Do It All For the Glory of God
Scripture Passage: Deuteronomy 14:3-21 (NASB)
3 “You shall not eat any detestable thing. 4 These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, 5 the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep. 6 Any animal that divides the hoof and has the hoof split in two and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat. 7 Nevertheless, you are not to eat of these among those which chew the cud, or among those that divide the hoof in two: the camel and the rabbit and the shaphan, for though they chew the cud, they do not divide the hoof; they are unclean for you. 8 The pig, because it divides the hoof but does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you. You shall not eat any of their flesh nor touch their carcasses.
9 “These you may eat of all that are in water: anything that has fins and scales you may eat, 10 but anything that does not have fins and scales you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.
11 “You may eat any clean bird. 12 But these are the ones which you shall not eat: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard, 13 and the red kite, the falcon, and the kite in their kinds, 14 and every raven in its kind, 15 and the ostrich, the owl, the sea gull, and the hawk in their kinds, 16 the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, 17 the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant, 18 the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat. 19 And all the teeming life with wings are unclean to you; they shall not be eaten. 20 You may eat any clean bird.
21 “You shall not eat anything which dies of itself. You may give it to the alien who is in your town, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner, for you are a holy people to the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
SUMMARY
The Lord says in verse 3, “You shall not eat any detestable thing,” and then makes a list of animals they may not eat. He differentiates between land animals, sea animals, and flying animals, and goes through (in much detail) about what is clean and what is unclean, and how the Israelites must only eat clean things.
MEDITATION & REFLECTION
One of the questions in the QT book was, “Why did God specifically choose what the Israelites could and could not eat?” Honestly, I sat down and thought about this for a long time. Why DID it matter so much what they could or could not eat? When God talks about clean and unclean birds, He goes on and on and lists 20 different kinds of birds that cannot be eaten. So many birds?? GOD, WHY?? It was interesting to me that God provided such detailed guidance in this seemingly insignificant area of human life: food.
There’s a verse in the New Testament found in 1 Corinthians 10:31: “Whether we eat or drink, do it all for the glory of God.” Here, the Lord was providing guidance on how to do so. I believe He was intimately involved in every part of the Israelites’ daily lives. He didn’t want there to be a divide between God and daily living, but He wanted even the most repetitive and mundane moments of life to speak to His glory. Nothing is too mundane for God. No area of life is too boring or too little for Him. In each area we are able to glorify God, our big God who brought the Israelites out of Egypt. I love that God, who did great and mighty things, was intentionally teaching the Israelites how to honor God in their daily lives—not just in the moments after big miracles, like when they crossed the Red Sea, but continually remembering His grace and providence in the little things, like the food they ate.
APPLICATION
In the modern-day, I don’t believe this list of animals to eat and not to eat is applicable to us, but I find that the heart behind what God told His people stands to this day. I don’t think there is a list of foods I must stay away from, but I want to lean into the words of 1 Corinthians 10:31: “Whether we eat or drink, do it all for the glory of God.” And, as written a few verses later: “[We] have the right to do everything, but not everything is beneficial. [We] have the right to do anything, but not everything is constructive.” So I’d like to live cleanly from the heart-out, and use wisdom regarding the foods I eat and the things I drink to not just take care of the body God has given, but to bring honor to God and remember His grace.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for the way You teach us to glorify You in every area of our lives. Teach us to seek You in the everyday moments that seem mundane and regular and repetitive, and to give you glory throughout the day. Open our eyes to more of You, that we may find continual wonder at how You rest and move with us through our days; You are an intimate and close Father. Lord, thank You for Your grace in Your provision, and help us to live in continual remembrance. You are the BEST. Thank You!!
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