Deuteronomy - Chapter 14

Deuteronomy 14.1 Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. Deuteronomy 14.2 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. Deuteronomy 14.3 Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing. Deuteronomy 14.4 These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat, Deuteronomy 14.5 The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois. Deuteronomy 14.6 And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat. Deuteronomy 14.7 Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you. Deuteronomy 14.8 And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase. Deuteronomy 14.9 These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat: Deuteronomy 14.10 And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you. Deuteronomy 14.11 Of all clean birds ye shall eat. Deuteronomy 14.12 But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, Deuteronomy 14.13 And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind, Deuteronomy 14.14 And every raven after his kind, Deuteronomy 14.15 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, Deuteronomy 14.16 The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan, Deuteronomy 14.17 And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant, Deuteronomy 14.18 And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. Deuteronomy 14.19 And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. Deuteronomy 14.20 But of all clean fowls ye may eat. Deuteronomy 14.21 Ye shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk. Deuteronomy 14.22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. Deuteronomy 14.23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. Deuteronomy 14.24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: Deuteronomy 14.25 Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: Deuteronomy 14.26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, Deuteronomy 14.27 And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. Deuteronomy 14.28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: Deuteronomy 14.29 And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

Deuteronomy : Chapter 14

Practical Holiness According to Deuteronomy 14 Chapter 14 of Deuteronomy defines practical holiness and invites us to consider how God's people should distinguish themselves in daily life. This foundational text prohibits pagan mourning practices, establishes dietary laws, and regulates tithing, thus emphasizing the importance of living a life consistent with our Christian identity. The Unique Identity of Israel This chapter highlights Israel's unique identity as a holy people. It emphasizes the need to separate ourselves from pagan practices and adopt a way of life that reflects our divine calling. Holiness is not limited to rituals, but shapes our daily existence according to the covenant God established with his people.

The Goodness of Creation and the Dietary Laws

To explore this reflection further, we invite you to analyze five biblical passages that resonate with the central themes of Deuteronomy 14:

Acts 10:9-16

"Peter went up onto the roof to pray... He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet reaching down to the earth... On it were all kinds of four-footed animals, creeping things on the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice said to him, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat.'" Peter's vision marks a change in the dietary laws, detailed in Deuteronomy 14.

1 Corinthians 8:8

"Food does not make us acceptable to God; we will not be worse off if we do not eat, nor better off if we do." Here, Paul reflects on Christian freedom in relation to the dietary laws of Deuteronomy 14.

Romans 14:14

"As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself, except to those who consider it so; to him, it is unclean." Paul reinterprets the dietary laws of Deuteronomy 14 in light of the Gospel, revealing that faith changes our understanding of dietary rules. Mark 7:18-19 "Don't you realize that nothing that enters a person from the outside can make him 'unclean'? Because it doesn't enter your heart, but your stomach, and then it's eliminated. (By saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)" Jesus reinterprets the dietary laws of Deuteronomy 14, declaring that all foods are now clean. 1 Timothy 4:4-5

"For everything God has created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer." Paul affirms the goodness of all God's creation, reminding us that the dietary restrictions of Deuteronomy 14 are transformed by divine grace.

Conclusion

Through these passages, we understand that practical holiness goes beyond dietary rules and traditions. It calls every Christian to live in accordance with God's love and truth, to detach themselves from worldly influences, and to devote themselves to the mission of caring for others, especially those most in need. Thus, Deuteronomy 14 continues to shape our daily lives and our understanding of the divine covenant.