carcasses and goat milk

Posted on February 2, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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carcasses and goat milk

Deuteronomy 14:21

Deuteronomy 14:21 “You are not to eat any carcass; you may give it to a guest within your city gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a sacred people to Yahveh your God. Do not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

carcasses and goat milk

Following a list of animals that are forbidden for the Israelites to eat, there is this verse containing two (bizarre sounding) prohibitions.

First, even animals that are considered pure cannot be eaten if they are found dead, not properly slaughtered. It would be unclear what caused the death of the creature, so it could not be eaten in faith. Moses concedes that if non-Israelite guests wanted to eat it, it could be given away or sold to them.

Secondly, there is the prohibition against boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk. The website Defending Inerrancy suggests eight possible purposes for this rule, then states:

“The truth is that we do not know for sure why God commanded this. But it does not really matter, since the Israelites knew exactly what they were not to do, even if they did not fully understand why. So while there is a problem in understanding the purpose of this passage, there is no problem in understanding its meaning. It means exactly what it says.”

There is no doubt that God had a specific purpose for this prohibition, and that the original audience (the Israelites in Moses’ time) understood that purpose. My guess is that it had mostly to do with being a unique people, set apart from the idolatrous pagans all around them.

Lord, make us a people set apart, so that we draw attention to you.

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a unique people

Posted on February 1, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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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.

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uniquely his

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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uniquely his

Deuteronomy 14:1-8

Deuteronomy 14:1 “You are sons of Yahveh your God; do not cut yourselves or place a bald spot on your head on behalf of the dead,

Deuteronomy 14:2 because you are a sacred people to Yahveh your God. Yahveh has chosen you to be his own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the land.

Deuteronomy 14:3 “You must not eat any repulsive thing.

Deuteronomy 14:4 These are the animals you may eat: oxen, sheep, goats,

Deuteronomy 14:5 deer, gazelles, roe deer, wild goats, ibexes, antelopes, and mountain sheep.

Deuteronomy 14:6 You may eat any animal that has hooves divided in two and chews the cud.

Deuteronomy 14:7 However, among the ones that chew the cud or have divided hooves, you are not to eat these: camels, hares, and hyraxes, though they chew the cud, they do not have hooves – they are contaminated for you;

Deuteronomy 14:8 and pigs, though they have hooves, they do not chew the cud – they are contaminated for you. Do not eat their meat or touch their carcasses.

uniquely his

This passage mentions three kinds of restriction. First, the Israelites were not allowed to cut themselves. Second,they were not allowed to cut a bald spot on their heads. Third, there were certain kinds of animal they could and could not eat. The only reason listed here was that the first and second prohibition had to do with the dead. So, there must have been a religious reason for cutting oneself or placing a bald spot on one’s head – in honor of, or perhaps in fear of – the dead. There was no ancestral reason for these practices, so it is presumed to be a common practice among the pagan Canaanites. The eating restrictions may have had a similar reason – to set the Israelites apart from those around them.

God’s people are to be different from all those around them because they are uniquely his.

  • Exodus 19:5-6a Now therefore, if you will really obey my voice and keep my covenant, you will be my treasured possession among all peoples, because all the land is mine; and you will be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

  • Deuteronomy 26:18-19 And today Yahveh has affirmed that you are his own possession as he promised you, that you are to watch all his commands, that he will elevate you to praise, fame, and glory above all the nations he has made, and that you will be a sacred people to Yahveh your God as he promised.”

  • Titus 2:14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from every kind of lawlessness and to purify for himself a people who are uniquely his1 enthusiastic about doing good achievements.
  • 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a devoted nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Lord, we are uniquely yours. Show us how to show it.

1περιούσιος = uniquely one’s own.

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the penalty of permanent destruction

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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the penalty of permanent destruction

Deuteronomy 13:16-18

Deuteronomy 13:16 You are to gather all its spoil in the middle of the city square and completely burn the city and all its spoil for Yahveh your God. The city is to remain a mound of ruins permanently; it is not to be rebuilt.

Deuteronomy 13:17 Nothing set apart for destruction is to remain in your hand, so that Yahveh will turn from his burning anger and grant you mercy, show you compassion, and multiply you as he swore to your fathers.

Deuteronomy 13:18 This will occur if you obey Yahveh your God, watching all his commands I am giving you today, doing what is right in the sight of Yahveh your God.

the penalty of permanent destruction

Entire cities who defected to idolatry were to be devoted to destruction. Even the spoils from city were to be gathered and burned up. This is one of the Old Testament precursors to hell. It describes what God has planned for those who rebel against him and his word. But these cities did not experience “eternal conscious torment.” That phrase does not appear in the Bible.

