Day 228: Worth protecting – Deuteronomy 14 vs 1 – 21

1-2 Since you are the people of the Lord your God, never cut yourselves or shave the hair above your foreheads in mourning for the dead. You have been set apart as holy to the Lord  your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.

3-8 You must not eat any detestable animals that are ceremonially unclean. These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the addax, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. You may eat any animal that has completely split hooves and chews the cud, but if the animal doesn’t have both, it may not be eaten. So you may not eat the camel, the hare, or the hyrax. They chew the cud but do not have split hooves, so they are ceremonially unclean for you. And you may not eat the pig. It has split hooves but does not chew the cud, so it is ceremonially unclean for you. You may not eat the meat of these animals or even touch their carcasses. 9-10 Of all the marine animals, you may eat whatever has both fins and scales. You may not, however, eat marine animals that do not have both fins and scales. They are ceremonially unclean for you.

11-20 You may eat any bird that is ceremonially clean. These are the birds you may not eat: the griffon vulture, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, the kite, the falcon, buzzards of all kinds, ravens of all kinds, the eagle owl, the short-eared owl, the seagull, hawks of all kinds, the little owl, the great owl, the barn owl, the desert owl, the Egyptian vulture, the cormorant, the stork, herons of all kinds, the hoopoe, and the bat. All winged insects that walk along the ground are ceremonially unclean for you and may not be eaten. But you may eat any winged bird or insect that is ceremonially clean. 21 You must not eat anything that has died a natural death. You may give it to a foreigner living in your town, or you may sell it to a stranger. But do not eat it yourselves, for you are set apart as holy to the Lord your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk. Deuteronomy 14:1-21 New Living Translation (English Standard Version link)

Some who read the above verses might want to use them in their case for preventing some animals, fish and birds from becoming extinct. It's true that mankind has sadly endangered the existence of much wildlife. The very last line about ‘not cooking a young goat in its mother’s milk’ should prevent us from being callous or cruel. Other people have pointed out that in those days when refrigeration wasn’t available, eating certain animals (such as pigs) could easily lead to sickness, and so these rules were to protect the nation. But verses 1-2 show that there was a more important reason for these restrictions, and something worth far more than the animals. What was that?

Men and women are much more important than the animals God created, and those who belong to Him in a special relationship are the most precious to Him of all. This is how Jesus once put it: “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. What is the price of two sparrows - one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” Matthew 10:28-31

God gave Israel rules by which they were to be different from the nations by not eating certain things, but it wasn't because any of God's creatures were bad. That's why the New Living Bible used the word 'ceremonially' unclean. These rules were to show that they belonged to God. That's why they were also not to follow the same rituals as the heathen when mourning for the dead. (Also in vs 1-2)

Environmental and ecological issues are important. Genesis 2:15 says that “God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it”. So we should look after creation. But it is even more important to look after our soul. That's something that’s really worth protecting. If we belong to God we must not pollute our lives with sin. There are things the world does that are not for those who are set apart as holy to the Lord their God.