A Peculiar People
The Making of a Peculiar People
Day 14 of 34
Welcome to our daily bible studies of the Book of Deuteronomy. Today, we are at chapter fourteen (and day 14 of 34), the peculiar people. The previous day’s lesson can be found here.
Most parents – if not all – hold their children as peculiar or special and afford them privileges given to no other child or children but their own. As parents, while loving the off springs of other people your own children have a special niche in your heart. So by virtue of being your off-springs, your children enjoy special benefits and privileges, at your expense, no other children will enjoy because you will not tolerate them to do so. Your children are peculiar to you. My children are peculiar to me. Relationship is a powerful motivator, it determines whether you are considered peculiar or not.
The Lord God declares the nation of Israel as His peculiar people, his children. This declaration positions the children of Israel (Israel) as peculiar people in the eyes of the Lord. By this proclamation the Lord, as their father, sees and allows Israel privileges ”above all the nations that are upon the earth.” They are chosen, they are his peculiar people.
One very important component of parent – child relationships is obedience. The Lord God, as a parent to Israel, provides guidelines for His children, his peculiar people to ensure their well-being. In this chapter (Deuteronomy Chapter 14) the Lord declares four areas of their lives He wants His children to give attention to. By following these guidelines they will cement themselves as peculiar people in the eyes of their father. These practices involve their diet, their “dinning room”, their tithe and the Levites.
Tithes of the Peculiar People
The Lord commands His peculiar people to give back to Him, by giving tithes to the priest. They (not the world) are instructed to give to God one tenth (ten percent) of there possession. Later, when there is an increase in an area of wealth, they should give one tenth of the increase as tithe also to their father. They are to give tithe of their crops, tithe of their wine press, tithe of of their oil, the first born of their herds and of their flocks; that they may learn “to fear the LORD” their ” God always.” The tithe is presented to the priest, who is from the tribe of Levite. This pronouncement concerning tithing is not for EVERYBODY only for the children of the Lord. Everyone is not a child of the Lord. If this were true there would be no need to choose. A child of the Lord has certain features (not physical) by which he is know. These features distinguish the children of the Lord from other children and by them they know each other. These children are children by adoption. Later, they MUST be born of a parent to be declared as children. This topic is for another writing. Generally, by his lifestyle you will recognise a child of God. Specifically, for this lesson, one would acknowledge a child of God by four practices diet, tithe, treatment of the Levites and where he eats.
The Peculiar People Responsibility to the Levites
A parent, knows his child or children. He knows their capabilities and their talents, often he can identify, in them, a certain skill or penchant toward a specific skill. The parent may recognise that a certain child writes lovely poems or great songs and another is wonderful in taking care of his others siblings. It is against a similar background, that the Lord constantly reminds Israel of their responsibility to provide and care for the Levite. In this series of bible studies, the last time the Lord did this was Deuteronomy 12:19. Now He is reiterating His request, Deuteronomy 14:26-29. Recall, the Levite received no land as inheritance, as the other tribes did. The Lord choose them to be priest for the people of covenant. Their function as priests, is to carry the ark of covenant – the Word – and minister the Word to Israel. The Lord constant reminds His peculiar people or children do “not forsake” the Levite, (Deut 14:27). This whole concept of a nation being responsible for the well – being of the priest is what the church is build on.
The Lord God announces to His peculiar people of covenant that they are holy. They are holy because He says they are, not by any of their actions only by the declaration of the Lord. To receive the benefits of their holiness their father pronounced on them the peculiar people must obey their father. Deut 14:1-2. As a mater of fact, up to this point, these peculiar people have been anything but holy. They have been faithless, and disobedient and rebellious. Despite this important broadcast, the children need to obey their father to maintain being a peculiar people to Him.
The Diet of the Peculiar People
A parent generally selects the type of food his family enjoys. He chooses the best for his family. This is the role the Lord is operating in with His peculiar people, Israel. Owing to the fact that Israel is chosen by God as children and peculiar to Him there are restrictions on what they should and should not eat and where they should eat. What other children eat regularly for dinner they are commanded not to eat. Matter of fact, it is not even prepared at home. If they want to indulge in an forbidden food they would have to do so secretly (not that they can hide from God but Moses). For example, the peculiar people of God are commanded not to eat any animals which die of itself, say by hanging or otherwise. But they are allowed to sell the carcass or give it to other people for them to eat it “… thou shalt give it unto the stranger …, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien….” Deuteronomy 14:21. That is the extent of how peculiar and holy God sees peculiar people.
There are many other restrictions concerning many different aspects of the life of these peculiar people. There are also many other commandments governing their peculiar diet for instance, they are, instructed never to eat “abominable” things. Deuteronomy chapter fourteen verses four to twenty (Deut., 4:4-20) provides a list of forbidden and “clean” animals the peculiar people, Israel, should not and should eat respectively.
The Dinning Room of the Peculiar People
Finally, according to Deuteronomy chapter 12:11 the Lord chose “the place” for the Levite and all Israel to “eat before the LORD” their “God.” This is not a requirement of EVERYBODY this is ONLY for the peculiar people, the people of covenant, the chosen and peculiar people of God, see Deuteronomy 14:23. The peculiar people are not allowed to eat “abominable” things and they cannot eat where they chose, they have a designated dining place. This commandment is of fundamental importance because it affect the Levite and all Israel. See Deuteronomy chapter 14:23-29. If the tithe is difficult to transport by the very nature of it or if the distance is too far from “the place” , peculiar people are commanded to sell it. The proceeds from the sale of the tithe the peculiar people should take to “the place” and buy whatever they desire and enjoy it before the Lord.
The peculiar people, the children of God, are instructed to store their tithes at home at the end of every year for three years. At the end of the three years they should keep a feast with the stored tithes. The peculiar people of God, should invite “the Levite and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow,” who live among them that they may eat and be filled. This peculiar people are command by God to do in order for Him to bless them in everything that they do. Deut 14:28-9.
You can be a child of God today. Start by believing in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Accept him as Lord, be born again and be party to the New Covenant. peculiar people are party to the Old Covenant and are considered peculiar people of God. Accept Christ as Lord and come under the promises of the New Covenant and be one of the chosen generation, one of the royal priesthood, one of the holy nation and one of the peculiar people, children of God. Why? “…that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”, 1 Peter 2:9. Are you one of the peculiar people?
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