Articles ~ LifeGivingWords.com A SECRET OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH: CHEWING THE CUD God commands us to meditate on His Word. The Hebrew word translated into English as "meditate" literally means "chew the cud." This notion may not be appetizing to you, but if you were a cow, you would feel very differently. When a cow wakes up, she soon starts thinking about having some breakfast. Some fresh grass perhaps? Delicious! About an hour and a half later, she muses about how good breakfast was, and she decides to eat it again. She regurgitates the grass and chews it a second time. Mmmm. It�s just as good the second time around. About an hour later, she gets that look in her eyes and thinks, One more time! She regurgitates the grass and chews it a third time. Only after she eats the food three times is her body able to digest it. If she eats it just once, the grass will just pass on through. After three times, her body will be nourished. The food actually becomes part of her. This is what God wants to happen to His Word. The Word became flesh when Jesus took on a human body.

The Word becomes flesh in us when we meditate on the Word of God. God may show us something wonderful from His Word, but if we only eat it once, it will do us little or no good at all. That�s why it�s so important for us to keep a journal of the things God shows us. Whenever God speaks to us (be it in our own devotions or during a message at church or wherever), we need to write it down! We need to meditate on those things, to ponder them, to mull them over, to "chew the cud." It is through this meditation process that we become strong on the inside. If our times studying the Bible ever become dry, having a journal to review can help us escape the dryness. The journal is filled with treasure. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly (Colossians 3:16). Blessed is the man, who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers (Psalms 1:2-3). This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success (Joshua 1:8). � Jamie Lash Can a cow become a hog - creation.com Can a cow become a hog? by Tauna Powell One of the better-known milkers is the Jersey. Bred on the island of the same name, the Jersey adapts well to hotter climates. Wrap, rip; wrap, rip, wrap, rip; chew, chew, chew. After shifting a cow to a fresh paddock of green forage, I’m greeted with the pleasant sounds of wrapping and ripping the grass until she fills her mouth. She then raises her head and chews, chews, swallows, then goes back to wrapping and ripping.

When her rumen is full, she’ll lie down, front end down first, followed by the tail end. Then, often with eyes half closed, she’ll contentedly ruminate what she has just taken in. Ahh, this is the natural eating style of the bovine kind. While most momma cows in the world may still enjoy this lifestyle, many of their offspring do not. Instead, like most hogs in America, the calves, often as young as four months, are placed in a confined ‘feed lot’ and fed high starch diets for up to 10 months until they are ‘finished’ and ready for slaughter. How can cattle survive on such radically different diets? When seven of the (clean) cattle (bovine) kind stepped off the Ark about 4,500 years ago, they faced a more hostile environment than before. Our Creator God had packed an incredible amount of genetic diversity into each animal, knowing that at some point these animals would need the ability to adapt to the wide range of natural environments that would exist around the world.

Also, God in his providence could have had in mind man selecting for traits which would increase the cow’s production of milk, cheese, butter, meat, other products, or even for strength to pull a plough. God designed cattle to consume and process large quantities of forage efficiently. The unique design of their tongue, cheeks, teeth and digestive system show that grass and legumes (herbs) should be their primary, if not exclusive, diet. What happens in the rumen and other parts of the digestive tract after the cow has ripped off several bites seems almost miraculous. Although we see the cow feeding itself, in fact it is feeding the billions of microbes in the four compartments of the cow’s ‘stomach’. Few other animals can turn sunshine, water, and grass into more useful products for man than the cow. A cow grazes by using her long tongue to gently wrap around a wad of grass, pull it into her mouth, and then pinch it off between the lower incisors and dental pad. A cow grazes by using her long tongue to gently wrap around a wad of grass, pull it into her mouth, and then pinch it off between the lower incisors and dental pad.

With this configuration, cattle cannot graze close to the ground, which, given the lifestyle of parasites, provides the cow with some protection against ingesting them. With no teeth on the top, only a dental pad, and a wide gap between the lower incisors and back grinding teeth (molars), she can chew a sizable amount of grass at one time. The rough-sided cheeks help hold the wad in the mouth. During this chewing process, cows produce 75-130 litres (20-35 US gallons) of saliva per day, which not only moistens the feed, but also contains alkali to keep the rumen at the proper neutral acidity (pH 6.5-7.2) for good microbial growth. 1 After chewing, the cow swallows the wad of forage into the rumen—a most amazing vessel. It is the largest of the four compartments of the cow’s ‘stomach’ and is adaptable enough to digest nearly any type of food, though sudden dietary changes can result in poor health if not rapid death.

