Deuteronomy 14 Summary - 5 Minute Bible Study

Deuteronomy 14 Summary - A Quick Overview

WHEN:

• Moses’ speech, recorded in the opening chapters of Deuteronomy, occurred immediately following the Israelites’ 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.  

• The Israelites were in the wilderness from approximately 1490-1450 B.C.

• The Book of Deuteronomy opens on the 1st day of the 11th month in the 40th year (Deu 1:3) following the Israelites departure from Egypt (approximately 1450 B.C.).

CHARACTERS:

• Israelites (Hebrews) – The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God granted them freedom after several hundred years in slavery in Egypt. Leading up to the book of Deuteronomy, the Israelites had spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness as they made their way to Canaan, the land God promised to give them as a home.

• Moses – Moses was selected by God to lead the Israelites to Canaan. God spoke directly to Moses and Moses communicated God’s words and laws to the people.    

• Levites – One of the 12 tribes of Israel. They were selected by God to serve Him in a unique way. They cared for the Tabernacle and the holy items within it.

• Sojourners - The Bible uses the word “strangers” or “sojourners” to describe foreigners (people who weren’t descendants of the 12 sons of Jacob) who lived amongst the Israelites, both in the wilderness and in Canaan.

WHERE:

• Deuteronomy 1:5 tells us Moses spoke the words recorded in Deuteronomy while in Moab, probably on the plains of Moab near Pisgah (Numbers 22:1).

OUTLINE:

• DIETARY RESTRICTIONS, CLEAN AND UNCLEAN ANIMALS (14:1-21):

  • As you may remember from the Book of Leviticus, specifically Leviticus 11, God’s law limited the kinds of animals the Israelites were allowed to eat.

  • In Deuteronomy 14, Moses reminded the new generation of Israelites about those laws.

  • The people of Israel were allowed to eat animals that chewed the cud and had cloven hoofs.

  • If an animal chewed the cud but didn’t have a cloven hoof it was restricted and visa-versa.

  • The restricted animals were called “unclean” animals.

  • In terms of aquatic life, Israelites were allowed to eat any animals with fins and scales.

  • Of the birds, Israelites were forbidden from eating “the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, the kite, the falcon of any kind; every raven of any kind; the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk of any kind; the little owl and the short-eared owl, the barn owl and the tawny owl, the carrion vulture and the cormorant, the stork, the heron of any kind; the hoopoe and the bat” (14:12-18).

  • All winged insects were unclean (see the exception in Lev 11:21).

  • Finally, the Israelites were not to eat anything that died naturally. If they found a deer in the woods, they weren’t allowed to bring it home and eat it.

• TITHES (14:22-29):

  • The people of Israel were required by God to tithe a portion of their harvest to God.

  • When they entered the land of Canaan, they were to bring their tithes to God’s appointed place of worship.

  • If they lived far away from God’s appointed place, they were allowed to bring their tithe to God’s appointed place in the form of money.

  • The Israelites were reminded not to neglect the Levites who lived amongst them, because the tribe of Levi didn’t receive a land inheritance like the other tribes.

  • At the end of every three years, the people were to bring their tithes to their town and share them with the Levites, the sojourners, the orphans, and the widows.

APPLICATION:

• This chapter gives us an excellent example of why the Bible needs to be read comprehensively.

• In verse 19, Moses told the people all winged insects were off limits to them.

• Why then did John the Baptist in the New Testament eat locusts? Locusts are a type of winged insect. He was a prophet of God. Did he ignore God’s dietary law?

  We find the explanation to this dilemma when we look back at the details of Leviticus 11.

• In Leviticus 11:21, Moses gives an exception to the prohibitions of winged insects, saying, “you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to hop on the ground.”

• When we find something that appears inconsistent or problematic in the Bible, one of the best ways resolve our concerns is just to finish reading the book.

• We must read the whole story to get all the details and many “problematic” passages will work themselves out as we continue reading God’s story.