Introduction
‘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. Do not eat any detestable thing. These are the animals 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 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. Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean. You may eat any clean bird. But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, the black kite, any kind of falcon, any kind of raven, the horned owl, 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 and the bat. All flying insects are unclean to you; do not eat them. But any winged creature that is clean you may eat. 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.’ Deuteronomy 14:1-21
Moses continues from the previous chapter concerning Israel’s sanctification, and he begins by commanding them ‘not to cut themselves’ or ‘shave the front of their heads for the dead’.
This appears to be a practice Israel picked up from the nations around them, it was probably connected with the idolatrous practices of the nations around them, Isaiah 3:24 / Isaiah 15:2 / Isaiah 22:12 / Jeremiah 16:6 / Jeremiah 41:5 / Ezekiel 7:18 / Amos 8:10 / Micah 1:16.
The reason they were to cease from doing this, was simply because they are a sanctified people, that is, a holy people, Leviticus 11:44-45. Because the Lord had brought them out of Egypt, they are now a holy people, God’s special possessions, Deuteronomy 7:6-8.
Because the Lord has redeemed Christians with the blood of Christ, 1 Peter 1:18-19, we too, should also be holy, 1 Peter 1:15-16, we too, are God’s special possession, Ephesians 1:18 / 1 Peter 2:9, and we too should stay away from anything evil, 1 Thessalonians 5:22.
Clean And Unclean Food
Israel were further sanctified from the nations by the animals they ate and did not eat, Leviticus 11:2-45. The animals listed would certainly have good dietary principles that would guard the Israelites against eating anything that would harm them.
By eating only that which God commanded, Israel manifested their obedience to His will, even though they may not have fully understood the reasons for the restrictions.
Animals Which Have Divided Hoofs And Chew The Cud
Leviticus 11:1-23 deals with clean food which is food which may be eaten, and unclean food, which is food which cannot be eaten. We could summarise Leviticus 11:1-16 like this, God commanded Israel through Moses and Aaron to eat only those animals that were ruminants, that is have four stomachs and had a cloven foot.
These animals such as the camel, the hyrax which is a small herbivorous mammal, the rabbit and the pig weren’t allowed to be eaten and were classed as unclean. To touch any dead carcass or any unclean animal dead or alive made a person unclean.
Creatures Without Fins And Scales
Leviticus 11:9-12 describe creatures which live in the water without fins and scales would include creatures such as any kind of shellfish, oysters, eels and crabs.
They weren’t allowed to be eaten and classed as unclean, to touch any dead carcass or any unclean creature dead or alive made a person unclean.
Birds And Flying Insects
Leviticus 11:13-23 describes a whole host of birds and insects which were classed as unclean and cannot be eaten.
The eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, any kind of black kite, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, which is usually thought to be a pelican, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, which is like a grouse, and the bat.
It’s interesting to note that all insects have six legs, but here we have mention of insects with four legs, which walk on all fours. Some commentators see this phrase, ‘walk on all fours’ as a figure of speech which means these insects which walked with their bodies horizontally to the ground were classed as unclean.
There were however some insects which walked on all fours and were classed as clean and could be eaten, the locust, which we know John the baptiser ate, Matthew 3:4, katydid, which was similar to a cricket but larger, the cricket or grasshopper.
Touching Unclean Animals
In Leviticus 11:24-47 we find a list of things which make a person unclean by touching them.
We must remember that in our culture today these ceremonial uncleanness laws may seem foreign to us in the UK, we love our ‘pawed’ animals, dogs and cats, but for the Israelites, it meant the difference between being a part of the community or not.
If they had become unclean, they couldn’t take part in any social events, or worship, this is why they had to wash their clothes and wait until the evening at which point, they would become clean again.
Animals Which Move Along The Ground And Clay Pots
The animals listed in Leviticus 11:29-38 are the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink, which is a small lizard and the chameleon. They are all classed as unclean and went to be touched, if so, the person would become unclean until evening.
Note the difference between these dead animals touching the pot and falling into the pot.
