Read Deuteronomy 14
Clean and Unclean Food
14 You are the children of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead, 2 for you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.
3 Do not eat any detestable thing. 4 These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, 5 the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat,the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep. 6 You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. 7 However, of those that chew the cud or that have a divided hoof you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the hyrax. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you. 8 The pig is also unclean; although it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses.
9 Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. 10 But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean.
11 You may eat any clean bird. 12 But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 13 the red kite, the black kite, any kind of falcon,14 any kind of raven, 15 the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 16 the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, 17 the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant, 18 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.
19 All flying insects are unclean to you; do not eat them. 20 But any winged creature that is clean you may eat.
21 Do not eat anything you find already dead. You may give it to the foreigner residing in any of your towns, and they may eat it, or you may sell it to any other foreigner. But you are a people holy to the Lord your God.
Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
Tithes
22 Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.23 Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lordyour God always. 24 But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), 25 then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. 26 Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice. 27 And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.
28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, 29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
Go Deeper
There are quite a few dos and don’ts in this chapter, but God’s wisdom is always for the benefit of those committed to it. His purposes in the law were to set His people apart from the pagan practices of the day, as well as protect their bodies from disease. God always knows the big picture.
Remember feelings of exasperation when you argued with your parents about doing something and their reply was, “I say no and mean no because you’re mine.” As we got older, we understood that they were right. The first verse of Deuteronomy 14 speaks a similar and significant “why” into the rest of the dos and don’ts of the chapter: “You are the children of the Lord your God.”
Verses 1-21 are God’s commands over animals, fish, and birds. Remember that hunting and fishing were necessary for all peoples until the last 100+ years of our world’s history. Even today, people still depend on food provision through hunting and fishing. Some love the connection to God’s creation in this, as well as the food it provides. Either way, there are required skills, knowledge, and laws for these necessary activities. Deuteronomy 14:2 gave the Israelites four reasons to follow God’s laws in living and acquiring food: They were the children of God, a holy people of God, chosen by God, and treasured by God. When we accept and follow Christ as our Lord and Savior, these four truths are ours to claim as well.
Verses 22-28 close the chapter with specific instructions on tithing. One tenth of the best produce and animals were to be set aside to honor God at the temple. Whether the temple was near or far, special provision was made in the law to honor God in this way. The discipline of the gift is mentioned in verse 23 saying, “so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always.” The Israelites were also told to store up tithes over a three year period to help the local Levites as well as the poor in their area. The message for us could not be more clear: Giving generously is an integral part of our faith that will move our hearts toward honoring God with all He has given us. Once giving becomes a joy for us, and the ripple effect will greatly aid the church and its ministries.
Finally, God makes this promise in the last half of Deuteronomy 14:29: “…so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.” Praise be to God who has chosen us! May we be faithful to give back what He has so generously given us.
Questions
- What does it mean to you to be a child of God?
- What did Christ mean when He said, “I have come to fulfill the law”?
- Why is generosity such an important part of our walk with Christ?
Did You Know?
The concept of tithing (giving 10%) isn’t discussed in the New Testament, but the principle of giving generously and cheerfully is repeated throughout it. Read the Apostle Paul’s instructions to the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7:
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
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1 thought on “Deuteronomy 14”
Holy
“Holy” actually means “to be separate” or “to be distinct.”
We, as believers in the death and resurection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, have a moral choice, to choose between right and wrong. God has laid out these choices since the beginning. Adam and Eve were not to eat of that one tree, God commanded them NOT to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. First moral choice. We all have preferences, vanilla or chocolate, long sleeves or short, ect but we are quickly evolving into a world where we have made laws into preferences. Homosexuality is one. It is being moved from a moral choice to a preference, which is NOT what God says. And that is all moving into our churches. We have the rule book. God says what He means and means what He says. Consequences are happening. But the whole point of the chapter is being holy before a Holy God and using our moral compass to direct our paths. Give God what is His already. He just wants us to freely love and be seperate. He wants us to choose HIM!! He wants us to be conscientious in food and with money. Our motive must always be to please God and glorify Him. To strive to set apart, seperate and distinct.
God thank You for freedom of will. Thank You for (Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV)Trusting in You, Lord with all my heart, and that I do not lean on my own understanding. In all my ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight my paths. God thank You (Isaiah 30:21 ESVAnd your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left) that I have ears to hear what You are saying. God thank You for (James 1:5-6 ESV )If I lack wisdom, let me ask You, God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to me. But let me ask in faith, with no doubting, for when I doubt it is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. God thank You for not being conformed to this world, but being transformed by the renewal of my mind, that by testing I will be able to discern what is the will of,You, God, and what is good and acceptable and perfect. God thank You for these minutes of this day and that all I say and do is glorfing and honoring to You in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!