Who Eats First According To The Bible

Who eats first according to the Bible? It’s hard to answer that question on your own. Mark makes a small explanation in Mark 7:27. In other words, Jesus is saying: “my mission is to Israel; I’m here for the children, not for the dogs; I’m here for the Jews, not for the Gentiles.” Matthew tells us she was undeterred by this.3  In fact, it might be difficult to even determine what the Bible says about who eats first. Some people believe that Luke is the only book in the New Testament where you will find this information. And, if they’re right, they make some pretty bold claims. But is that really true? Or can you really find some of these quotes the other books of the Bible as well?

ESV And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” NIV First let the children eat all they want,’ he told her, ‘for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.

Who Eats First According To The Bible

The Bible is a rich source of wisdom on many aspects of life, including how we should prioritize our actions and decisions. One question that is commonly asked is, “Who should eat first according to the Bible?” There are several verses in the Bible that shed light on this topic and provide guidance on how to approach it.

1. Matthew 6:33

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

2. Proverbs 3:9

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops.”

3. Exodus 22:29

“Do not hold back offerings from your granaries or your vats. You must give me the firstborn of your sons.”

4. Leviticus 23:10

“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest.'”

5. Deuteronomy 26:2

“Take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name.”

6. Proverbs 21:26

“All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.”

7. Exodus 23:19

“Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.”

8. Numbers 18:12

“I give you all the finest olive oil and all the finest new wine and grain they give the Lord as the firstfruits of their harvest.”

9. Nehemiah 10:35

“We also assume responsibility for bringing to the house of the Lord each year the firstfruits of our crops and of every fruit tree.”

10. James 1:18

“He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”

In conclusion, the Bible teaches us to prioritize giving to God first, whether it be our wealth, our crops, or our time. By honoring God with our first fruits, we show our gratitude and trust in His provision for us. Let us remember these verses and strive to follow the guidelines set forth in the Bible.

What the Bible Says About Eating

As most people know, people must eat to keep living. The Bible says a lot about eating and food. God created food to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. He richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment including food, according to 1 Timothy 4:3; 6:17.

The Bible is loaded with references about food from Genesis to Revelation. Food was involved when the serpent tempted the woman to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden.

Food demonstrates God’s goodness when He provides it. Food is mentioned 1,207 times in the Bible.

Significance Of Eating Together In Biblical Times

The food eaten in the Bible was depended on the occasion and the host’s wealth.

Meals consisted mostly of vegetables. Meat wasn’t eaten every day. It was eaten when serving strangers or honored guests.

Grains were an important part of the meal. Bread was eaten by itself or with something to increase its flavor, such as with broth. Fruits and fish were favorite parts of biblical meals.

Esau thought pottage was worth trading his birthright for.

Regular Meals

We usually have three main meals a day. Biblical meals did not include breakfast, lunch, and dinner as we have. There were only two regular meals in the Bible. They were eaten in the morning and in the evening, according to Exodus 16:12.

Breakfast was eaten between 9 a.m. and noon consisting of a light meal that included bread, fruits, and cheese. The first meal of the day did not call for any cooking and was simply a “morning morsel” consisting of bread and olives, with onion or any other fruit or vegetable which might be in season. A heavy breakfast was a matter for reproach (Ecclesiastes 10:16).

The mid-day meal, if there was one, would be eaten at noon in the fields or at home and would consist of bread soaked in wine with a handful of parched corn, a pottage of bread broken into a bowl, or bread and grilled fish (John 21:9, 13).

Supper, or the evening meal, was the main meal of the day. It included a heavier meal eaten after working when the weather was cooler and people could eat in a more relaxed atmosphere (Ruth 3:2-7; Luke 17:7-8). The evening meal consisted of meat, vegetables, butter, and wine.

Eating Utensils

There were no kitchens in the Old Testament. Food was cooked outside in the open in front of the tent.

Eating utensils did not exist in the Bible. Bread served the purposes of a spoon and sometimes as a plate. Food was served in a common bowl and eaten with the hands (Proverbs 26:15; Matthew 26:23; Mark 14:20) or with bread dipped in the dish (John 13:26).

Bread was used to sop soup or broth which was placed in the middle of the table for all to reach. Bread was a staple of the Hebrew diet.

Seating Arrangements

Meals were usually eaten outside, but even when eaten inside spectators could go inside and watch the festivities of the rich.

In earlier times, people sat on mats on the grounds. The table was a circular skin or piece of leather placed on the floor. Later, they sat on chairs and stools (1 Samuel 20:5; 25). Still later, people reclined to eat on cushions, couches, or divans (Amos 6:4; Esther 1:6; John 21:20). Guests leaned on the table with their left elbow and ate with their right hand.

Guests were seated by age or importance (Genesis 43:33; Luke 14:1-14). The place of honor was in the middle of the table where no more than three people sat. Special honor went to the one who sat on the right-hand side of the host and reclined in his bosom.