The rumen is a huge fermentation vat with 25 to 50 billion bacteria and 200 to 500 thousand protozoa in every millilitre of rumen fluid. These microbes enable cows to digest plant fibre; something humans and hogs cannot do. This remarkable fermentation process has allowed producers to stuff not only grains, but everything from potato chips, dead animals, feathers, cupcakes, bubblegum (and wrappers) to chicken manure, 2 , 3 into the rumen. 4 The microbes also make vitamins such as B and C. 1 If the forage is tough and needs more chewing, 5 the cow regurgitates it from the reticulum, a second compartment of the digestive system. The microbes can only digest small pieces of food efficiently, so cattle re-chew their food several times. If cows stop chewing their cud, or ruminating, it indicates a digestive upset, that the rumen is not functioning properly. stock xchng While the cow is chewing her cud, she must belch (eructate), since the rumen microbes produce lots of carbon dioxide and methane.

If the cow doesn’t burp, she develops ‘bloat’ and, if not treated quickly, will die. Feeding too much grain or certain legumes can cause bloat. Amylolytic microorganisms (AM) ferment starch and cellulolytic microorganisms (CM) ferment cellulose contained in forages. Both organisms are already in the gut of the cow; one does not turn into the other when the diet of the cow is changed. Since the cow is a ruminant and thrives on forages, the CM ‘forage eaters’ will be the primary digesters. However, when the diet is switched to high starch grains (like in a feed yard), rumen pH is lowered. This environment favours the more aggressive AM ‘starch eaters’ and they will quickly multiply to process that type of feed. This shows the incredible adaptability of the rumen, but it comes at a cost.

In the long term, the cow cannot remain healthy on the high starch diet since the CM ‘bugs’ necessary for healthy rumen function die off.5, 6 This can result in a condition known as acidosis, which entails sudden death syndrome, polio, founder, rumenitis, liver abscesses, and malabsorption. 7 What is done to keep them going? The veterinarian will often advise administering large infusions of sodium bicarbonate, formaldehyde and antibiotics directly into the rumen. 7 However, these measures do not correct the underlying problem. Though the animal’s health may be permanently impaired, a ruminant can be put back on its proper natural diet by turning it ‘out to pasture’ or be fed a high forage diet for healing the effects of acidosis. A third compartment is the omasum and little is known concerning its function, though it may absorb some volatile fatty acids. The fourth, the abomasum or ‘true stomach’ functions much like the human stomach from the standpoint of producing acid and enzymes to start protein digestion (the protein produced by the microbes). Another indication of acidosis is a displaced abomasum or ‘twisted stomach’, which can be repaired only with surgery.

Feeding grain to ruminants wasn’t common until after World War II. Since then it has been embraced, because of cheap cereal grains 5 and the cow’s God-given adaptability in producing milk and meat. However, it is not without cost to man as well. The meat for human consumption from grain-fed animals is lower in nutritional quality than meat from grass-fed animals—for example, grass-fed beef has more heart and brain-friendly omega-3 fatty acids, but less overall fat and more vitamin E. 8 , 9 Clearly the complex intricacies of the entire digestive system did not happen by chance. Can a cow become a hog? Of course not: not physiologically, not physically and not genetically. However, due to the adaptability of the microbes in the cow’s digestion systems, we can force the cow to act like a hog, eating grains, but only for a limited time. The digestive system of the cow is designed to handle large amounts of forages. They do not do well on all-grain or high-fat diets. One article states, “cattle evolved digesting roughages that ferment slowly in the rumen” and that high grain diets disrupt the normal microbial environment which precipitates acidosis.

10 Clearly the complex intricacies of the entire digestive system did not happen by chance. When even the secular scientist will state that the components work in a symbiotic manner, one wonders if they actually believe that all these necessary components ‘evolved’ simultaneously and by accident. In Ps. 104:14, the psalmist says: “He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth”. Cattle can thrive in their natural environment and will not normally need any supplements. However, because we live in a fallen world, sometimes they will need some help (for example, mineral supplementation or parasite control). While God gave us dominion over the earth and the creatures (Gen. 1:28), we are also to be ‘good’ stewards and determine the most wise and careful use of the resources given to us (Matt. 25:14-30).

