Israel Still God’s Chosen People? – The Veil

Israel – Still God’s Chosen People?

There are many rumors alive today that modern Israel is still God’s chosen land, and the Jews remain to be God’s chosen people. However, is there any biblical evidence that shows this? If this is true, then why was Israel cut off from the face of the earth for almost 1900 years? I was once sucked into this very popular false doctrine that is easily mistaken for truth until put up to scrutiny against the only truth we have in this world…scripture. Many theories have surfaced, especially in recent times, with several pastors, preachers, authors and even movie producers coming up with false ideas of what scripture says about these things. Before going forward, I must warn you that I try with everything I have to go by the bible alone, as it is God’s word revealed to us through the Holy Spirit. I welcome discussion on the basis that it is backed up by scripture and scripture alone, in its context. Any work created by man cannot equal the authority of God’s word, including my own. If you have not had a chance to first read my post on Studying Scripture in its Context, you can find it here.

There is one little piece of evidence you can follow throughout scripture to prove that modern day Israel is not of God, does not hold precedent in God’s eyes, and for a person to have the concept that God still favors Israel today defies the very teachings of Jesus and the New Testament. This small piece of evidence…is simply a cloth, called a veil. It’s amazing how such a small detail such as this can hold so much value. Without further ado, let’s follow this piece of material through the bible and see what happens. I think you will find the story just as amazing as I did, and still do.

The Veil – What is it?

The Veil pops up for the first time in scripture in Exodus 26:31-33. But first, let’s get a little context of the time and see what is going on in this section of scripture. In this part of Exodus, the Israelites have escaped Egypt, crossed the Red Sea, are at Mt. Sinai, and have received the Ten Commandments back in chapter 20. At this point in the text, Moses is commanding how the tabernacle is supposed to be set up. In chapter 25, Moses describes how to create the Ark of the Covenant (or Ark of the Testimony), along with the Table for the Showbread, and the Golden Lampstand (also known as the Menorah.) Chapter 26 starts out with how to set up the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle is the traveling “tent” that God will dwell in while Israel travels through their journeys to the Promised Land. So now that we have context in mind, Exodus 26:31-33 reads:

31 “You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim. 32 You shall hang it upon the four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver. 33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy.

So we can see here that the veil was a divider not only to the people from the Most Holy, but between the holy place and the Most Holy. No one was allowed to go or to see in there, except one. But we’ll get into that in a minute.

Next it pops up in the very next chapter, Exodus 27:20-21 says:

20 “And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually. 21 In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the Lord. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.

We see that the people of Israel are supposed to bring oil for the menorah and Aaron and his sons are to keep it burning continually forever. Notice that it specifies this lampstand is OUTSIDE the veil.

Exodus 30 is where the description of the altar of incense is given. Notice verse 6:

6 And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you.

The altar of incense is OUTSIDE the veil.

In Exodus 36 we see that Bezalel, Aholiab, and all the gifted artisans start constructing the articles of tabernacle. The previous chapters were commands on how to accomplish the task, at this point in the text is when it is being created. Notice verse 35:

35 And he made a veil of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen; it was worked with an artistic design of cherubim.

In Exodus 40 the tabernacle is finished being created, and now God is commanding its construction. Verse 1-3 read:

1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “On the first day of the first month you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 3 You shall put in it the ark of the Testimony, and partition off the ark with the veil.

The veil is hung in Verse 21:

21 And he brought the ark into the tabernacle, hung up the veil of the covering, and partitioned off the ark of the Testimony, as the Lord had commanded Moses.

What happens once the veil is hung up? Check out verses 34-35:

34 Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tabernacle of meeting, because the cloud rested above it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

In this part of the bible, God is now dwelling with the people of Israel in the tabernacle now that the veil is hung up. Not even Moses can enter beyond the veil now. The veil is a small detail of the tabernacle, but it is a major piece and a defining position in the dwelling place of God.

Leviticus 4:6 and 4:17 tells us that the Sin offering must be done in FRONT of, or OUTSIDE of the veil:

6 The priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil of the sanctuary.

 

17 Then the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, in front of the veil.

The Day of Atonement

This is the only time a person can enter past the veil. It is only allowed by one person, the high priest, once a year, on the tenth day of the seventh month, to offer sacrifice for the sins of Israel to cleanse them once a year. Leviticus chapter 16 details all of the stipulations which must be completed in order for this to be done correctly. Due to space I’m not going to put all of Leviticus 16 in here, but here are the main verses of the chapter:

2 and the Lord said to Moses: “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at just any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.

