Generosity in Deuteronomy

 Welcome to the Daily Bible Chapter. My name is James Leroy Wilson and I invite you to join me as I attempt to read the Bible with fresh eyes, as if I don’t know anything about it, and without consulting experts on what it “really” means.. Let’s see where this takes us!

Deuteronomy 14

I’m reading Young’s Literal Translation (YLT) and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

Verses 1–2: It seems that self-cutting and shaving heads were practiced by the nearby nations to mourn the dead. I’m guessing the roots of such traditions were in idolatry.

Verses 3–21: I can’t help but conclude that the “clean/unclean” distinction between animals has to do with the kind of diet the animals themselves have and the parasites that live in them. Some of it, however, seems to be a distinction just for distinction’s sake: “We are Israelites; we don’t eat that.”

Perhaps there could be a spiritual discipline aspect as well, akin to the Amish of today eschewing technology as part of their day-to-day living without exactly condemning it as immoral.

Verses 22–28. The LORD commanded the creation of a class among the Israelites, the Levites, who would be landless and therefore dependent on the tribes that owned land. I appreciate the symbolism. You will always have brothers and sisters in need, and giving unto them portions of your savings and tithes shall become a habit, so in-built as a custom that the giving will never feel like a sacrifice or obligation.

Give to the Levite for he is your brother, as well as to the alien, for you were once aliens, and to widows and orphans because your own wife could be widowed and your own children could be orphaned.

That’s a lesson we can all absorb, regardless of our belief systems.

James Leroy Wilson writes Daily Miracles, The Daily Bible Chapter, JL Cells, and The MVP Chase. Thanks for your subscriptions and support!

(Photo credit: TyshkunVictor)