Related Articles Naming the animals: all in a day’s work for Adam References and notes Hall, J.B., and Silver, S., Nutrition and feeding of the cow-calf herd: digestive system of the cow, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, pubs.ext.vt.edu, Publication 400-010, 2001. Return to text. Haapapuro, E.R., et al., Review—Animal Waste Used as Livestock Feed: Dangers to Human Health, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine 26(5):599-602, 1997 | doi: 10.1006/pmed.1997.0220. Return to text. Daniel, J. and Olson, K.C., Feeding poultry litter to beef cattle, MU Guide G2077, MU Extension, University of Missouri-Columbia, 2005. Return to text. United States Food and Drug Administration banned some of these items: Expanded ‘mad cow’ safeguards announced to strengthen existing firewalls against BSE transmission, United States Department of Health &amp; Human Services, News Release, 26 January 2004.

Europe has implemented similar restrictions. Australia banned the feeding of all animal products to ruminants in the 1980s. Return to text. Diven, D., Low cost cow/calf production, The Bulletin-for Alumni of the School, Agri-Concepts, Inc., Arizona, USA, June 1997. Return to text. Williams, J. E., Ruminant Nutrition, Forages for grazing ruminants Lecture 6, University of Missouri, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, Division of Animal Sciences, asrc.agri.missouri.edu, accessed 1 August 2005. Return to text. Stock, R., and Britton, R., Acidosis, NebGuide, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1992. Return to text. Poulson, C.S., et al., Conjugated linoleic acid content of beef from cattle fed diets containing high grain, CLA, or raised on forage, Livestock Production Science 91(1-2):117-128, 1 December 2004. Return to text.

Getting Wild Nutrition from Modern Food, eatwild.com, accessed 2006. This references many scientific studies available to demonstrate the superior nutritional value of fully grass-finished meats, milk, and eggs. Return to text. What is Acidosis and How Do We Prevent It, extension.org, accessed March 2006. Return to text. You are probably accessing this site because you had questions—just like everyone else. That’s why CMI exists. You can help keep the free answers on this site coming. Support this site Word to describe the way cattle and buffalo consume fodder? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange Word to describe the way cattle and buffalo consume fodder? The sought after word is Ruminate - which means: To think deeply about something (wrt behavior of human beings), or To chew the cud (wrt a ruminant). 2 @Rathony. Of course that's what it means -- chewing cud -- that's what they do, and it's exactly what was asked for. What edit would you suggest to make the question clearer, considering the OP didn't know the term at the time?

– Phil Sweet Jun 8 '16 at 4:40 1 This describes a bovine's digestive system, not how they grind their food. – Mazura Jun 8 '16 at 5:16 The grinding of the food is absolutely essential to what it means to be a ruminant. While we have some flat molars, too, there's no way we could eat grass; a human could never train their body to, there's no way to do it. Ruminants are eating an extremely low-nutrition diet, which they have to approach in a very specific, high-effort form of digestion – which includes the teeth and act of chewing; the fact that ruminants hork stuff up and re-chew it only makes their teeth and manner of chewing more important and integral to the uniqueness of the process. So isn't ruminate valid?

– david macCary richter Jun 8 '16 at 5:40 Furthermore, @displayName specifically said they knew a word for bovine chewing — at this point, Occam's Razor clearly dictates that if displayName were some bovine specialist and had once known a truly exotic word for their chewing in veterinary school, would they realllly have asked for it here? Nah, they'd know it professionally or own the textbook. Match the sophistication of the answer (I'm betting "ruminate" is at least the word they remembered) to the sophistication of the question (nothing harder than, say, "bovine"). – david macCary richter Jun 8 '16 at 5:46 2 All you had to do was add a link, and explain its meaning, and Bingo! It was perfect. We discourage one word answers on EL&U for obvious reasons. – Mari-Lou A Jun 8 '16 at 5:51 "Grind" is in bold, because the OP originally asked for a way to describe their 'chewing' as opposed to the whole digestive process.