 

29 “This shall be a statute forever for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. 30 For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.

More references

Leviticus 24:3 repeats the command for the lampstands to burn forever OUTSIDE the veil:

3 Outside the veil of the Testimony, in the tabernacle of meeting, Aaron shall be in charge of it from evening until morning before the Lord continually; it shall be a statute forever in your generations.

Numbers 4 lists the duties of the sons of Kohath, the family of the Levites who were to carry the articles of the tabernacle whenever it traveled. What is interesting is that in verse 5 it states that Aaron and his sons will take down the tabernacle and wrap the articles in 3 layers of badger skins, and THEN the sons of Kohath are allowed to carry them. The sons of Kohath are not allowed to touch any holy thing. (This would include Uzza in 1 Chronicles 13:9, when Uzza reaches up to steady the Ark as he thinks it’s going to fall and God strikes him down for touching it.) The Kohathites couldn’t even WATCH while the items were being covered in verse 20.

Levites are Chosen

Later in Numbers 16-17 the Israelites rebel against Moses and Aaron several times, but God makes it very clear that the Levites are to be chosen for their service to the tabernacle. After they are chosen for good in chapter 17, in chapter 18 verses 6-7 God says:

6 Behold, I Myself have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel; they are a gift to you, given by the Lord, to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. 7 Therefore you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and behind the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

Only the sons of Aaron are allowed to perform this service, anyone else is to be put to death. Harsh stipulations huh?

Next we jump to 2 Chronicles chapter 3. Don’t forget context, a lot has happened since Numbers. Israel has already received and divided the Promised Land up between the 12 tribes in Joshua, went through the Judges period, and is now ending the Period of the kings; Saul, David, and now Solomon. Solomon is in the process of building a permanent temple for God at this point. So as Solomon is building the permanent temple, check out verse 14 of chapter 3:

14 And he made the veil of blue, purple, crimson, and fine linen, and wove cherubim into it.

Same kind of veil that separated the holy place from the Most Holy (or Holy of Holies) of the tabernacle.

In conclusion, the veil in the Old Testament could arguably be the most important piece of cloth in the world at the time. It alone kept anything unholy from coming into contact with the Most Holy. To have this veil removed, or for it to be breached by any person other than the high priest would be an extreme abomination of highest degree. A lot of planning, instruction, handiwork, and diligence had been put into place by God, and by God commanding man to accomplish these things. I can’t imagine what untold horror would take place if something were to happen to it…

The New Testament

First, we have to come up to speed rather quickly.

1. Jesus has been born of a virgin
2. Called his disciples
3. Done many miraculous works
4. Fulfilled many prophecies concerning the coming messiah
5. Been found guilty for no reason BY THE JEWS
6. Has been sentenced to death by crucifixion for “blasphemy”
7. Jesus is currently hanging on the cross as we continue…

In Matthew 27:50-54 we pick back up on the veil. Let’s see what it has to say:

50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Whoa, that escalated quickly. Earthquakes, rocks splitting, graves opening, it is all very dramatic and visual. However, most people miss the tiny detail mingled within all the dramatic chaos. What about the veil? Who tore the veil? Right as Jesus dies the veil is torn. This is an extreme abomination according to the old law! That is in fact the very point of the whole matter. Just as Jesus dies, it is blatantly obvious that God is no longer dwelling with the people of Israel, but with the followers of Christ, His Son. The only explanation is that God tore the veil, thus ending the OLD covenant between Him and the Jews, and completing the NEW covenant between Him and the followers of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is a New deal, a NEW agreement, a NEW covenant, thus ending and putting away the OLD one.

Let’s check out some more, Mark 15:37-39 tells the same story:

37 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.

38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”

Luke 23:44-47 shows more details that aren’t in Matthew or Mark’s account:

44 Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45 Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. 46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” Having said this, He breathed His last.

 

47 So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!”

Now we have darkness over all the earth for 3 hours before the veil is torn in two. Scary stuff if you’re a Jew, these are very, VERY bad omens… The centurion saw it, many other people saw it, yet people today do not see the significance of this happening.

Let’s jump over to Hebrews now at chapter 6. Paul is writing to the Jews about Christ. He writes about how and why He came here, and about how and why He fulfills the law and has done away with the old law. In Hebrews 6:19-20 Paul writes:

19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, 20 where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Jesus is the High Priest for us forever, and has entered behind the veil for us, making an atonement for our sins once and for all. Notice the word ALL, This would include Jews, Gentiles, everyone in the world. Jesus died for anyone willing to follow him. There is no longer a need for a temple and a veil and a Holy of Holies, as Jesus has fulfilled all of that for us! What great news!

