Deuteronomy 14:1–2: “You are the children of the LORD your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave the front of your head for the dead. For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

March 1st, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

God was forbidding the Egyptian religious practice of cutting and shaving the head in mourning for a person who had died. Like so many other things His people had learned while in bondage to Egypt, this too was no longer to be observed. Why? The actions themselves might appear innocent enough, but God was reminding them of their special, unique relationship with Him. Over 250 times, Moses reminded Israel of, “the LORD your God.”

The New Testament teaches that those who submit to God’s Lordship enjoy a special relationship with Him, making them also a “special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” Peter the Apostle picked up on this truth in his first letter:

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

Is this a position given to us so we can think and act as if we are better than those who do not know God? Definitely not! The position of being a special treasure means we have a responsibility to humbly take His message of love and grace to those around us every day. What a privilege to represent the King of Kings to those who have not yet met Him.

“LORD, we need Your help to not miss any opportunity that comes our way to speak freely of Your love to others. Give us the grace and confidence to be Your ambassadors to those who cross our paths this day.”

=============================================================

Deuteronomy 14 KJV

¹ Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. ² For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that areupon the earth. ³ Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing. ⁴ These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat, ⁵ The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.  ⁶ And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat. ⁷ Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you. ⁸ And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase. ⁹ These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat: ¹⁰ And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you. ¹¹ Of all clean birds ye shall eat. ¹² But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, ¹³ And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind, ¹⁴ And every raven after his kind, ¹⁵ And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, ¹⁶ The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan, ¹⁷ And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant, ¹⁸ And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. ¹⁹ And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten. ²⁰ But of all clean fowls ye may eat. ²¹ Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother’s milk. ²² Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. ²³ And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always. ²⁴ And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee: ²⁵ Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose: ²⁶ And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORDthy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,  ²⁷ And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee. ²⁸ At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: ²⁹ And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.