But there is a phrase used by the apostle Paul which matches the picture we see here exactly. That phrase is “the penalty of permanent destruction” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). That was the penalty the Israelite cities faced for defection.

Lord, we know that you cannot tolerate idolatry in your universe forever. We declare our loyalty to you alone.

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The infection of defection

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Jefferson Vann

Deuteronomy 13:11-15

Deuteronomy 13:11 All Israel will hear and be afraid, and they will not do anything evil like this among you again.

Deuteronomy 13:12 “If you hear it said about one of your cities Yahveh your God is giving you to stay in, and this is what they say:

Deuteronomy 13:13 that wicked men have sprung up among you, led the inhabitants of their city astray, and this is what they said: ‘Let us go and worship other gods,’ which you have not known,

Deuteronomy 13:14 you are to inquire, investigate, and interrogate thoroughly. Notice if the report turns out to be true that this repulsive act has been done among you,

Deuteronomy 13:15 you must strike down the inhabitants of that city with the sword. Completely destroy everyone in it as well as its livestock with the sword.

 The infection of defection

An individual who seeks to lead another Israelite into idolatry must be put to death, but what if an entire city chooses to defect? Does the size of the group somehow justify their decision to betray and abandon their God? Of course not. But a careful investigation must take place to see if it is really a choice to commit treason as an entire city.

If they are found guilty, they must be treated like the other cities that were devoted to destruction when the Israelites first came to the land. Defection is an infection, and left unchecked, it would spread to the other cities.

Under the new covenant, we have no such instructions. It is fortunate for many that we don’t, because many cities pride themselves on their defection from God and his holiness.

What we can glean from this text today is that our God is serious about eradicating sin  from our communities, not just individuals. He wants to rescue cities from sin. The deliverance he offers is more than just an individual rescue.

In the Gospels, we see Jesus weeping over the cities who rejected his message. He also pronounced woes upon them— predictions of coming judgment for their wickedness and refusing to respond to his gospel of grace.

Jesus did not call on us to destroy the infected cities, but we can follow his example by grieving over their defection, and prophesying their coming doom.

Lord, deliver our cities from their mutual defection. All around us, there are entire communities who are unprepared for the day of your wrath.

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do not yield, do not shield

Posted on January 28, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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do not yield, do not shield

Deuteronomy 13:4-10

Deuteronomy 13:4 You must follow Yahveh your God and fear him. You must watch his commands and listen to him; you must worship him and remain faithful to him.
Deuteronomy 13:5 That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has urged rebellion against Yahveh your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the place of slavery, to turn you from the way Yahveh your God has commanded you to walk. You must purge the evil from you.
Deuteronomy 13:6 “If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your friend like your own person secretly entices you, and this is what he says: ‘Let us go and worship other gods’ – which neither you nor your fathers have known,
Deuteronomy 13:7 any of the gods of the peoples around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the land to the other –
Deuteronomy 13:8 do not yield to him or listen to him. Show him no pity, and do not spare him or shield him.
Deuteronomy 13:9 Instead, you must kill him. Your hand is to be the first against him to put him to death, and then the hands of all the people.
Deuteronomy 13:10 Stone him to death for trying to turn you away from Yahveh your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

do not yield, do not shield

Moses warned the Israelites that enemies would emerge from their own group. Whether it is false prophets with deceitful evidence of their authenticity, or family and friends, his counsel is plain: do not yield to their requests,and do not shield them from the death penalty they deserve. Israel was a covenant community, and seeking other gods was the highest treason against the God with whom they were covenanting.

Jesus warned his followers that their own families could turn against them for seeking to follow him. Ironically, this very instruction was used to justify that animosity. The Jews who rejected Jesus understood that there was no middle ground with him. To accept Jesus as the Son of God, and give him the honor due that title, was a fundamental change that they were not willing to make.

What about you? Are you willing to accept Jesus as not just one of the possible ways to God, but the only Way?

Lord, we confess that you are the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through you.

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deceiving evidence

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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deceiving evidence

Deuteronomy 12:32-13:3 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 12:32 Be careful to do everything I command you; do not add anything to it or take anything away from it.
Deuteronomy 13:1 “If a prophet or someone who has dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you,
Deuteronomy 13:2 and that sign or wonder he has promised you comes about, but he speaks to you, and this is what he says: ‘Let us follow other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us worship them,’
Deuteronomy 13:3 do not listen to that prophet’s words or to that dreamer. You see, Yahveh your God is testing you to know whether you care about Yahveh your God with all your heart and all your throat.

deceiving evidence

There are people in this generation who are fed up with the supernatural, and would not believe anything, even if they see proof. But there are others who are seeking for something more, and are liable to lock on to any new thing, with the slightest hint of evidence.