I’ll warn you, this next part is going to be lengthy because Paul goes into great detail on the differences between the old earthly sanctuary and the new heavenly sanctuary. Hebrews 9 says:

The Earthly Sanctuary

9 Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

Limitations of the Earthly Service

6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; 8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience— 10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.

The Heavenly Sanctuary

11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

The Mediator’s Death Necessary

16 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. 18 Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. 19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” 21 Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. 22 And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

Greatness of Christ’s Sacrifice

23 Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

Conclusion

I have to admit that I do not see any room for the Jews being God’s chosen people in any of this chain of events. God obviously split the veil in two when Jesus died on the cross. God himself, ended the covenant with the Jews at that moment as this was an astronomical atrocity in His eyes that they should reject and crucify His Son.

There are several other passages that false teachers use to claim that the Jews are still God’s chosen people to this day, but I will cover those in later posts. But from looking at the just the veil by itself, it is clear that only people who are willing to follow Jesus will be granted eternal salvation through his blood. I hope this has helped to clear up some confusion on who really is God’s chosen people today, it is simply the Christians that follow Jesus Christ, His Son.

Paleo diet and why I don’t follow it

The Paleo Diet seems to sweeping the nation like crazy. It seems to be the diet to be on. I’ve seen tons of new books, articles, magazines, blog posts about how the Paleo Diet is the smart way to go. Well, I don’t buy it. There are parts of the Paleo Diet that I think are wise but part of the diet seems to be unwise.

What is the Paleo Diet?

The Paleo Diet claims to follow a diet based off of our caveman ancestors. The diet includes fresh fruit, veggies, fish, and grass fed beef. It excludes dairy, grains, and processed foods.

Haven’t we learned anything?

Through my MANY diet fails I have learned eliminating food groups is not the key to healthy living. Remember when egg yolks were evil? How about the low fat diets ?The Atkins Diet  or The South Beach Diet which pushed low carb, high protein? How about the absurd diets like Grapefruit diet, HCG Diet, or the Cabbage Diet? The horrible calorie counting that is “simply science”? Let’s not even get started on the diet pills or if milk is good/bad for you. Through all these many fads, they always promise results with some scientific evidence that guarantees weight loss and healthy living. But America (which seems to be the place where these “great” diets become very popular) is the most overweight, unhealthy nation. If ANY of these diets would have worked, this nation would be slim, fit, and healthy. But we’re not.

We are SO desperate to lose weight, and look good that we put all of our logical reasoning aside in hopes of a slimmer body. This is called vanity in the Bible. We will go through crazy diet fads in order to drop a few pounds. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for healthy living. Living a healthy lifestyle and taking care of your body brings about a more enriched life, clearer thinking, and you feel better overall. Who doesn’t want to be healthy? It is in your best interest to BE healthy. But these diets are far from healthy. You may drop a few pounds at first and gain all them back plus some in the end. And the cycle starts over again the next time you start the new best diet.

Photo Credit

 

 

But the Paleo isn’t new. It’s the diet of our Ancestors.

Actually, no. Our ancestors ate grains and dairy. Archaeologist have found grinding stones that ancient civilizations used to grind grains. Even without the evidence, think about it. If you were starving (when I say starving, I am not talking about starving from eating lunch and ready for supper) and you tried to go hunt for meat but failed in killing an animal. You then try to find some berries but also are unlucky. You then stumble upon the “all dreaded” wheat or the “evil” dairy cow. Would you eat it or drink it? I know I would. You see, our ancestors lived in a time where they hunted and gathered their own food. They didn’t have the luxury of driving to the grocery store and deciding that grains and milk/dairy was bad for you. You can even look to the Bible to see that as far back as the Egyptians were eating, harvesting grains.

When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”  And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.” (Genesis 42:1-2)

Remember the story of Ruth in the Bible? She was gleaning grains during the time of the harvest. Don’t believe the bible? Well look at some of the ancient Egyptian drawings. They were clearing harvesting grains and eating them. The Egyptians were also drinking milk. They kept cattle, sheep, and goats. They stored the fresh milk in jars to be consumed immediately. If they didn’t consume it immediately, they processed the milk into quark or yogurt-like labaneh.

