Deuteronomy 14:1 – 21 “You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your forehead on behalf of the dead, for you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be His prized possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.
You must not eat any detestable thing. These are the animals that you may eat: The ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.
You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud. But of those that chew the cud or have a completely divided hoof, you are not to eat the following: the camel, the rabbit, or the rock badger. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof. They are unclean for you, as well as the pig; though it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. It is unclean for you. You must not eat its meat or touch its carcass.
Of all the creatures that live in the water, you may eat anything with fins and scales, but you may not eat anything that does not have fins and scales; it is unclean for you.
You may eat any clean bird, but these you may not eat: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, the falcon, any kind of kite, any kind of raven, the ostrich, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, or the bat.
All flying insects that swarm are unclean for you; they may not be eaten. But you may eat any clean bird. You are not to eat any carcass; you may give it to the foreigner residing within your gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
“You are sons of the LORD your God; do not cut yourselves or shave your forehead on behalf of the dead, for you are a holy people belonging to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you to be His prized possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.” In ancient times, it was common for mourners to deface themselves, cutting themselves or shaving their hair as a form of identifying with the dead. But God wanted the Israelites to be a nation of priests focusing on life and not on death. The Israelites had already left the Egyptian culture with its elaborate emphasis on death; God wanted to make sure that His people realized that they were making a complete break with such practices.
Why all the dietary laws? The distinction between clean and unclean animals did not begin with Moses. Even Noah recognized distinctions between clean and unclean animals. (Genesis 7:1 – 3 “Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your family, because I have found you righteous in this generation. You are to take with you seven pair of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate; a pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate; and seven pairs of every kind of bird of the air, male and female, to preserve their offspring on the face of all the earth.”)
There are many reasons given for these lists. Many of the unclean animals and birds are scavengers whose flesh might be contaminated and deadly. Some of the rodents such as rabbits can carry diseases. The same thing can be said for the seafood that is prohibited. It’s ironic that the Israelites were allowed to sell carcasses to foreigners while they themselves were not to eat those same carcasses. God wanted His people to be holy in every aspect of their lives, including the things that they ate.
“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.” Mother’s milk is life – giving. To boil a young goat in its mother’s milk would pervert the original purpose of that milk. Notice that God was not forbidding the Israelites from eating young goats but merely forbidding the use of a mother’s milk in the preparation.
APPLICATION: What do these laws have to do with those of us who are not Jews? It is a sad mistake to brush over these lists just because we feel they are long and tedious. One important lesson is that God wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives. 1 Corinthians 10:25 – 31 “Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.”
If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat anything set before you without raising questions of conscience. But if someone tells you, “This food was offered to idols,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience—the other one’s conscience, I mean, not your own. For why should my freedom be determined by someone else’s conscience? If I partake in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. ”
God wants His people to be holy, and He is very practical about that desire. At the same time, God also wants His people to be mindful of those around them, so that they will not bring confusion or appear to be participating in pagan rituals. Traditionally, eating meat dedicated to an idol implied that those eating were gaining strength from that idol. Obedience and consideration for those around us – these are elements of practical holiness.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Thank You that You want every bit of our lives to be holy. Help us to discern Your Will for our lives and to do it. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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