If any of these animals dies or falls into a vessel, whatever it’s made out of, would make the vessel unclean, therefore it had to be washed and kept in water until evening, then it would be clean again and ready to be used.
If any of these animals fall into a clay pot, this made everything in that pot unclean, therefore the pot had to be broken.
Touching Dead Animals
Leviticus 11:39-40 deals with touching dead animals. Any clean animal which would include the ox, sheep, goat, deer, etc dies and someone touches it, then that person would become unclean until evening.
If anyone eats part of the animal’s body will also be unclean, therefore, they must wash and become clean in the evening, the same applies to anyone who picks up one of these dead animals.
Creatures Which Move Along The Ground
Leviticus 11:41-43 deals with creatures which move along the ground. Most commentators believe these verses are addressing vermin, Leviticus 11:29-30, and notice the difference, not only does the text speak of things which ‘walk on all fours’ but things which ‘move on its belly’.
This would include animals like snakes, worms, maggots, moles, rats, mice, caterpillars, and centipedes, these are all classed as unclean.
Cooking a young goat in its mother milk may sound really strange to us, but this appears to have been a practice of the Canaanites which displayed the base immoral principle of the people, for the Canaanites offered their own children in sacrifice to their pagan gods.
The selected foods for their consumption separated them from the nations around them who indulged in every food, but specifically certain foods that were eaten in honour of idol gods.
This is one of the reasons these restrictions don’t apply to Christians today, Mark 7:19 / Romans 14:14 / 1 Timothy 4:4. Jesus emphasised that people would know we are Christians by our love not by what food we eat, John 13:34-35.
Tithes
‘Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. 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 LORD your God always. 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), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. 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. 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 14:22-29
Moses reminds Israel of their responsibility to tithe, that is, they were to give a tenth of their increase, Leviticus 27:30 / Numbers 18:21-32. He also reminds them that this will happen at the one place which God will choose, Deuteronomy 12.
A tithe of the blessings of grain, oil, and new wine was to be given to the Lord at the designated place as a thanksgiving offering. In all of God’s laws concerning food, provision was made for the Levites, the poor, widows and foreigners.
If Israel do all these things, this would prove that they truly did love and fear the Lord, Deuteronomy 14:23.
Moses gives comforting advice to those who live too far away from God’s prescribed place of worship to bring their tithes, Deuteronomy 12:21. These individuals may sell their blessings and get money for them and they were to take this money to the place of God’s choosing and use the money to buy and sacrifice unto God.
Notice the words ‘fermented drink’, this is a reference to strong intoxicating wine, Proverbs 20:1, and notice drinking wine or fermented drink is excused, Numbers 28:7 / Deuteronomy 29:6.
The tithe of the fruits and livestock was to be eaten as a meal before the Lord with the Levites. In this way, there was always food for the Levites who were given no inheritance of land, Numbers 18:21-24.
To provide food for the Levites, along with the foreigners, fatherless, and widows, the people were to give their means to them for their survival once every three years.
This tithe appears to be separate from the annual tithe given at the temple, that is, once every three years in each city, which implies that this tithe was to be placed in storage for the Levite families, foreigners, orphans and widows to eat in between the tithe at the end of the harvest.
The tithe of the crops and livestock was seasonal, and so, the tithe that was put in storage every three years lasted the Levites in between the harvest and the seasonal giving of the newborn of the livestock.
Tithing was required until after the death of Christ, which ended the old law regarding the Levites, and inaugurated the new covenant, Hebrews 9:15-17. Today Christians pay taxes to the state which has replaced Israel’s theocracy, Romans 13:6-7.
When it comes to the church and the giving of the members the sky is the limit. We aren’t required to give a fixed specific amount but according to how much we figure we have prospered.
Nowhere does the New Testament require Christians to tithe. It is a matter between each individual or couple and God. It is to be according to how we think we have been prospered. Our giving takes place on the first day of the week, 1 Corinthians 16:2.
This means the amount will vary with each individual. Giving should be planned ahead of time and not as an afterthought, 2 Corinthians 9:7. It should not be done grudgingly but cheerfully, 2 Corinthians 9:5-7.