Ancient cultures like the Chinese are know for their consumption of rice. The Indus Valley Civilization, Mayans, Egyptians, Chinese, Japenese,  Romans, all ate grains and drank milk. You look at all these different cultures and you will see they all enjoyed both grains and dairy. Can you imagine trying to explain to these ancient cultures how milk and wheat was bad for them?? I’m sure they would glaze over and continue doing what they always had done, eating grains and dairy.

My mom talks about an ancient time (ok, not so ancient but ancient to me haha 🙂 ) when they grew everything they ate. And what they didn’t have, they bartered for. They were very poor. I am talking about a time when they were so poor they actually had dirt floors. No, I am not kidding. They were a family of 12 struggling to survive. They worked hard sun up to sun down. Every single one of them worked hard. She likes to tell me of times when all they had to eat was wheat muffins with honey and washed it down with milk, and how delicious this simple meal was. The milk was freshly milked from a cow or a goat. The wheat muffins were made from fresh wheat they had grown, harvested, and ground. My grandpa had robbed the honey from the bee hive. And the muffins were made from scratch by my grandmother. They were poor, worked hard, ate fresh grains and veggies grown from the soil they tilled, the meat was from the animals they grew on the farm, and most importantly, they were healthy.

But the caveman dated way before Egyptians..

So you mean to tell me that the Egyptians just decided to start eating grains and dairy? The reason I chose the Egyptians is because there is mountains of evidence on the modern science viewpoint and biblical accounts. Like it or not, they are still an ancient civilization.  There is hard evidence that the Egyptians ate grains and dairy. Both the biblical viewpoint and science both recognize the Egyptians as an ancient civilization. There is scientific evidence and the Bible also speaks of their time. I have a very different viewpoint than most. I am a Christian and take the Bible as truth. The caveman era that modern science teaches is off when aligning it to the Bible.  We all know science changes all the time. Simply look at the fad diets and you will see how science isn’t consistent. But that is another rabbit hole I will not go into detail right now. I think there were caveman but the time frame was not as modern science states and they are missing some details. I look to the bible for my answers. If you’re interested, read Answers in Genesis’ article When did caveman live? So to sum it up, the “caveman” can be found in Genesis. Where you can clearly see they ate grains and dairy. Even if you don’t believe the bible, archaeologist have dug up mills from ancient civilizations that they state were during the Caveman era. Like I said above, I have a different viewpoint on the Caveman era. But it still remains that an ancient civilization before the well documented and studied Egyptians, were still grinding grains.

As far as evolution goes. We do not just decide and/or evolve one day to begin eating something we never had to previous times. That is like saying we can evolve to eat grass. Grass has no nutrients to the human body. Our body can’t just automatically begin to need grass. It is undeniable that grains and dairy have nutrients that the body needs. Grass, on the other hand, doesn’t. Think about this for a second. If you saw a man out in his front yard eating grass, what would you think? You would think this man is mentally disturbed. Science would probably say, this man has some kind of disorder. Let’s say he comes to you and says, “Try some, it tastes like chicken.” Would you try it? Probably not but for the sake of argument let’s say he talks you into it. You try it and make a face, spit it out, and realize he is a little crazy. Let’s put that scenario to a “time when they didn’t eat grains and dairy.” Now apply that same scenario to the caveman. Civilizations all around the world would not just decide to start eating wheat and dairy just because they felt like it especially if it didn’t have any beneficial nutrients. It wouldn’t happen. You couldn’t convince civilizations around to world to eat grass so why would you think you could convince them to eat wheat and dairy if they weren’t already consuming it?

We have evolved to drive cars. We have evolved to manufacture food to be sold at the local grocery store. We have evolved to do many things but it does have limits. I do not believe we evolved from monkeys. I honestly think this is a disgrace to man to think we were once monkeys. I mean, monkeys eat their own poop. I am not kidding.  My husband didn’t believe me until I pulled up multiple videos on youtube. Again, another rabbit hole I am not going to journey down today. If your interested and this is a new viewpoint for you, check out Answers in Genesis’s article; Theory of Evolution.

What the Paleo diet got right….

I don’t think all of the Paleo Diet is wrong. I think they got a few things right. Most of our foods are highly processed, genetically modified, growth hormone induced, nutrient lacking, picked before its ripe, sprayed with gas to make it look nice,  and probably a few other problems I’m missing. Our food is literally a science experiment and as far from natural as you can get. We are a nation that is overfed and undernourished. We take supplements to counteract the foods that are seriously lacking vital vitamins and minerals. Our health is declining but McDonald’s is making the big bucks.

