You Are Not What You Eat with Irene Sun
In our new summer series we’re going to be chatting about topics that we deal with everyday, but often don’t take the time to think about biblically—like food, clothing, sexuality, and heartache. We pray each of these conversations will orient you to the truth of Scripture and help you treasure the gospel in everyday moments.
In today’s episode we’re talking about food with our friend Irene Sun! Irene was born in Malaysia. She is the author of the picture book God Counts: Numbers in His Word and His World and she has a brand new book that you can pre-order right now called Taste and See: All About God’s Goodness (Biblical Theology for Kids). Irene studied liturgy and literature at Yale University (MAR) and the Old Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (ThM). She now teaches her four boys at home with her preacher husband, Hans.
We pray this conversation with Irene causes you to consider the provision we have received in Christ and to “eat with him,” as Irene said, as you go about the rest of your day.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
My personal history with food is complicated. Why do you think food is such a struggle for some of us? What are some of the struggles we might have with food?
Where is this addressed in Scripture? How do those passages relate to one another?
How do we see provision and life following judgment in these texts?
How does this point us to the gospel?
What is the purpose of food? What is the Lord communicating through his provision?
When we eat, what should we remember?
How do we live as children of God when it comes to our eating habits?
What does it mean to eat with Christ?
How does this transform the way we think about food?
What are some things you’ve learned about coming alongside other women who are wrestling with their relationship to food?
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES
“God made food even before Adam and Eve came on the scene. He’s a good host… The table is always set.”
“God’s people do not deserve to be fed.”
“Food is not a reward, but that goes against everything we’ve been taught about food.”
“In Scripture God gives his people food when they least deserve it.”
“[In Exodus 16] the Israelite’s present hunger overshadowed their memory of their slavery… Not only that, their hunger also overshadowed their memory of God’s goodness. The Lord just destroyed their enemies a few days ago and now they’re accusing God of killing the whole assembly with hunger. They’re not asking God for food; they’re accusing God of killing them with hunger. This was an accusation that God had brought them out to kill them.”
“Even with the good things the Lord presents us with, we have a really hard time trusting that his purpose is for our good.”
“Instead of destroying his people for their complaining and for their ingratitude, God’s judgment gives life. Instead of raining what brings death, he is raining life.”
“God’s judgment and sustenance is kneaded together in this substance called manna.”
“Food is one of the very few things in life that engages all of our senses.
“Food heals and sustains and fills and nourishes. And this is what God has chosen to display his goodness.”
“We arrive into this world with hungry souls. That's the first cry that comes out of our mouths, even before we have words. We are hungry souls. From that time forward, we’re constantly trying to feed ourselves with something to fill this great canyon of our souls, this longing and emptiness that we cannot seem to fill.”
“Food gives us the illusion that we have some kind of control over our bodies and our lives, and that is a lie.”
“Food is the first temptation in the Bible.”
“We are not what we eat. We are a person made in the image of God, and our identity is not determined by what goes into our mouths. We are not our allergies or our food sensitivities. We are not our eating disorders. We are not defined by our hunger and cravings. We are not made of high fiber vegetable complex protein organic gluten free clean foods. Food does not define us.”
“As wonderful and delicious as these gifts are, these gifts are to point us to God, the Giver. We are not to define ourselves by the gifts of God, because we are not what we eat. We are loved, and we bear the face of the One who loves us. We bear the name Christian; we bear the name of the One who loves us.”
“We need to eat with Christ in our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. When we eat with Christ, we remember that we are loved. Sin is when we have forgotten that we are loved.”
“To eat with Christ is to repent.”
“The daily-ness of the bread [in the Lord’s prayer] reminds us of the daily-ness of the manna in the wilderness, because God wants us to depend on his provision, his judgment, and his mercy every single day.”
“If I trust in my own ability to control my provision for myself and my family, if I try to find security for me and my children and my husband through my own means, then I am bringing maggots into my tent… When God is not obeyed, the life that he provides turns into death…”
“I want my children to depend on the Lord and trust in his provision, and to learn that when we are hungry, when we are lacking, we’re not going to grasp and grumble and not trust God or take what is not ours or covet or compare or all these ugly things we do when we’re hungry. I’m praying that we would not live with hungry souls, but that we would come to the Lord's table. Because he's the one who says ‘Take and eat. This is my body given for you, do this in remembrance of me. Jesus is inviting us, Do not take what isn’t yours; do not take what is forbidden. Take me instead. I give myself to you. Take and eat.’”
“It comes down to depending on the Lord for every meal and knowing that he’s a God who’s trustworthy. He is a God who loves us. He is a God of judgment, but he’s also a God of safety who provides forgiveness of our sins in order that we might come before his presence.”
“[In the feast in Revelation] there’s no bread mentioned in the feast, it’s only fruit. And I don’t think it’s that there’s only going to be fruit in the new heavens and new earth, but it’s that we’re going back to Eden except better. Because bread was first mentioned in the judgment passage when God pronounced judgment to Adam, ‘by the sweat of your brow you shall eat bread…’”
“Christ sets a table for us in the presence of fear and death and our enemies, and he eats with us. He communes with us.”
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Taste and See: All About God’s Goodness (Biblical Theology for Kids), by Irene Sun
God Counts: Numbers in His Word and His World
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
SIMPLE JOYS OF FOOD
Very strong coffee in the morning
Eggs (poached, scrambled, or any way)
Room temperature water
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Describe (if you’re comfortable sharing) some of the struggles you have with food.
What is the purpose of food, and what does the Lord communicate through his provision for us?
What does it mean to eat with Christ? How might this transform the way you think about food?
How might you come alongside other women who are wrestling with their relationship to food?
What might you do or implement based on what you learned in this week’s episode?
IMPORTANT NOTE
Journeywomen interviews are intended to serve as a springboard for continued study in the context of your local church. While we carefully select guests each week, interviews do not imply Journeywomen's endorsement of all writings and positions of the interviewee or any other resources mentioned.
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