Apparently the Israelites in Moses’ time were more like the latter group. So Moses warns them that if they are looking for proof of the veracity of idol worship, they will find it. God will allow false prophets to appear and deceive them with evidence.

What God wants is a people who care enough about him to stay loyal to him in spite of what anyone else says or does. Can we be people like that? If others find perfect happiness in their religion, does that mean we should seek plurality?

What I am getting at today is that there seems to be two major reactions to the religious mix in many current cultures. Either it leads to agnosticism/apathy and the lack of any strong religious beliefs or it leads to championing all religious experiences as equally valid and somehow a good thing in pluralistic societies. Either nothing is real or everything is equally real.

Both of these reactions miss the point of today’s text. All religious experiences are not equal. But God allows them to test us. He wants us to choose him because of who he is.

Lord, help us to love those who have not yet found you, but not to ever forget that they are lost until they do.

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what God has to hate

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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what God has to hate

Deuteronomy 12:28-31 (JDV)

Deuteronomy 12:28 Be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that you and your children after you may permanently prosper, because you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of Yahveh your God.
Deuteronomy 12:29 “When Yahveh your God eliminates the nations before you, which you are entering to take possession of, and you take possession from them and stay in their land,
Deuteronomy 12:30 be careful or else you will be ensnared by their ways after they have been exterminated before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, ‘How did these nations worship their gods? I’ll also do the same.’
Deuteronomy 12:31 You must not do the same to Yahveh your God, because they practice every repulsive act, which Yahveh hates, for their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

what God has to hate

If you were doing something which God hates, wouldn’t you want to know? God didn’t just on a whim decide to drive out the Canaanites and give the Israelites their land. The inhabitants of the land were committed disgusting, repulsive acts and doing so as part of their religious experience. Child sacrifice was one of those behaviors. God could not stand that. After generations of such iniquity, he decided to eliminate them.

God’s instructions were designed to keep the Israelites from making the same mistakes, and incurring the same judgment. He loves us just the way we are, but warns us not to become what he has to hate. He wants us to live and prosper.

Lord, thank you for teaching us to avoid what you have to hate.

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foreshadowing the death of Christ

Posted on January 25, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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foreshadowing the death of Christ

Deuteronomy 12:23 Only be strong enough not to eat the blood, since the blood is the personal existence, and you must not eat the life with the meat.
Deuteronomy 12:24 Do not eat blood; pour it on the land like water.
Deuteronomy 12:25 Do not eat it, so that you and your children after you will prosper, because you will be doing what is right in Yahveh’s sight.
Deuteronomy 12:26 “But you are to take the holy offerings you have and your solemn pledge offerings and go to the place Yahveh chooses.
Deuteronomy 12:27 Present the meat and blood of your ascending offerings on the altar of Yahveh your God. The blood of your other sacrifices is to be poured out beside the altar of Yahveh your God, but you may eat the meat.

foreshadowing the death of Christ

Animals could be hunted or raised for food by the Israelites in the promised land, or to be sacrificed at the tabernacle, but in neither case would they be allowed to consume the blood of the animals. The blood must be extracted from the animals and poured out. The only exception was the ascending offering, but even there the blood was not allowed to be consumed by the worshipers.

The blood symbolizes the life of the animal, paid as a ransom to purchase life for the Israelites. It had to be completely poured out to foreshadow the complete sacrifice of the Messiah’s life for his people.

Every time the Israelites would kill an animal for a meal or for an offering, they would face this prohibition, which was designed to foreshadow the death of Christ.

Lord, thank you for our redemption by the blood of Christ.

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enjoying a good steak

Posted on January 24, 2020 by Jefferson Vann
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enjoying a good steak

Deuteronomy 12:20 “When Yahveh your God enlarges your territory as he has promised you, and you say, ‘I want to eat meat’ because you have a strong desire to eat meat, you may eat it whenever you want.
Deuteronomy 12:21 If the place where Yahveh your God chooses to place his name is too far from you, you may slaughter any of your herd or flock he has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your city gates whenever you want.
Deuteronomy 12:22 You may certainly eat it as the gazelle and deer are eaten; both the pure and the contaminated may eat it.

enjoying a good steak

With the possession of the promised land will come more land for more flocks and herds. The Israelites will not have to reserve their animals for only religious offerings. They will have plenty to satisfy their own appetites as well.

The the New Testament corollary to the promised land — the mind of Christ— is also related to this allowance. Satan wants us to avoid holiness because he tells us that we will be missing out on so much. The fact is, once we are disciplined to live holy lives before God, we will find that we have an abundance to enjoy.

Lord, lead us to your holiness, and help us to stop trusting the lies of the enemy.

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