When Joseph’s brothers went to Egypt to get grain, Joseph recognized them before they recognized him. The brothers found it strange that they were placed at the table according to their age (Genesis 43:33). The brothers were seated facing Joseph, arranged in order of their age, from the oldest to the youngest.

Paintings of the Lord’s Supper sometimes include Judas reclining in the bosom of Jesus.

Invitations to Eat

In the Bible, two invitations went out to the guests.

• The first invitation was simply to invite the guests.
• The second invitation was to tell the guests the food was ready to be served (Luke 13:15-24).

The Host

The host greeted guests with a holy kiss (Luke 7:45) and provided for their dusty feet to be washed (John 13:4-5).

The host poured perfumed oil on the heads of his guests (Luke 7:46). That depended on the occasion and the host’s wealth.

What the host served depended on the occasion and the wealth of the host.

The host served his guests by dipping the bread in the fat of the meat and offered it to the guests as Jesus did to Judas.

For his guests, the host provided entertainment consisting of music, singing, and dancing. Guests were also entertained with riddles.

Jesus encouraged hosts to include the poor, maimed, and blind among the guests (Luke 14:13).

The Guests

Guests washed their hands at the table in the sight of everyone. Water was passed and everyone saw that hands were washed. The Pharisees criticized Jesus because His disciples ate without washing their hands (Mark 7:3).

Towels were either provided or guests would bring their own to carry away the gifts that were given after the meal.

Clothing was sometimes provided by the host. When the prodigal son returned, his father provided the best robe for him (Luke 15:22).

What It Means When People Eat Together

Eating is more than the consumption of food. People bond over meals. When you eat with someone, it says you are friends and that you share a common bond.

Eating with family and friends multiplies the enjoyment of eating. Even Jesus loved eating with people, including sinners and tax collectors.

Business deals are often made over a shared meal.

Interesting Things About Eating

• Eating is a sign of rejoicing and celebrating.
• Eating is an opportunity to share not only food but conversations also.
• Fellowship is more special when it is done over a meal.
• Eating is a sign of contentment. Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles in Babylon. He told them to build houses, and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produced (Jeremiah 29:5). Eating in this case, was a sign of contentment and peace.

Foods Eaten During Biblical Times

In the Bible, there are many different stories that address the question of who should eat first.

In one story, a Samaritan woman asks Jesus for food and water. Jesus tells her that her husband has gone to a town called Samaria, but that he will come back to her house. The Samaritan woman thanks Jesus and leaves (John 4:16-18).

In another story, Jesus is teaching his disciples how to pray. He says that when we pray, we should ask God for things like “our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11).

In yet another story, Jesus encounters two blind men who ask him for mercy on them because they can’t see (Matthew 9:27-29).

First Fruits Bible Meaning

Firstfruits was a Jewish feast held in the early spring at the beginning of the grain harvest. It was observed on Nissan 16, which was the third day after Passover and the second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Firstfruits was a time of thanksgiving for God’s provision.

Leviticus 23:9-14 institutes the firstfruits offering. The people were to bring a sheaf of grain to the priest, who would wave it before the Lord. A burnt offering, a meal offering, and a drink offering were also required at that time. Deuteronomy 26:1-10 gives even more detail on the procedure of firstfruits.

No grain was to be harvested at all until the firstfruits offering was brought to the Lord (Leviticus 23:14). The offering was made in remembrance of Israel’s sojourn in Egypt, the Lord’s deliverance from slavery, and their possession of “a land that floweth with milk and honey.” The day of the firstfruits offering was also used to calculate the proper time of the Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15-16).

In the New Testament, the firstfruits offering is mentioned seven times, always symbolically. Paul calls Epaenetus and the household of Stephanas “the firstfruits of Achaia” (Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:15). His meaning is that, just as the firstfruits offering was the first portion of a larger harvest, these individuals were the first of many converts in that region. James calls believers “a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:18). Just like the sheaf of grain was set apart for the Lord, so are believers set apart for God’s glory.

The firstfruits offering found its fulfillment in Jesus. “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Jesus’ resurrection has paved the way for our resurrection. Significantly, if Jesus was killed at Passover, then His resurrection on the third day would have fallen on Nissan 16—the Feast of Firstfruits.

The firstfruits offering is never directly applied to Christian giving in the New Testament. However, Paul taught the Corinthian believers to set aside a collection “on the first day of the week” (1 Corinthians 16:2). And, just as the offering of firstfruits was an occasion of thanksgiving, so the Christian is to give with gladness.

In summary, firstfruits symbolizes God’s harvest of souls, it illustrates giving to God from a grateful heart, and it sets a pattern of giving back to Him the first (and the best) of what He has given us. Not being under the Old Testament Law, the Christian is under no further obligation than to give cheerfully and liberally (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).