Eliminating processed foods and grains that have been stripped of their nutrients, growth hormones, GMOs, choosing organic, growing your own food or buying from local farmers you trust, and avoiding toxins such as pesticides, are all on the right track to eating healthy. Don’t fall into the lies and fad diets that are going to destroy your health even further. Trust me, give it 5-10 years and the Paleo Diet will be tossed out for the next diet that comes along to promise health, weight loss, and some kind of science to back up the claims.

 

When I wrote the blog post, I didn’t know the information I know now. Stay tuned for the next blog post. I will be covering why many are having reactions to wheat. *** Hint*** It’s not the gluten! 😉

So what are you thoughts on the Paleo Diet? Is it a do or a don’t?

 

 

 

photo credit: photobookgirl via photopin cc

photo credit: alexrheadrick via photopin cc

 

 

 

 

Sourdough Bread

The Benefits of Sourdough Bread

 

Photo created using Basic Sourdough Bread-Bread Kneaded by Rebecca Siegel

My story and what lead to researching sourdough bread

About two months ago, I started talking to some friends about some of my weight loss woes. It didn’t matter what I did I couldn’t lose weight, etc. They recommended I go see their physician and told me they had many of the same symptoms.  I had been tested before for hypothyroidism and it was negative so I thought my thyroid was fine. They told me they had been tested before as well but it wasn’t until a full panel was ordered that they discovered they had an under active thyroid. I was a little doubtful but I knew something was not right with my body so I went to the physician. She ran some blood work, told me my hormones were out of whack, deficient in B12, vitamin D, and my thyroid wasn’t functioning properly. She went over all my results and explained everything to me. She then advised me on what to do for treatment. Our hectic schedules were about to kick off again so we were headed to go camping right after the doc appointment.

Hypothyroidism

After we began to get back into our routine, me being me, I started researching hypothyroidism. I wanted to know what it is, what causes it, how to reverse it, etc. Hypothyroid seems to be very complex and can be different for each patient. So I got out the test results and compared it to the my research. And then I remembered she had wrote autoimmune next to the the thyroid antibody. I don’t know if I had been so busy to forget that she had said I was autoimmune, was in disbelief, or I thought maybe it wasn’t any big deal since the physician didn’t seem like it was anything out of the ordinary but I had completely forgot about her stating and writing that I was autoimmune. Of course, I began researching Autoimmune Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody. I quickly learned this was called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

Hashimotos

I have spent some time trying to research this autoimmune disorder. I have been reading a book called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause. Almost every article, site, and the 2 books I have read over Hashimotos talks about getting your gut back in check. Many doctors and specialists are making a connection between gluten and autoimmune disorders. The health of your gut plays a big role in your immune system. Last night, I was reading the book mentioned above and it began talking about Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder where the lining of the small intestine is. People with Celiac Disease are also gluten intolerant. They can remove gluten from their diet and see improvements. So what does Celiac Disease have to do with anything? I’m getting there. The book states that in studies, sourdough bread can be eaten safely by people with celiac disease (gluten intolerant) and even in some cases reverse it.

“Traditional bread preparation techniques involved using a “sourdough” fermentation process that would break down the gluten protein. This process involves putting a special types of yeast on the flour that takes about three days until the bread is ready to be baked.

Conventional bread preparation techniques don’t bother with this process and most wheat products in breads, cereals, and processed foods contain gluten.” (Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause, Izabella Wentz PharmD , pg 165-166)

Is it the wheat or yeast?

Interesting. This sparked my interest so of course, more research! I’m sure many of you have heard about the Paleo Diet, how wheat/grains are bad for you, etc. Wheat/grains have been getting a bad rep recently. But I have said from word go that I don’t believe we shouldn’t consume grains. People have been eating grain products for a long time. There had to be another connection they were missing. Jesus himself ate bread so I knew wheat was not bad for you but didn’t have any proof.

Funny thing is, about 6-7 months ago, I was talking to my sis and hubby about bread. I asked the question how did people in Biblical times and before mass production make bread. I knew some of them made flat bread but they still used some kind of leaven to make the bread rise. I had also wondered if the yeast purchased from the store was good for you. No one seemed to know and I had lightly tried to research it but I decided maybe I was thinking too much about yeast.

I was also curious what type of leavened bread they were making in Biblical times. Guess what kind of bread it was? Sourdough. Yep. Things are beginning to make sense. And guess what, they didn’t add yeast to the bread to leaven it. The bread made it’s own yeast through the fermentation process. Sourdough bread was made before the industrial revolution and during biblical times. Even the Egyptians used sourdough starter to make bread. They didn’t have a local grocery store that carried yeast in a little brown glass bottle. Making sourdough bread is like going back to the basics.