– Mazura Jun 8 '16 at 5:50 1 Dude, chewing IS the digestive process, Step #1. That's a non-starter. See my two other comments to get a better idea of why the chewing isn't simple and easy — you're taking for granted that chewing is simple, big deal. Nah, the way and the why and all the science of what's going into it means the chewing – and don't forget Occam's Razor – is really important, and "ruminate" is 100% the answer. – david macCary richter Jun 8 '16 at 5:55 4 Comments like those would make me question the sobriety of their poster. – Mazura Jun 8 '16 at 6:03 I'm a teacher, and you've made your point twice and not substantiated it with anything. Go search on it; go rebut the Occam's Razor point; try anything other than the same thing.....which, incidentally is what they say is a definition of addiction (I didn't come up with it). Also, I don't drink. Ad hominem is inappropriate, and comes off as flailing.

– david macCary richter Jun 8 '16 at 6:17 3 @davidmacCaryrichter Hi, David. The question has been edited several times. You don't need to use such words as "dude", "Nah", "effing stupidest", "goddamned", "sucks"... – user140086 Jun 8 '16 at 6:22 Can you please supply a link to the dictionary you used? – Lawrence Jun 8 '16 at 5:15 1 "Mercyism", wooooww... my brain just fell off its stool trying to make sense of that one! – david macCary richter Jun 8 '16 at 6:29 Would you believe me if I told you that I used the same source. I used the wikipedia reference here because I thought it would be clearer. But the dictionary mentioned is Merriam-Webster. – leoOrion Jun 8 '16 at 13:29 Hmm... Didnt know that.

– leoOrion Jun 8 '16 at 16:45 2 You also must add a citation for each quote in plain text which will remain after all links have been removed (by a faulty API consumer, for example). There are rules and discussion of the rules and worked examples following the rules . – Andrew Leach♦ Jun 8 '16 at 18:14 2 I'd suggest that this would be interpreted to connote something as casual and lighthearted as "snacking"... munching/snacking seem like something one does at leisure. Ruminants ruminate because they don't have a choice but to chew and spit it up and chew and spit it up, because they're eating nutritionally-useless crap like grass. Those animals would die like total sissies if they didn't do everything they can to keep the organisms that grow in their digestive tract alive and healthy, so they always have (the same type of) food in there so the bacteria never go hungry.

– david macCary richter Jun 8 '16 at 5:33 The stomach of the dairy cow - Milkproduction.com The stomach of the dairy cow 10/3/2000 The stomach of the dairy cow The rumen and reticulum (reticulo-rumen) is the largest compartment of the cow’s stomach. Fiber, starch, sugar, and proteins are fermented by the microbes to form volatile fatty acids and microbial protein. Rumen papillae absorb volatile fatty acids. The omasum has many “leaves” of tissue that absorb water and serve as a filter. The abomasum is the true stomach where the cow’s own enzymes and acids break down ingested feed. Rumination is the process by which the cow regurgitates previously consumed feed and masticates it a second time. The ruminant stomach has four compartments: rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. Ingested feed flows through the rumen and reticulum first, then through the omasum, and lastly, through the abomasum. 1.

Rumen & Reticulum (also called the “Reticulo-rumen” or simply the “Rumen”): The capacity of an adult dairy cow’s rumen is about 184 liters (49 gallons) and the reticulum is about 16 liters (4.25 gallons). It is one of the most dense microbial habitats in the world. Microscopic organisms called rumen microbes break down (or digest) ingested feed by a fermentation process. The rumen is the major site of fermentation in the cow. There are1,000,000,000 to 10,000,000,000 bacteria per ml, 1,000,000 protozoa per ml, and a variable amount of fungi. The cow does not secrete any of her own acids or digestive enzymes in the rumen. Rather, all rumen digestion is done by the microbes. It is because of the rumen and its microbes that dairy cows can digest plant fibers, such as hemicellulose and cellulose. This allows the dairy cow to convert forages and industrial byproducts that humans cannot digest into nutritious foods for humans.

Mammalian enzymes and acids cannot digest fiber. The rumen microbes ferment fiber, starch, sugar, and protein to form volatile fatty acids and microbial protein. The rumen wall (or mucosa) is a major site of nutrient absorption. It is convoluted to give it tremendous surface area for absorption. Rumen papillae (thousands of finger-like projections on the inside surface of the rumen) are responsible for absorbing the volatile fatty acids from the rumen for use by the cow. Volatile fatty acids (VFA’s) are absorbed from the rumen and used as an energy source for the cow. Microbial protein (the actual bodies of the microbes) is not absorbed from the rumen. It absorbed from the cow’s intestine and is used as a source of quality protein for the cow. The reticulum is located in front of the rumen and it is known for its characteristic “honeycomb” surface. If a cow accidentally eats hardware, such as screws or nails, it usually ends up lodged at the bottom of the reticulum. If the hardware punctures through the reticulum wall, it causes the often deadly “hardware disease”. 2. Omasum The omasum is the third stomach compartment.

