers recognize him?

Genesis 45:4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!

Remember the story of Joseph in the Old Testament? Joseph told his brothers about a dream he’d had – in the dream, his brothers were bowing down to him. Hearing about this dream angered Joseph’s brothers. His brothers then sold him into bondage, and Joseph was eventually placed in charge of all of Egypt. There was a great famine in the land and Joseph’s brothers came to him, seeking food. Joseph  recognized his brothers, but, his brothers did not recognize him.  

Why didn’t Joseph’s brothers recognize him?

I’ve always wondered about this. The explanations that have been given to me have never satisfied my curiosity. Yes, I know several years had passed and Joseph had changed a great deal – he was dressed in the finest clothes, and he’d gotten older of course, which may have made him harder to recognize. However, these were his kin, his half-brothers. He used to spend time with his siblings, so I’d imagine some of them (after all there were 11 siblings) would have been able to look at Joseph and recognize his identity, don’t you think?

Did the Lord work through these 11 siblings, make it impossible for them to recognize Joseph for some reason? Joseph sent them back to get Benjamin, his full brother, the only sibling who would not have been able to recognize Joseph. Perhaps the Lord was working on these eleven siblings, making it impossible for them to recognize Joseph, so that they would be agreeable to going back and fetching Benjamin?

So, what do you think? Why didn’t Joseph’s eleven siblings recognize him? Share your thoughts!

If you have any prayer requests, please share them in the comments!

My prayer request? Please pray for guidance and for me to stay focused. My mind has been all over the place, scattered, hard to remember everything that needs to get done. It’s hard to juggle family life, worship, writing life and my job. I just need to calm down and settle down a bit, try and be more peaceful. Prayers appreciated.

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Do you remember the story of Balaam in the book if Numbers?

Fearing the Israelites’ power, Balaak wanted to hire Balaam to put a curse on God’s people.

Balaam refused to go, because the Lord told him not to go. Balaam again sent messengers, begging Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites. The Lord then told Balaam that he could go, but, he had to only say what the Lord told him to say.

While on the road to Balaak, Balaam’s donkey refuses to walk. The animal spots an angel in blocking their path. Balaam beats the donkey. When the donkey speaks, asking why he’s being beaten, this is Balaam’s response:

Numbers Chapter 22:27-31

²⁷ And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.

²⁸ Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”

²⁹ And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!”

³⁰ So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?”

And he said, “No.”

³¹ Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face.

Don’t you think that Balaam’s response to his speaking donkey is strange?

He didn’t appear shocked or dumbfounded that his donkey was speaking to him!

How would you react if your dog or cat started talking to you? Wouldn’t you think that was strange? Wouldn’t you be shocked or scared to have this talking creature in your house? 

Was it possible that Balaam had witnessed talking animals before he went on this trip? Had he conversed with his donkey before, and it was just never noted in the scriptures?

Share your thoughts!

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