What makes the difference between regular bread and sourdough bread?

If you’ve ever made sourdough bread, you know it is a lengthier process. You have to have a sourdough starter which can be made yourself (takes about a week) or you are given a sourdough starter from a friend or family member. Once you have the starter, it takes 3 days before you actually bake the bread.  With normal bread, you start it the same day that you bake it and there is no starter involved. Unlike traditional bread, the sourdough bread goes through a fermentation process and it creates yeast from the air. You do not add the yeast to the bread, it creates its own. From what I have read, sourdough bread will taste different depending on your location.

The benefits of Sourdough Bread

1.) Easier to Digest- The bacteria and the yeast in the sourdough begin digesting the starches. This in return makes it easier for us to digest the starches.

2.) Blood Glucose Regulation- Some studies have shown that those who consumed Sourdough bread had a lower blood glucose level vs traditional breads. The results showed that the positive results lasted to hours after the next meal.

3.) Natural Preservative- Sourdough Bread will stay fresh longer because of the natural preservatives; acetic acid and lactic acid. These acids inhibit the growth of mold.

4.) Better absorption of vitamin and minerals- The longer fermentation breaks down the phytic acid. This means better absorbtion of the 18 amino acids, B vitamins, iron, zinc, selenium, magnesium, and maltase. People with Hashimotos, hypothyroidism, and many Americans are lacking in these vital nutrients.

5.) Good Bacteria- Sourdough bread contains the good bacteria (Lactobacillus) which is also the bacteria found in yogurt, kefir, sour cream, buttermilk, etc. If you buy a probiotic, it will probably have strains of Lactobacillus. Lots of research suggests a good bacteria= healthy gut = a healthy body.

6.) It’s delicious- I’m not going to claim that I bake all the time but I do bake more than most average Americans. About 3 months ago, a friend gave me a sourdough starter. It was different than baking typical bread and seemed like it would be some trouble since it took 3 days before I could bake it. Then I had to feed the starter like it was some little hungry monster growing in my fridge. My husband didn’t understand why he needed to go to the grocery store to buy potato flakes to feed the bread starter! Anyways,  after it was all said and done, it wasn’t that big of deal to make. And I have to say, it was some of the best bread I have ever made and ate. It was delicious and even the texture was better. It makes sense now why it tasted so scrumptious. It’s tastes better because it is better for you!

All wisdom comes from the Father

Maybe my gut instinct (no pun intended) was telling me something when I had questioned commercial yeast. Deep down I knew wheat was not the evil tyrant that diets like the Paleo have made many to think.  I haven’t bought into the Paleo Diet and the statements that come along with it. If you haven’t gathered this from my previous posts or this post, I am a Christian. I believe all wisdom comes from the heavenly father. So it only makes sense for me to look to the Bible for answers. As far as I’m aware, there is no scripture that says sourdough bread is better than modern bread but we can look to the scripture for some clues.

“For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:6)

Jesus was also our greatest example and he ate bread. The bread was also symbolic for his body. When Jesus broke the bread with the apostles, unleavened bread was used. We draw this conclusion since by looking at Matthew 25:1. Some may already know this but “leaven” is anything that is used to make the bread rise. Examples of leaven are yeast, baking soda, and baking powder.

“And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)

Jesus also said he was the bread of life. Bread is nourishment for our bodies and Jesus is nourishment for our soul.

“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)

Here is some food for thought since leaven and bread is the topic here. If you look at Galatians 5:9, Paul referred to leaven as a symbol to sin. Any time you add even a little leaven to bread, you will get leavened bread. The bread is either leavened or unleavened. The same goes for our soul. A little sin makes the person sinful. You can not have even the smallest smidge of sin and be sin free. Many of us like to say “I am a good person,” or “she/he is a good person.” They/I only (insert sin here) a little or from time to time. Truth is, we all fall short of the glory of God. We have to ask for forgiveness for sin and turn from it. When a man called Jesus good, he replied and said, “Why do you call me good? There is none good but one, that is, God. ” (Mark 10:18) It is only through Jesus Christ that can wash away our sins.  Does that mean we can go on sinning? No, there is MANY scriptures that tells us how we shouldn’t sin, what sin is, and how we should be more Christ like.

“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.”  Galations 5:9

Hope you have enjoyed my findings and find all this information as interesting as I do. 🙂 Leave your comments below.