It holds only about 8 liters (2 gallons) in the adult cow. It is made of many “leaves” of tissue which serve to absorb water for the cow. These leaves also work as a filtration system for the cow to only allow fine particles of digested feed and some fluid to pass on to the abomasum. 3. Abomasum The abomasum is the fourth stomach compartment. It is also called the “true stomach”. It holds about 27 liters (7 gallons). This compartment has basically the same function as the stomach in simple stomached (monogastric) animals, such as pigs and humans. It is here that the cow’s own stomach acids and enzymes are used to further breakdown ingested feed before it passes into the small intestine. Characteristics of the Rumen Environment A number of characteristics about the rumen allow for the growth of the rumen microbes and for their fermentation process that digests feed and forages for the cow. Any disruption to the delicate balance of the rumen environment will result in poor growth of the microbes, poor digestion, and ultimately, lower milk production. First of all, the rumen is anaerobic. This means that there is little or no oxygen in it.

The rumen microbes cannot grow in outside air. They will tolerate a small amount of oxygen so long as the fermentation is going strong enough so that they can get rid of the oxygen quickly. Some oxygen does, of course, get into the rumen through feed and water. Secondly, the rumen temperature is one degree above body temperature at 39°C (102.5°F). Luckily, it’s fairly easy for us as farmers and nutritionists to maintain an anaerobic, warm environment deep in the belly of the cow! Rumen pH ranges between 5.7 and 7.3. The high side of this pH range (> 7) will be seen on poor quality forage diets supplemented with urea. In high-producing dairy cows, acidosis (rumen pH<6.0) is a common problem. This occurs when the cow eats too much rapidly digestible starch or sugar that creates acid and overwhelms the rumen’s buffering system. Most of the buffer in the rumen comes in the form of saliva that is generated when the cow chews her cud.

Inadequate intake of long fiber that promotes rumination (cud-chewing) can also result in acidosis because it provides less salivary buffer to counteract the acid produced by grain fermentation. The rumen microbes, especially those that primarily digest fiber, are acid intolerant. They do not grow well in acid and they don’t digest feed, especially forages, well under acid conditions. End Products of Rumen Fermentation 1. Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA’s): The rumen microbes make three primary volatile fatty acids: acetate (CH3COOH), propionate (C2H5COOH), and butyrate (C3H7COOH). Acetate is formed primarily from the fermentation of fiber. Large amounts of propionate are formed from grain fermentation. Butyrate is produced to a lesser extent than acetate and propionate. Sometimes lactate is also formed, especially under acidic conditions in the rumen. VFA are actually waste products from the rumen microbes but the cow absorbs them from her rumen and uses them as major source of energy. 2. Gases: Dairy cows produce 30-50 liters (8-13 gallons) of gas per hour.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) (about 60%) and methane (CH4) (about 40%) are the main waste gases produced by the rumen microbes. Hydrogen (H2) usually makes up less than 0.05% of the total rumen gases. Gas is primarily found on top of the solid and liquid contents of the rumen. Methane bacteria actually grow on CO2 and H2 and other byproducts from the other bacteria in the rumen. The methane bacteria commonly produce methane in this way: 4H2 + CO2 ---> CH4 + 2H2O Cows get rid of these excess gases by a process called eructation (a kind of silent belching) and by absorption through the rumen wall and lung exhalation. The cow eructates using a process which is slightly different from the normal contractions of the reticulum. Once gas pressure stimulates pressure receptors, the reticulo-ruminal fold and the cranial pillar stop the rumen digesta from getting into the esophagus. The cardia and diaphragmatic sphincters relax, gas enters the esophagus and is released through the cow’s mouth.

