The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Holy” it comes from the Hebrew Word “qadosh” which means “holy, set apart.”
Moses reviews Israel’s dietary laws and instructs them on how to give generously back to God and to each other. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Deuteronomy 14.
Moses reminds Israel that they are “the children of the LORD your God,” and forbids the mourning practices common among surrounding nations, cutting themselves or shaving between their eyes for the dead, “for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God.” The Hebrew word for holy is “qadosh.” He reviews the dietary regulations first given in Leviticus, permitting animals that both part the hoof and chew the cud, and permitted fish with fins and scales, while forbidding animals like the pig, and various unclean birds and creeping things, “for they are unclean unto you.”
Moses instructs Israel to set apart a tenth of their grain, wine, and oil, along with the firstborn of their herds and flocks, to eat before the Lord in the place He chooses, learning “to fear the LORD thy God always.” For those traveling too far to easily carry their tithe there, provision is made to convert it to money instead, then purchase whatever food or drink they desire once they arrive, and rejoice there before the Lord with their household.
Moses also instructs that every third year, this tithe be gathered locally instead and given specifically to the Levite, who has no inheritance of his own, and to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow within their gates, “that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled,” promising that God will bless all the work of their hands as a result of this generous, structured provision for the vulnerable among them.
Israel’s tithing system built in real, structured generosity toward exactly the people most likely to be overlooked, the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. Giving back to God, in this arrangement, was never separated from caring practically for vulnerable neighbors. Worship and generosity toward others were woven together from the very beginning.
Visit Us At: www.youtube.com/@BibleLifeBasics
Support Us On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/BibleLifeBasics