One of the most important skills you can teach your children is how to grow their own food.
by Brian Shilhavy
Created4Health.org
You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth… (Psalms 104:14)
In a previous article I established the fact that all food comes from God. We saw that the Bible clearly teaches that God our Creator is the one who creates and supplies food to us. All food originates from reproducing plant life – life that God created. It takes water, air and sunlight for plants to grow, elements that God also created and regulates. The animals that become meat for our food are dependent on this same plant life, air, water, and sunlight.
Psalm 104 is a psalm that clearly establishes this truth:
You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man’s heart.
The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens. Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening. O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. (Psalms 104:5-24)
Producing Food on a Cursed Earth
In considering how God supplies us with food, we must also consider a very important event in the history of man. When the original couple Adam and Eve sinned, it affected all of creation, including food production:
And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Genesis 3:17-19)
Prior to this event, Adam’s job, the first occupation of mankind, was tending the Garden of Eden, a perfect paradise that he neither created nor planted:
And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers… The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (Genesis 2:8-15)
What a difference between “working and keeping” a garden in paradise planted and watered by God, to the work of “sweat and pain” needed to bring forth “plants of the field” infested with thorns and thistles! The whole nature of food production changed completely, but man is still dependent upon God to supply everything necessary to produce food.
Modern Technology to the Rescue?
Today in the 21st century, however, man has built a society based on a humanistic view of life where man is believed to be the highest form of life that has evolved. Man has now taken on the role of the new “creator” of food. Modern man will have none of that “sweat and pain” and hard work stuff when it comes to producing food. In modern man’s belief system, technology has replaced all of that. As is portrayed in science fiction stories, there is a belief that one day we will be able to “create” our own food at the touch of button.
The problem with this belief system of course is the truth that man is not a creator of life, but is himself created from dust: “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.“
Can man and his “wonderful” technology really reverse God’s curse on sin, and its corruption of the natural world?
No. Take a look again at Psalm 104 and look at these verses:
These all look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground. (Psalms 104:27-30)
As I have written in many other places, modern man worships “science” which today has a very narrow meaning that only looks at the physical world. It ignores the spiritual realm altogether.
The Spiritual Laws of the Universe Cannot be Overcome by Man’s Limited Technology
But man’s technology cannot stop man from dying a physical death, which happens when the spirit leaves and the physical part of man begins to decay and return to the elements of the earth (“dust”).
In the same way, man-made things can never achieve to the things created by the Spirit of God. As the verse in Psalm 104 clearly states: “When you send forth your Spirit, they are created…” Man cannot do this.
Right and Wrong Way of Producing Food
So make no mistake about it. There is a right way to produce food and a wrong way.
The right way recognizes that all food originates from God, and is the result of trusting God and working hard to overcome the curse that the earth is currently under.
The wrong way to produce food believes that technology can produce food easily and with little effort, because the producers deny the existence of God and that all food originates from him. They deny that there is a curse on nature that affects the way food is produced, and instead put their trust in themselves and their technology.
Appropriate Use of Technology
I am thoroughly convinced that “technology” in and of itself is not evil. It is neutral, because ultimately all knowledge comes from God also. It is the application of technology that can either be helpful or harmful.
Technology Cannot Improve the Design Principles
In the case of food production, technology cannot improve on the quality of food the way God created it in its original form. It can only increase production. Technology can increase quantity, but if it is ignoring the principles God has placed in his creation, it can also degrade the food to the point where that food is no longer healthy for us because of its alteration, or lack of essential nutrients. The food can actually become toxic, and no longer promote health.
Technology in Food Production Should Focus on the Past, not the Future
The best use of technology is to acknowledge the design principle of nature, and try to overcome the effects of the sin curse by having the goal of trying to get back to the original form of nature that God created. As is the case with so many things in this world, the best food this planet has ever produced lies in the past, not the future.
Think of how nutritious the food was in the original Garden of Eden before sin and death existed! Even after sin came into the world and people began to die physical deaths, the average lifespan was 800 to 900 years!
Scriptures make it very clear that the creation is wearing out, just as clothes wear out and eventually need to be changed.
“In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” (Hebrews 1:10-12)
Prophecies of the future recorded in the Scriptures explain that the present physical world will be destroyed, and a new one created. Therefore, our best days on this earth were in the past, not the future. Modern technology cannot offer a better life – that is an empty promise. The best it can do is try to relearn the lessons from the past, and attempt to come as close as possible to produce food as it was originally designed.
Genetically Modified Food: A Failed Example of Food Technology
The best example today of failed promises and failed technology are genetically modified crops. The whole philosophy behind GMOs is that man can create food that is better than anything previously produced through genetic manipulation.
These GMO “foods” have not been around for very long, and we are only now starting to see the results of eating them. In 2009 the American Academy Of Environmental Medicine issued a press release on genetically modified foods that stated: “there is more than a casual association between GM foods and adverse health effects” and that “GM foods pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology, allergy and immune function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and genetic health.” Their position paper references several studies backing up their claims, and can be read here.
