Deuteronomy Archives - He Walks With Us

Unclean Meats for Food?

Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.
Deuteronomy 12:15 (KJV)

The unclean and the clean may eat thereof – whoa whoa whoa… is God suggesting that we might be able to eat unclean meats? Anything that we desire?? And it is a blessing of the Lord our God??? If we take this verse out of context, it sure appears that way.

Paul, the Theological Rebel

Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.
Deuteronomy 25:4 (KJV)

Muzzle the ox – The Rabbis have long suggested that the word “ox” can apply to all animals that are used for the purpose of work, but clarify that this verse does not apply to humans.

The “other” god

And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.
Deuteronomy 11:28 (KJV)

To go after other gods, which ye have not known – In order to really understand what God is saying here, we need to consider this verse with the two before it.

God’s Oral Commandments

If the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the Lord hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.
Deuteronomy 12:21 (KJV)

As I have commanded thee – A recent conversation with a Jewish friend of mine brought us to this verse from Deuteronomy. He reasoned that this verse justified the Oral Law, considered the Talmud, that was given to Moses orally and not part of the Written Law, the 5 books of Moses. The 5 books of Moses (written Torah) does not explain the details for how to kill an animal, but the Talmud does. So obviously God must be talking about the Oral Law in this verse.

Silent Reading

And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:
Deuteronomy 17:19 (KJV)

Read – In the early 400s AD, St. Augustine wrote about a man named Ambrose who, when he read, did not vocalize the words or move his tongue. This was apparently shocking for St. Augustine to witness so much so that he noted it in his journal.

To Sanctify, or Not To Sanctify

All the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the Lord thy God: thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep.
Deuteronomy 15:19 (KJV)

Only the firstling of the beasts, which should be the Lord’s firstling, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox, or sheep: it is the Lord’s.
Leviticus 27:26

So which is it? Should you, or shouldn’t you sanctify the firstling of beasts? If you take these two verses verbatim as they’re written, this is an obvious contradiction in the text. Deuteronomy states that you should sanctify the firstling, but Leviticus states that you should not.

Covenant or Law

Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

Deuteronomy 31:26 (KJV)

Book of the law – There’s considerable study in comparative analysis with the relationship of the Israelites to their surrounding cultures.* One interesting conclusion is that deity and kings never legislated actual law. This is difficult to comprehend and I may not do it justice here, but suffice it to say, covenant is different than law and it behooves us to understand how. Continue reading “Covenant or Law”

The Difference Between Yeshua and Saul Regarding the Dead

¹⁰There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,
¹¹or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost or a familiar spirit, or a necromancer.
¹²For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the LORD; and because of these abominations the LORD thy God is driving them out from before thee.

Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (JPS)

When I explain that seeing the dead is not a good thing based on the example of Saul, the witch, and Samuel from 1 Samuel 28, some will counteract my argument with the New Testament example of Yeshua and the mount of transfiguration when He conversed with Moses & Elijah. Their example is given to justify interaction with the dead despite being completely forbidden in God’s law. Continue reading “The Difference Between Yeshua and Saul Regarding the Dead”

Two Omers are Better than One

And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God […]

Deuteronomy 16:10 (KJV)

Weeks – This holy day that recently passed is called the Feast of Weeks. It’s not called Spirit Day even though Christians recognize it as the day the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and believers. It’s not called Torah Day even though Jews recognize it as the day God gave the Torah to Israel. But the Feast of Weeks is a unique blend of both of these events, and when reviewing the weeks up to this day we find an interesting association to both the Spirit and the Torah. Continue reading “Two Omers are Better than One”

Abstract vs. Concrete – Part 2

Yet in this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God,

Deuteronomy 1:32 (KJV)

Believe – Back to our study about abstract and concrete concepts. Remember that Hebrews are very concrete in their language, so the Biblical concepts and worldviews will be rooted in concrete meanings that appeal to our senses. Greek concepts tend to be very abstract and are intangible. Continue reading “Abstract vs. Concrete – Part 2”