Quote for the Day
“…the Lord has chosen you to be His treasured possession.”
Today's Prayer
This week pray that those traveling will see the rules and regulations God has established not as a hard or bitter thing, but as something that shows God’s true grace and love for us. Pray that all of those traveling and at home will seek God’s wisdom as they choose to eat in a manner that He deems healthy, both physically and spiritually.
Deuteronomy 14:1-21
Deuteronomy 14:1-21 (NIV)1 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 split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud. 7 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. 8 The pig is also unclean; although it has a split 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 that swarm 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 an alien living in any of your towns, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. But you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
Message
Sometimes the truth of Scripture touches on seemingly unexpected topics, including diet. Chapter 14 begins the fine points of the Law. Some of the laws do not always appear to make sense or to be clear as to their importance. That may be why we are admonished so harshly in chapter 13 to make God our sole priority. When He is our focus, other issues become clear.The introduction to the rules is a reminder to that they were a chosen people. This seems to be a great way to start out the rules: with knowledge that there is a strong bond between the “Rule-maker” and the “rule-followers” and with a reassurance of the absolute care of the “Rule-maker” for the “rule-followers”. Verse two starts out with a reminder, “Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.” This is the message of Deuteronomy, a people chosen and treasured. The rules are simply a way to ensure we do not fall into a trap of what we cannot see or do not fully understand.A short note on the rules of eating and food as outlined here and in other parts of the Jewish Law: Many nutritionists today will tell you that a true kosher diet as described here in the book of Deuteronomy, as well as other places in Scripture, is actually a very healthy diet. It seems like many of us need to look at the rules for more than one reason. The reason for God’s rules may not always be grasped, but we will always be His treasured possession.