If a cow is unable to get rid of excess gases, she can bloat. When the rumen contents foam excessively, the cow has difficulty getting rid of the gas because it is trapped inside the foam. The rumen keeps expanding. It creates pressure on the cow’s lungs and the cow can die of asphyxiation. Many legumes (white clover and alfalfa), especially those that are young and freshly cut, can cause bloat. A chronic type of bloat also occurs in beef cattle on feedlots when they are fed a lot of grain. Oils or low-foam detergents have been used to reduce the stability of foam in the rumen and prevent bloat. 3. Microbial Mass The rumen microbes grow in the rumen and their bodies are passed down to the intestine of the cow. Thus, they make up a large portion of the cow’s diet and the largest portion of the cow’s protein supply. This microbial protein is high quality, meaning that the amino acid profile is fairly similar to that of milk and meat. Therefore, the cow can easily and efficiently convert microbial protein into milk and meat.

Amino Acid Composition of Milk Protein and Rumen Microbes (%): Amino WORDS CAN ORDAIN YOUR FUTURE Your Future by Tom Brown It's true, you will get what you say. "Life and death are in the power of the tongue" (Pr 18:21). Your words will put you over in life or they will sink you. The life you're living now is the result of the words you spoke in the past. If you don't like the life your living, then speak new words. The words you should speak are God's words, and all of them are found in the Bible. Some Christians complain, "I have spoken the Word of God over my life, yet His Word hasn't come to pass. I said that I'm healed by the stripes of Jesus and that my God supplies all my needs. Yet those positive things haven't happen. I'm still sick and broke!" Since some people fail to receive what they confess, many assume that the confession of God's Word doesn't work. But it does. Why then do we sometimes fail to receive the benefits of the spoken Word of God? The answer came to me unexpectedly.

REVELATION, MEDITATION, AND PROCLAMATION I was at a local restaurant drinking its delicious coffee and enjoying my Bible. I was reading through the Psalms when chapter 39 struck me. The wonderful smell of the coffee vanished. The people at the restaurant seemed to fade. All I could see and hear was Psalm 39, verse 3: "My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue." When I read those profound, yet simple words, God spoke to me. He spoke only three words: revelation, meditation, and proclamation. I saw it! It was as though a beam of light entered my heart. I understood what God was saying to me. He was saying that first comes revelation, second comes meditation. And when you have experienced revelation and practiced meditation, then you are ready to make your proclamation. You see, many people fail in their confession because they don't have any personal revelation of the things they are confessing. They say that they are healed, prosperous and blessed, but they don't have a revelation of these blessings, nor do they meditate on them. As a result, their confessions don't work.

HEARTBURN David said, "Then I spoke." Then means next in order of time. Before he spoke with his tongue, David went through two phases. First he said, "My heart grew hot within me." Second he said, "And as I meditated, the fire burned." Notice these two stages: His heart grew hot, and he meditated. What did David mean when he said that his heart grew hot? Well, he was not talking about heartburn. He did not need Rolaids. The heart is the spirit of man. The spirit of man is the real you made in God's image. It is the place of real spiritual power. The heart is where you believe. By believing with the heart you are saved. David used the word "heart" to speak of his spirit and he used the word "fire" to describe a spiritual experience. He was saying that spiritual insight came to him. The New Testament uses the word "revelation." Revelation is supernatural insight into the mind of God. David was saying, "I have received supernatural insight into the mind of God. I know what God is thinking at this moment. I know what's on His mind.

I know His perfect will." Do you see what I'm saying? Before your confession of God's Word can work for you, you must receive revelation. This is what Paul prayed for in Ephesians 1:17: "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation." There it is: the Spirit of revelation. He goes on to pray, "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe" (Eph 1:18-19). He prayed that the eyes of their hearts would be enlightened. "Enlighten" comes from two words: en which means "in" and light which means "fire." To be enlightened is to have a fire within you. The heart is enlightened by fire, and the fire is the Holy Spirit. "Do not put out the Spirit's fire" (1 Thess 5:19).

Paul prayed that the Holy Spirit would open their spiritual understanding so that they could know three things: First, the hope of their calling; second, the inheritance within them; and third, the power that is available for them. This is the most important prayer to pray, because the greatest need in the body of Christ is revelation. Once the Church receives revelation, nothing can stop it. ROAD TO EMMAUS Many people pray for revelation but don't receive it because they have too many burdens on their hearts. There is a fascinating story in the Bible which illustrates the need to cast your cares on the Lord in order to receive revelation. The story involves the resurrected Christ and two disciples that were traveling on the road to Emmaus. "Now the same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him." (Luke 24:13-16) My question is simple. Why were they kept from recognizing Jesus?

