WHAT’S WRONG WITH EATING MEAT?

Many of us have no problem with the consumption of meat in our diet as believers in the Messiah, and Scripture is quite clear that there is nothing wrong in itself about doing so…

Deuteronomy 12:20 “When YHWH your Elohim enlarges your border as He has promised you, and you say, ‘Let me eat meat,’ because you long to eat meat, you eat as much meat as your being desires.”

1 Corinthians 8:8 “But food does not commend us to Elohim, for we are none the better if we eat, nor any worse for not eating.”

FOOD OFFERED TO IDOLS

the first book to the Corinthians does provide some instruction into the warning when we do not consume meat or any foods for that matter and although chapter 8 confuses some, chapter 10 makes it abundantly clear not to eat anything offered to idols:

1 Corinthians 10:19-21 “What then do I say? That an idol is anything? Or that which is offered to idols is anything? 20 No, but what the gentiles offer they offer to demons and not to Elohim, and I do not wish you to become sharers with demons. You are not able to drink the cup of the Master and the cup of demons, 21 you are not able to partake of the table of the Master and of the table of demons.”
See also: Revelation 2:14,20

It is a common occurrence in our multicultural societies to see restaurants providing food experiences from every corner of the globe many proudly displaying idols in the windows and around the walls of the false mighty ones from the location. While some of these food providers may not necessarily offer the food to the ‘display’ idols, there are many who unashamedly place food in front of their idols with incense and the works!

THE REAL PROBLEM – THE BLOOD
Many people, including Christians are aware of the issue above and avoid eating any foods that are suspected to have been offered to idols. The problem goes even deeper than this when it comes to ALL meat that is slaughtered and sold for public consumption in butcheries and supermarkets globally.

The Torah has explicit instructions for slaughtering meat:

Leviticus 17:13-14 “And any man from the children of Yisra’ĕl, or from the strangers who sojourn among you, who hunts and catches any beast or bird, which is eaten, shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust, 14 for it is the life of all flesh. Its blood is for its life. And I said to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘Do not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Anyone eating it is cut off.’ ”

This is so important to Yahweh, He repeats this Command several more times that, “at the mouth of three witnesses a matter is established”:

Deuteronomy 12:15-24 “Only, whatever your being desires you shall slaughter and eat, according to the blessing of YHWH your Elohim which He has given you, within all your gates. The unclean and the clean do eat of it, of the gazelle and the deer alike. 16 Only, the blood you do not eat, pour it on the earth like water… 23 Only, be firm not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, do not eat the life with the meat. 24 “Do not eat it, you pour it on the earth like water.”

Deuteronomy 15:22-23 “Eat it within your gates – the unclean and the clean alike – as the gazelle, and as the deer. 23 Only, do not eat its blood, pour it on the ground like water.”

Do you see how important this matter is to Yahweh? The BLOOD is the LIFE! Not only is it common practise for butchers and abattoirs to pay no regard to the life and blood of an animal or chicken, spilling it all over the place and hosing it out with the feces and offal, but more often than not, much is kept for making blood sausage (black pudding) or fertilizer blood and bone products.

All this is in direct conflict with the Torah and most likely is an abomination if not a weeping matter for Yahweh, the Father of all life.
The realization of this truth means that you cannot eat any meat that has been butchered by common butcher unless you know that they have slaughtered it according to the Torah of Yahweh giving respect for the blood that is it’s life.

THE FAT
Another thought must be given to the fat… Scripture is replete with warnings not to eat the fat of any animal:
Leviticus 7:23-24 “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘Do not eat any fat, of bull or sheep or goat. 24 And the fat of a dead body, and the fat of what is torn, is used for any purpose, but you do not eat it at all.’ ”
The reason Yahweh commanded us not to eat any fat is clarified in the description of the peace offering of the children of Yisra’ĕl:
Leviticus 3:16-17 “And the priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire for a sweet fragrance. All the fat belongs to YHWH. 17 An everlasting law throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you do not eat any fat or any blood.” 

All the fat belongs to Yahweh! So when any animal is butchered and the fat is taken and put into sausages or used for lard or tallow for the gentiles to eat, they are robbing from Yahweh on top of disrespecting the blood of life.
Sadly this practise is not limited to gentile butcheries. There has been a number of exposés done on ‘kosher’ slaughterhouses where animals are shown as little respect as they are in gentile abattoirs with the only difference being some minor Jewish traditions honoured.

CONCLUSION
What this all reveals is that the safest way to be sure you are honouring Yahweh is to not eat meat at all unless you have witnessed and paid respect to the animal that shed it’s blood for you to eat it’s flesh or slaughtered the living creature yourself and covered it’s blood with the earth and given the fat to Yahweh. There is no other alternative.