Is it a shame to throw away expired food?

Today’s question is about expired food. A reader of the portal http://www.moldovacrestina.md asked me if it is a sin to throw away expired food.

It is dangerous for health to use expired foods

Like medicines, we are also in danger if we use expired foods or if we offer them to other people and they will consume them. We must not endanger our own health or the health of others, for God teaches us to do to people everything we want them to do to us. If we don’t want someone to give us expired food, we shouldn’t give it to anyone.

Greed produces expired food

During the journey through Israel, God gave the children of Israel manna from heaven:

“When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.’ ” The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little.  When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat. Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.” But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. “ (Exodus 16:14-20 NASB)

So, the greedy ones, instead of sharing the manna gathered with others, decided to make stores for themselves and it expired, growing worms and stinking. Obviously it could no longer be used in food. Beware, Moses was angry not so much with expired food, but with greedy people.

Greed prevents you from enjoying the things that seem to expire

Jesus once said the following parable to warn greedy people:

“Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive.  And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”” (Luke 12:15-21 NASB)

The man who gathers treasures for himself cannot get rich before God, and the treasures he gathers are wasted or expired. If the rich man in the parable of the Lord Jesus had been wise, he would have benefited from all the surplus food that his country produced that year and thus become rich toward God as it is written:

“ Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.  Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. “ (1 Timotei 6:17-19 NASB)

In the Epistle of James it is written thus about the greedy rich who gather their treasures by exploitation:

“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you.  Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten.  Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.  You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.” (James 5:1-6 NASB)

The wealth gathered by exploitation brings about the destruction of the greedy

I don’t want you to believe or understand that if you woke up with expired food you are definitely a greedy person. I do not want to make this statement, because the reasons why the food expired may be different. However, if this happens to you often, look into your heart and see if you have not been affected or brought down by greed and pay close attention to God’s Word which says:

“Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience” (Colossians 3:5-6 NASB)

Greed is defined as idolatry. Evaluate your possessions and see how you can use them wisely for the glory of God and for the expansion of His kingdom on this earth.

Translated by Olya Trikolich