The answer is in verse 24: "They stood still, their faces downcast." Do you see what their problem was? They were depressed. They had a lot on their hearts--things that had weighed them down. So Jesus, instead of telling them that He was Jesus, asked them many questions in order for them to get their burdens off their chest. Doesn't it feel good to talk with someone about your burdens, especially when it is the Lord? When you do, you feel a hundred pounds lighter. You see, a bad time to study the Bible is when you are depressed. You will not get anything from your study. Revelation will not come when you are depressed. It is important that you cast your cares on the Lord before you study the Bible. When you do, you are better prepared to study the Bible because you are free to receive revelation from it. "After the two disciples had shared their burdens, Jesus started to talk with them about the Scriptures. He [Jesus] said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, "Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them." (Luke 24:25-29) You see, Jesus tested them. He pretended to go farther. He wanted to see if they were going to diligently study the Scriptures or if they were content with their Bible study on the road. Thankfully, these disciples wanted more. They made Christ teach them the Bible at their home. We must be like them. A little Bible study will not do. We must dig deep in the Word of God in order to get revelation. "Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.

They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:31-32) I find it interesting that the thing which the disciples found wonderful was the fact that their hearts burned within them as they learned the Word of God. Notice that they did not talk about Jesus disappearing. They were more excited about their hearts burning than about Jesus supernaturally disappearing. Revelation is by far the greatest spiritual experience that anyone can receive, even greater than seeing Christ in the flesh. So the two main lessons we learn from this story are: to cast our burdens and cares on the Lord, and then, to diligently study the scriptures until we receive revelation knowledge. MEDITATE Once your heart grows hot, you must meditate on the revelation that you received in order to start the fire. It's not good enough to simply have a warm heart; you need a fire. Many people are content to receive revelation, but they stop there. They don't go further by meditating on the Word of God. You must continue to meditate on your revelation. Don't stop simply with the revelation; continue until the heat turns into a fire.

Only then are you going to have the spiritual force to make your words come to pass. "Meditate" means to think deeply about something until subconsciously you begin to speak it to yourself. The Hebrew word for meditation means to mutter. "Mutter" means that you speak to yourself in a low tone of voice. Have you ever thought so deeply about something that you unconsciously started to move your lips? Perhaps you thought about asking your boss for a raise. So on your way to work, you went over in your mind what you were going to say, and as you did, you detected that someone was staring at you. And as your eyes look up to see who it was, you blushed because you had been talking to yourself. Do you know what you were doing? You were meditating. So to meditate is to be so absorbed with certain thoughts that we talk to ourselves. We should be so absorbed with the Word of God that we talk it to ourselves without realizing it. Meditation has been one of the most beneficial things in my life. It has also made people wonder if I was crazy. When I used to work for a pizza parlor, I would constantly meditate on the Word of God.

Often, my fellow employees would interrupt me, "Hey, Tom, what are you babbling about?" I would blush, "I...I...I...was just thinking about the Bible." Oh, I was embarrassed, but the growth in my life was incredible. I would rather have people think that I'm crazy than fail to meditate. Anyway, many of my fellow workers are now members of my church, and they are doing what I did. CHEW THE CUD In the Old Testament, God gave Israel permission to eat any animal that chewed the cud. A cow is an example. A cow takes its time to chew. Slowly it crushes the hay and masticates the food. After minutes of gnawing down the hay into small particles, it swallows. Gulp! The first of three stomachs breaks down the food into vitamins and minerals. Soon, the cow regurgitates the food and starts the process of chewing it again. And after some time, it swallows the food once more. The food then passes into his second stomach where it undergoes another process of digestion. After hours, the food is passed into the third stomach, where every remaining vitamin that can be drawn out is absorbed. The rest is discharged.

The whole process takes about twenty-four hours. Now, I've brought all this up to show the process meditation. We should be like the cow and slowly chew the Word of God before we swallow. We meditate by taking a few Scriptures and mulling them over in our minds. After we have done that a few times, we bring back those Scriptures again and start the process once more. We keep that up until the Word becomes a part of us. Unfortunately, most people feed on the Word like a pig feeds on slop. The pig, unlike the cow, was considered an unclean animal. A pig swallows the food without hardly chewing it. In just a matter of six hours, the food is part of the pig's body. Very little nutrition from the food is absorbed by the pig, because he eats his food in a hurry. This is the way most people read their Bibles--in a hurry. This explain why most do not get much out of the Bible. People often wonder how to study the Bible. There are many good ways, but the best way is to meditate on those portions of Scriptures that God has used to warm your heart. Study those parts that your heart has received revelation from.

