Deuteronomy 14: What does God have against certain types of meat?

These instructions of “clean” and “unclean” animals connect to a bigger lesson in Deuteronomy 13–14 on the Third Commandment, about blaspheming the Name of the LORD, or making the Name common. “Cleaning” what’s distant from God is the real lesson beyond clean/unclean in Leviticus 11, Deuteronomy 14 and Acts 10.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:39 — 10.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Thought questions

How does Deut. 14:1-2 explain the purpose for clean and unclean animals?

Why can you give clean roadkill to a foreigner or an alien? Aren’t foreigners included in Israel and equal under her laws? Wouldn’t roadkill still have blood in it?

What is the wordplay with “divided” and “hoof”?

What is the difference between the clean and the unclean birds? Don’t chickens attack and consume each other from time to time?

Are any animals that the LORD, the Creator, declared unclean/off limits really food in God’s eyes?

How are the directions on clean and unclean meat related to God’s elevation of Israel above the other nations? (Lev. 11:44-45)

How does the object lesson on the physical level educate us on what is happening on the spiritual level?

What happens if you accidentally eat unclean meat? What happens if you choose to continue eating that meat?

What did Messiah mean when He said, “Don’t throw pearls before swine” (Matt. 7:6)?

How is the parallel between giving foreigners animals that died akin to giving those who are “a far off” a little of the truth until they come back for more?