You're God's People, so Live Like It!!!

Deuteronomy 14-15
I. Observation
1. Mourning (14:1-2)
• “Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead...”
• Canaanite practice that acknowledged the deity of the dead (Ryrie)
2. Food (14:3-21)
• Land Animals: “...split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud...” with exceptions
• Water Creatures: “...any that has fins and scales...”
• Birds: “....any clean bird...” with exceptions
• Insects: “All flying insects that swarm are unclean to you...But any winged creature that is clean you may eat...”
• Anything already dead: “Do not eat...” (But could give to an alien living in the land or sell to a foreigner)
3. Tithes (14:22-29)
• “Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.”
• “Eat the tithe...and the firstborn of your herds & flocks.....
• (Where?) ...in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling place for his Name”
• Could exchange tithe/firstborn animals for silver and buy a replacement there if too far to travel (v. 24-26)
• “And do not neglect the Levites...” (v. 27)
• Every third year in lieu of taking tithe to eat in presence of the Lord, they were to store it in their towns for the
Levites and for the needy (aliens, fatherless, & widows)
4. Sabbath Year: Forgiving Debts (15:1-11)
• “At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.” (15:1)
• Applied only to debts owed by other Israelites (v. 3)
• Basis: God's provisional blessings...”you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none” (v. 6)
• Do not show favoritism or take advantage of the poor who seek to borrow from you. (v. 7-11)
5. Sabbath Year: Freeing Servants (15:12-18)
• After serving for 6 years, must let them go free in the 7th, but don't send them away empty handed.
• Supply him from your flock, etc. Give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you. (proportionally)
• If servant does not want to leave, pierce his/her ear and they'll be your servant for life.
6. Setting Apart the Firstborn Male of Their Herds & Flocks (15:19-23)
• If pure and unblemished, eat in the presence of the Lord (see above) each year.
• If the animal has a defect, must not sacrifice it, but eat it in their towns. Do not eat the blood.

1. What are the four categories of creatures given in the “food” section? Can you think of others?
2. What was the longest loan term permissible by law, based on this passage?
3. What options did a borrower have for repaying a debt, based on this passage?
4. Thinking ahead to the NT, how was the allowance of purchasing a replacement sacrifice (14:24-26) later abused?
5. What ways mentioned in this passage could be seen as God's poverty prevention? Who fed the “needy”?

II. Interpretation
1. Why do you think God is so specific concerning clean & unclean food? Practical implications? Spiritual implications?

2. What was the purpose of this tithe? What do you think God was teaching them by having them present it only annually?

3. How would you describe Israel's lending system? What are the benefits/costs if you were the lender? the borrower?

4. Is there any insight into God's view of debt? (v. 6) Was there a difference between lending to an Israelite vs. foreigner?

5. What is the central theme of this passage? Does this passage point towards Christ? If so, how?

6. Gaze upon the Face of God: What aspects of God's character do we see illustrated in this passage?

III. Application
 The Israelites (and us by extension) were called to be holy, not just in their being set apart by God, but in their daily life.
 Stewardship of God's property (here in lending it), requires that one acknowledges God's ownership of the property.