Dr. Robin Bernhoft, a fellow and past president of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine who graduated cum laude from Harvard College and earned his MD at Washington University Medical School, and is the current director of the Bernhoft Center for Advanced Medicine in Ojai California, was one of the first doctors in the U.S. to recognize the toxic effects of GMO, and to see positive results in his patients after prescribing a diet free of GMO foods. Read more about Dr. Bernhoft and watch a video presentation where he explains the lack of science behind GMO technology: Dr. Bernhoft Explains the “Science” Behind GMO Foods and Why You Want Them Labeled.
Scientists’ Warnings on GMOs to the U.S. Government Go Unheeded
Dr. Don Huber is an expert in an area of science that relates to the toxicity of genetically engineered foods. His specific areas of training include soil-borne diseases, microbial ecology, and host-parasite relationships. Dr. Huber also taught plant pathology, soil microbiology, and micro-ecological interactions as they relate to plant disease as a staff Professor at Purdue University for 35 years.
In January 2011 Dr. Huber wrote a letter to US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack alerting him that a team of scientists had discovered a new unknown pathogen in GMO soy and corn that are genetically altered to be resistant to the chemical pesticide Glyphosate, the number one selling weed killer in the U.S. (Roundup). The new organism these scientists found was linked to an epidemic of plant diseases that had spread across Midwestern fields and found in cattle and dairy herds that were experiencing infertility rates and spontaneous abortion rates as high as 45%.
So what was the government’s response to this information?
Nothing. In fact, they have approved even more genetically modified crops since 2011, even as new evidence points to the failure and toxicity of GMO foods.
A study in 2012 found that GMO foods caused cancerous tumors in rats, and a study published in 2013 found that GMO feed was harmful to the digestive tracts of pigs.
U.S. Food Supply has become Extremely Toxic
Besides these toxicity issues, more and more farmers are abandoning GMO seeds and returning to conventional seeds because pests are developing resistance to the pesticides and herbicides engineered into GMO seeds, requiring them to go back to older, more toxic pesticides. The USDA and EPA just recently approved a new herbicide that includes an older chemical called 2,4-D, which was part of Agent Orange and used in chemical warfare. (See: USDA Approves Toxic Herbicide Amidst Great Public Outcry.)
The reason this toxic chemical was approved is because many pests and weeds have developed resistance to glyphosate, the active ingredient is herbicides such as Round Up.
Glyphosate toxicity and prevalence in our food supply and environment is well documented. It is a highly toxic chemical that causes damage to our digestive system and can be linked to many diseases. (See: Glyphosate Herbicide Causes Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Kidney Disease, and Infertility.)
Tropical Traditions recently tested some organic grains and found that they were contaminated with residues of toxic glyphosate. So not even the USDA Organic seal can guarantee that your food is safe. (See: ALERT: Certified Organic Food Grown in U.S. Found Contaminated with Glyphosate Herbicide.)
GMO Food: Failed Promises Based on a False Belief System
The promise of higher yields from GMO seeds is also proving to be an empty promise, as farmers in poorer countries using traditional, sustainable farming techniques are seeing much higher yields (see for example: India’s Rice Revolution: India’s Poorest State Grows World Record Amounts of Rice – with no GM, no Herbicide.)
When GMO seeds were allowed to be patented and introduced into the market in the late 1990s, the promise was higher yields and less toxic chemicals needed to produce food. Sadly, because this thinking and belief system violates the design principle and ignores the current curse on the natural world, just the exact opposite has happened. We have ended up with lower yields and more toxic food.
U.S. Food System now Controlled by a Handful of Large Corporations with Tremendous Political Power
The large agricultural companies that produce these GMO seeds are among the most powerful companies in the world, spending millions of dollars lobbying and contributing to political campaigns to get their products approved.
You are eating these GMO foods, whether you realize it or not, because there are currently no requirements to label GMO foods. The industry has fought hard to prevent any kind of labeling requirements on food identifying them as genetically modified, because they know it will hurt their sales. Certain foods, such as corn and soy, are predominantly GM now, and unless it is labeled as organic or non-GMO, it is a safe bet to just assume it is a GMO variety.
There is some hope however. Communities in Hawaii and other places in the U.S. are starting to take a stand, and take measures to ban GMOs in their community. (See: Victory! Hawaii Leads Nation on Banning GMO Crops.)
Conclusion: We Need to Return to the Roots of our Past
When our country was founded, 90% of the population was involved in agriculture. When Abraham Lincoln was president during the Civil War, about 50% of the population was involved in agriculture producing food, and much of the population still lived near farms that produced food. Food in the past was less toxic, and more nutritious. Should we not use modern technology to return to time-honored agricultural principles that respects the design principle?
Today, less than 1% of the population in the United States produces food for everyone else. Do you know who produces your food? Do you know what you’re eating? Do you think your food is safe just because it is legal and you can buy it in a grocery store?
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. (Psalms 145:15)
Related article: Who do You Trust for Your Food?
