Deuteronomy 14:1-15:23 Comments by Stephen Ricker

Cancel Debts and Free Servants
Comments for Study 13

Deuteronomy 14:1-15:23
Memory Verse: 14:23

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I. Clean and Unclean Food (14:1-21)

>1. Who are we to the Lord? (1-2; and 1 Peter 2:9-10)

* Deuteronomy 14:1-2 "You are the children of the LORD your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead, for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession."

* 1 Peter 2:9-10 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.'

>2. What kind of land animal where Israelites allowed to eat and forbidden to eat? (3-8)

* Deuteronomy 14:3-8 "Do not eat any detestable thing. These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep. You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud. However, of those that chew the cud or that have a split hoof completely divided you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the coney. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a split hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you. The pig is also unclean; although it has a split hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses."

>What kind of water animal where Israelites allowed to eat and forbidden to eat? (9-10)

* Deuteronomy 14:9-10 "Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean."

>What kind of airborne animal where Israelites allowed to eat and forbidden to eat? (11-20)

* Deuteronomy 14:11-20 "You may eat any clean bird. But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, the black kite, any kind of falcon, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat. All flying insects that swarm are unclean to you; do not eat them. But any winged creature that is clean you may eat."

>Are these requirements still to be obeyed? (Mark 7:17-23; Acts 15:24-29)

* Mark 7:17-23 "After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. "Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.") He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'"

* Acts 15:24-29 "We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul-- men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell."

II. Tithes (14:22-29)

>3. What was to be set aside?

* Deuteronomy 14:22 "Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year."

* Genesis 14:18-20, 28:22

* Numbers 18:20-22

* Malachi 3:8

* Matthew 23:23

* Luke 11:42

>What were they to do with it?

* Deuteronomy 14:23 "Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always."

>What provision was made if the place of offering was to far? (24-26)

* Deuteronomy 14:24-26 "But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice."

>4. Who were the Levites and provision was made for their life in the Promised Land?

* Deuteronomy 14:27 "And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own."

>Who are the Levites in our time? (19; and 1 Cor. 9:7-12; and 1 Tim. 5:17-18)

* Philippians 4:4-7 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

* 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

>5. What was to happen after three years?

* Deuteronomy 14:28 "At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns,"

>Why?

* Deuteronomy 14:29 "so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands."

III. The Year for Cancelling Debts (15:1-11)

>6. What was to happen after seven years and what is this a foreshadow of?

* Deuteronomy 15:1 "At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts."

* Seven is the number of completeness and perfection in the Bible.

* In addition to their usage to designate specific numbers or quantities, many numbers in the Bible came to have a symbolic meaning. Thus seven came to symbolize completeness and perfection. God's work of creation was both complete and perfect-and it was completed in seven days. All of mankind's existence was related to God's creative activity. The seven-day week reflected God's first creative activity. The sabbath was that day of rest following the work week, reflective of God's rest (Gen. 1:1-2:4). Israelites were to remember the land also and give it a sabbath, permitting it to lie fallow in the seventh year (Lev. 25:2-7). Seven was also important in cultic matters beyond the sabbath: major festivals such as Passover and Tabernacles lasted seven days as did wedding festivals (Judg. 14:12,17). In Pharaoh's dream, the seven good years followed by seven years of famine (Gen. 41:1-36) represented a complete cycle of plenty and famine. Jacob worked a complete cycle of years for Rachel; then, when he was given Leah instead, he worked an additional cycle of seven (Gen. 29:15-30).

A major Hebrew word for making an oath or swearing, shava', was closely related to the word seven, sheva'. The original meaning of "swear an oath" may have been "to declare seven times" or "to bind oneself by seven things."

A similar use of the number seven can be seen in the New Testament. The seven churches (Rev. 2-3) perhaps symbolized by their number all the churches. Jesus taught that forgiveness is not to be limited, even to a full number or complete number of instances. We are to forgive, not merely seven times (already a gracious number of forgivenesses), but seventy times seven (limitless forgiveness, beyond keeping count) (Matt. 18:21-22). (Holman Bible Dictionary)

>What was the procedure for the seventh year?

* Deuteronomy 15:2 "This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD's time for canceling debts has been proclaimed."

>What law was given in verse 3?

* Deuteronomy 15:3 "You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your brother owes you."

>7. What form of charity did the Lord set up and how is this different than any other nation at the time?

* Deuteronomy 15:4-6 "However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, 5 if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. 6 For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you."

>What does it mean to be hardhearted, tightfisted, and openhanded?

* Deuteronomy 15:7-8 "If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs."

>8. What wicked thought was warned in verse 9?

* Deuteronomy 15:9 "Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin."

>How is giving to be done? (10)

* Deuteronomy 15:10 "Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to."

>What is true to this very day about poverty and prosperity?

* Deuteronomy 15:11 "There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land."

IV. Freeing Servants (15:12-18)

>9. How were believers to be treated on the seventh year? (12-15)

* Deuteronomy 15:12-15 "If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free. 13 And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed. 14 Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today."

>What if they don't want to leave?

* Deuteronomy 15:16-17 "But if your servant says to you, "I do not want to leave you," because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, 17 then take an awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your maidservant."

>What warning is given in verse 18?

* Deuteronomy 15:18 "Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because his service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do."

V. Firstborn Animals (15:19-23)

>10. Why is the setting of the firstborn aside a symbol of the Messiah?

* Deuteronomy 15:19 "Set apart for the LORD your God every firstborn male of your herds and flocks. Do not put the firstborn of your oxen to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep."

>What does it mean to eat the firstborn?

* Deuteronomy 15:20-23 "Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose. 21 If an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God. 22 You are to eat it in your own towns. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it, as if it were gazelle or deer. 23 But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water."

>Why was special about the firstborn's blood?