So there are no soured expectation later, I am not going in to the processes of milk formation or cheese production; this is a by-product of the post – Ruminants.

Leviticus and Deuteronomy refer to animals that chew the cud and have split hooves. This was a way for the Children to determine if they should eat them; camels and rabbits chew cud but do not have split hooves. Sheep, goats, cows, and the deer-family do meet those qualifications and they have a stomach and digestive process that needs for them to rechew their food (cud). It seems that they lack the ability to produce certain enzymes.

This process starts with the animal consuming a large amount of roughage or plants. The first chew breaks the plants down, some, and adds ‘juices’ to it as it rests in an upper part of the stomach. Later, this juicy mix is pushed back up the esophagus into the mouth. There it is squeezed and the liquid is swallowed and the ruminant chews the cud.

I remember as a city-boy going to my uncle’s farm and seeing cows chewing something even when there were no plants or feed around. I asked how they were eating and I was told they were chewing the cud. That went right over my head, but I had an answer.

As the animal chews it again, the plant material is broken down more so that bacteria in the stomach have more area to work. When it is small enough, it passes into other sections of the stomach and small intestines where fatty acids and other nutrients are removed for the animal to use in bodily processes.

There were two things that I found interesting that can have a negative impact on this process:

• Eating food that does not have enough fiber in it. Too little fibrous material can shut the process down and could lead to death.
• Tannins are a chemical in the plants. To much of this can be toxic to the animal.

Now to the cruds. Cottage cheese is an example of curds; the stuff Little Miss Muffet ate with her whey. They are a step in the making of cheese. To help milk form into curds a chemical called rennet is added; this is found in the stomach of young cows. The young animal would give their all for the cheese making process;{

Cheese and milk are mentioned in the Bible. Remember, the Land flowed with milk and honey, which speaks to it being blessed. Cheese is the reason David got to go see Goliath, 1 Samuel 17. Jael, Judges 4, gave Sisera milk from a skin, that milk may have been curdling because they did not have refrigeration.

Paul, Peter, and the Book of Hebrews all talk about milk and compare it with food for our Christian growth.

Dear fellow SHEEP of the Flock of Jesus, I will synch this with the Ruminants post. Jesus is leading us to green pastures and quiet waters, but we still need to pay attention to what we consume. Milk is fine and needed, but at some point, we need to start eating ‘solid food’. If we don’t ‘eat’ teachings that cause us to rechew them we may lose the ability to digest ‘massa’ for our growth.

Tannins DO NOT taste nice and can be toxic; think tannic acid for curing leather. The Children of Jacob, the heirs of Abraham, were fed tannins from the time of Solomon to Jeremiah, some ate, some did not. In the writing of Amos and Isaiah the religious and political leaders are called out for their toxic ways, Isaiah 32:6 and many other verses. Under the shadow of Assyria many stayed with idols, looked to Egypt for help, and even tried to make peace with the ‘great king’ of Assyria, and then shuttered when ‘he’ came to crush them. The Father called them out for chewing on these toxins for many years and offered them hope if they would only bring ‘words with them’ when they came to repent.    

Our time in history is just as bad. Political leaders are mispresenting the Father and Jesus; be careful what you eat and then decide to rechew.