Journal Through the Bible: Week 28 Wednesday

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Deuteronomy 14:1-15:11


Does God issue any commands in this passage?

• The people of God were to be different than the heathens around them and God gave them specific examples of what that meant. For one thing, they were not to cut or mutilate themselves in any way for those who had died.
• Another thing that separated them from the heathen nations was their dietary laws. The foods that they could eat and the manner in which they could eat them were listed. Fowl and animals that were predatory or scavengers were not to be eaten. Nor were they to eat the animals they were on the allowable list if these had died for some unknown reason (this would be to keep them free from whatever illness killed the animal).
• The people were to tithe of their seed and of the produce they grew and of the herds with which they were blessed. They were to bring them to the tabernacle, or if that was too far they were to sell those goods and take the money and buy something in the town where the tabernacle was located and give the priests the substituted offering.
• Once again, they were told not to neglect the Levites because that tribe had no inheritance but was totally dependent upon the people for their support.
• At the end of every third year they were to take the tithe of their increase and open a free food store for the orphans, widows, and the Levites who could then take as much as they wanted.
• At the end of every seventh year they were to release all debtors. They could not return to indentured servanthood a Hebrew who had been released but they could require foreigners to pay off what was owed. The exception was when there would no longer be anyone poor within the borders. No one would be indentured any longer so there would be no need to release anyone from their debts.

Does God make any promises?

• If the people followed God's plan for caring for each other there would be so many blessings upon them that there would no longer be a poor person among them.

Does this passage teach anything about Jesus?

• The third year of free provisions is a picture of Jesus, the member of the Trinity that freely gives us access to Heaven's storehouse. (See Isaiah 55:1)
• The seventh year of release from debts is a picture of Jesus, the Perfect One that makes us citizens of God's Country and frees us from our debt of sin. Since we are citizens and no longer foreigners we cannot be indentured again!
  

Does this passage teach anything about yet-future events?

• In God's economy no one is poor or goes hungry because He provides. (See 15:4) This is a picture of what life will be like in eternity.  There will be abundance and no one will need to be released from their debts because those who live in Heaven and on the New Earth will already have been freed, meaning from their sin debts. All of God's Storehouse will be open to them!