SCRIPTURE: DEUTERONOMY 14
BIBLE VERSES:
“You are the children of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead, 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.” (Deuteronomy 26:1-2)
“You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. 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. 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.” (Deuteronomy 26:6-8)
“Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year” (Deuteronomy 26:22)
“And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, 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.” (Deuteronomy 26:27-29)
CLEAN AND UNCLEAN FOODS (vs. 1-21)
Clean animals that you may eat are: ox, sheep, goat, deer, gazelle, roe deer, wild goat, ibex, antelope, mountain sheep. You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud. You must not eat the camel, the rabbit or the coney.
Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. Do not eat anything that does not have fins and scales for they are unclean.
Unclean animals that you must not eat: eagle, vulture, black vulture, red kite, black kite, any kind of faicon, raven, horned owl, screech owl, gull, hawk, little owl, great owl, white owl, desert owl, osprey, cormorant, stork, heron, hoopoe and the bat.
You may eat any bird or any winged creatures that is clean, but all flying insects that swarm are unclean, so do not eat them.
DON’T:
- Do not eat anything that was already dead.
- Do not cook a young goat in mother’s milk.
TITHES (vs. 22-29)
Be sure to set aside 1/10 of all your field’s produce each year and eat the tithe at the place chosen by God in His presence. If the place is too distant, exchange your tithe for silver and buy the things for tithing and eat there in the presence of the Lord Do not neglect the Levites. Bring up all the tithes at the end of every 3 years so that the Levites, the alien, the fatherless and the widows who live your towns you eat and be satisfied and that the Lord may bless you in all the work of your hands.
THOUGHTS:
The Lord wants His chosen people be be holy, meaning “different from the people of the world”. As children of God, we must be “separated” and “obedient”. We must be holy in health practices, finances and provide opportunities to put holy living into daily living. The list of “clean” and “unclean” foods reminds us to learn to distinguish between what God accepts and what He rejects.
The Israelites were to give 1/10 of their produce to the Lord, a special tithe every third year to support the Levites and the poor. Similarly, we are tot give our tithes to the Lord and support God’s minister and help the poor.
The prohibition against cooking a young goat in its mother’s milk means that the Israelites were not to take what was intended to promote life and use it to kill or destroy life.
The purpose of tithing is to pout God first in our lives. We are to give God the first and the best of what we value most. Regular tithing can keep God at the tope of our priority list and reminds us that all what we have belongs to Him.
God told the Israelites to use their tithe every third year for those who were helpless, hungry or poor. God counts on believers to provide for the needly and aid the less fortunate. Show God’s goodness with others and make faith work in everyday life. Your generosity can draw them near to God and His name will be glorified.