We all have our preferences when it comes to our meals. We don’t usually choose to eat something we find strange or unusual. But the Bible shows us some people had to eat things that sound completely shocking to us today.
When we open up the scriptures we can find a few stories where regular men of God had to survive on menus that might make you turn away from the dinner table.
These unique historical accounts show us that God can use the most unexpected choices to teach us a lesson or help His servants finish their work. We are going to look closely at three of the most unusual meals in the Bible that actually happened.
1. Honey Sourced From A Dead Lion
In the book of Judges, we read about Samson, a man who was chosen by God to deliver the people of Israel from their enemies. He was walking down a road to a town called Timnah when a young lion jumped out and attacked him.
The Bible says the Spirit of the Lord came upon him with great power so he was able to defeat that dangerous animal with his bare hands (Judges 14:5-6).
Sometime later, he returned to the same spot and noticed something bizarre. A swarm of bees had built a hive right inside the lion’s carcass, and it was dripping with fresh honey (Judges 14:8).
Now let me ask you a question. Would you put your hand inside a dead and decaying animal to grab a snack? Most of us would run the other way.
But Samson didn’t. He reached right in and scooped out the honey, eating it as he walked along the road. He even brought some back to his mother and father and they ate it too, but he did not tell them where he found it (Judges 14:9).
This later became the basis for his riddle to the Philistines, “Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet” (Judges 14:14).
Did you see how God revealed His power through this strange incident? The lion is one of the strongest animals and it can defeat a human in a matter of minutes. But when God’s Spirit poured out on Samson, he got complete authority over his enemy, and God marked his victory with that sweet honey.
2. Bread Baked Over Animal Waste
Now this next account comes from the book of Ezekiel and it might be the most difficult one to imagine cooking.
God wanted the prophet Ezekiel to show the people of Israel just how severe the coming siege and famine on Jerusalem would be. So God told him to take a mix of wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt to bake a special bread (Ezekiel 4:9). It seems like a normal recipe, right?
But the real shock comes from how he had to cook it. The original instruction from the Lord was to build a fire using human waste for the fuel to bake the grain (Ezekiel 4:12).
Can you imagine trying to bake your dinner over a fire like that? I cannot imagine how tough that must have been for Ezekiel to hear. He actually spoke up and told God he had never eaten anything unclean in his whole life (Ezekiel 4:14).
Because Ezekiel asked honestly, God showed mercy and allowed him to use cow dung for the fire instead (Ezekiel 4:15).
To us it seems like a strange and uncomfortable command, but God was giving the people of Israel a very serious warning about the starvation and defilement they would face during their coming exile.
3. A Constant Diet Of Wild Locusts And Honey
John the Baptist spent his days preaching out in the desert to prepare the way for Jesus. His clothing was made of rough camel hair and his daily menu was just as rugged as his clothes.
The gospel books tell us very clearly that he lived on a regular diet of wild locusts and honey (Matthew 3:4, Mark 1:6).
So when we read about this we have to realize that eating grasshoppers or locusts was technically allowed under the old laws of Moses (Leviticus 11:22). It was a clean food for them. But how would you feel if your breakfast, lunch, and dinner every single day consisted of crunchy bugs dipped in honey?
This was not just a one time snack he grabbed because he was lost in the woods. This was what he ate every single day to stay alive while he lived out in the elements.
Why did John choose this wilderness diet? The scripture tells us that John stayed away from the lifestyle of the city to keep himself set apart for his calling. He did not care about comfort because his mind was focused entirely on serving God.
To us, these three unusual meals in the Bible look completely strange and uncomfortable. But God used them for specific purposes. He used them to show His power, to deliver serious warnings, and to prepare His servants for major work.
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