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a unique people

Deuteronomy 14:9-20 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 14:9 “You may eat everything from the water that has fins and scales,

Deuteronomy 14:10 but you may not eat anything that does not have fins and scales – it is contaminated for you.

Deuteronomy 14:11 “You may eat every pure bird,

Deuteronomy 14:12 but these are the ones you may not eat: eagles, bearded vultures, black vultures,

Deuteronomy 14:13 the kites, any kind of falcon,

Deuteronomy 14:14 every kind of raven,

Deuteronomy 14:15 ostriches, short-eared owls, gulls, any kind of hawk,

Deuteronomy 14:16 little owls, long-eared owls, barn owls,

Deuteronomy 14:17 eagle owls, ospreys, cormorants,

Deuteronomy 14:18 storks, any kind of heron, hoopoes, and bats.

Deuteronomy 14:19 All winged insects are contaminated for you; they may not be eaten.

Deuteronomy 14:20 But you may eat every pure flying creature.

a unique people

Moses’ instructions about what kinds of sea or sky animals could be eaten had nothing to do with moral or spiritual holiness. They were intended to identify the Israelites as a unique people. The contamination that he spoke of was the loss of unique identity.

The new covenant also encourages uniqueness, but not in superficial things like eating and drinking certain things, or abstaining from certain things. Under the new covenant, our uniqueness is to be expressed by our character and devotion to Christ alone.

Lord, make us shine as your unique people, uncontaminated by the world around us.