When you start to meditate, the heart that was warm will catch fire. When it does, you are ready to make your proclamation. Your confession will at that time have power and come to pass. Your words will become more powerful, and they will work to predict your future. Do Rabbits Chew Cud? - Come Reason Ministries Do Rabbits Chew Cud? Does the hare really chew cud? Hello Lenny- Well, you seem to be willing to "reason together" so let's do it. Even though the subject is so old it's rather boring, let us reason together about a hare who chews its cud... Deut 14. What say ye? Hello Dennis, To your question. Deuteronomy 14, verses 6 and 7 read as follows, "You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud. However, of those that chew the cud or that have a split hoof completely divided you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the coney. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a split hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you " This seems pretty straightforward on the face of it.

I'm going to make the assumption that you are questioning the idea that a hare chews cud at all. Let's examine the question rationally. Some background information: Cud chewers are generally classified as belonging to the order of ruminants- (a sub order of artiodactyls) - and are defined as an "even-toed animal that regurgitates and masticates its food after swallowing. " This means that a cow, for example, will eat vegetation and swallow it. The cow's stomach is divided into four chambers where some of more easily digestible nutrients are absorbed by the body while other more fibrous material is stored in the stomach and then regurgitated. The cow will re-chew this material and re-swallow it so that it can digest it as well. Rabbits and hares, however, do not have a chambered stomach such as the cow. They also do not regurgitate their food. What they do perform is a function named cecotropy. I will quote the process as cited at SYMBIOSIS WITHIN THE VERTEBRATE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM Bacterial Digestion of Cellulose Within Animals - Vertebrates lack enzymes to digest plant material.

Some bacteria can do so and are harbored by animals... Rats and rabbits redigest cellulose another way. [They] eat feces and literally redigest them a second time. Efficiency approaches that of ruminants. In a more detailed version, Margert "Casey" Kilcullen-Steiner, (M.S., L.A.Tg) in The Experimental Animal in Biomedical Research: Care, Husbandry writes: Rabbits are sometimes called "pseudo-ruminants"... The rhythmic cycle of coprophagy of pure cecal contents practiced by all rabbits allows utilization of microbial protein and fermentation products, as well as recycling of certain minerals. Whereas the feces commonly seen excreted by rabbits are fairly large, dry and ovoid, excreted singly, and consist of fibrous plant material, cecotrophs are about half that size, occur in moist bundles stuck together with mucus, and are very fine textured and odiferous. They are seldom seen, as the rabbit plucks them directly from the anus as they are passed and swallows them whole.

Normal rabbits do not allow cecotrophs to drop to the floor or ground, and their presence there indicates a mechanical problem or illness in the rabbit. And Janet Tast, D.V.M. notes: ~hrs/artcl03.htm Cecotrophy by Janet Tast, D.V.M. "Cecotropy is the process by which rabbits will reingest part of their feces directly from the rectum. This should not be confused with the term coprophagy (eating fecal material) since rabbits only ingest the soft "night" feces or cecotrophs." Caryl Hilscher-Conklin (M.S. in Biology, University of Notre Dame) also makes this claim: "One may not give much thought to the lazy chewing of the cud that we observe cows doing all the time, but this behavior is analogous to coprophagy. The only difference between cud chewing and coprophagy is the point in the digestive tract at which nutrients are expelled and then placed back into the mouth." Now, we must also remember that artiodactyls were first defined as a separate order in 1847 by Richard Owen and the behavior of cecotropy was first recognized in 1882.

Deuteronomy, however, was written approximately 1500 BC in an ancient Hebrew. It would be intellectually dishonest for someone to claim that a 3500 year old writing is contradictory because it doesn't match with a scientific classification invented only about a hundred years ago. Further, if the ancient Hebrews defined 'cud-chewing" as that process where half digested vegetation was re-chewed by an animal for easier re-digestion ( and that is a very specific and scientific definition), I would say the hare fits here fine. Whenever someone translates an ancient language or writing, some word for word parallels are not going to be available. Most scholars understand this and accept the cultural backgrounds and meanings for what they are. This is why hermeneutics is a serious field of study in higher education. I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had on the accuracy of the Biblical text. E-newsletter Signup

Question: What is the word for the stuff that a cow regurgitates to chew a second time?
Answer: Cud