(Tuesday)
Many of the commandments we read today are given in other areas of the Bible. The idea of certain foods being forbidden makes me ask the question, why? What was the reason for some animals to be good to eat and other animals not? So I did a little research and found out that some of the animals forbidden were because of various pagan rituals, some were because of health reasons, and others still were because of the law of eating no blood – the unclean animal represented sin. But however you look at the practice of abstaining from eating certain animals, it is obvious this practice would set the Israelites apart from the rest of the world.
We also are given the biblical principle of tithing, the understanding that all that we have comes from God and instead of looking at it as giving up 10%, we are actually being given permission to keep 90%. I’ve heard it said about tithing, “I’d rather live on 90% of my income with God’s blessing than 100% without.”
One other important command is spoken here our reading and that is the sacredness of the Sabbath. Not only on a weekly basis, but also as a remembrance for cancelling debts every 7th year. God wants us to remember the significance of resting, of being released from bondage. We are to remember that we are holy people – set apart for God. We are different.
Blessings
Pastor Kathy