Deuteronomy 14:1–21

Nature, in its pride and self-will, might say, "Why can't we do what other people do? What harm is there in cutting ourselves, or in shaving a bald patch on our foreheads? It is only an expression of grief, a loving tribute to those we have lost. Surely there can be nothing morally wrong in such a fitting way to express sorrow!" To all this there was one simple but conclusive answer: "You are the sons of the LORD your God." This fact altered everything. The poor, ignorant, uncircumcised Gentiles around them might cut and disfigure themselves. They did not know God and were not in relationship to Him. But as for Israel, they were on the high and holy ground of nearness to God, and this one fact was to give tone and character to all their habits. They were not called on to adopt or avoid any particular habit or custom in order to become the children of God. That would be, as we say, beginning at the wrong end; but being His children, they were to act as such.

"You are a holy people to the LORD your God." He does not say, "You ought to be a holy people." How could they ever make themselves a holy people, or a people set apart for the LORD? Completely impossible. If they were not His people, no effort of theirs could ever make them such. But God, in His sovereign grace, in keeping with His covenant with their fathers, had made them His children... All their habits and customs, all their doings and ways, their food and their clothing, what they did and what they did not do — all was to flow out of one great fact. They had no more to do with that fact than with their natural birth: they were the children of God.

Chapter 14 forbids the people, as children of the living God, to copy the unholy customs of idol worshippers. Those customs showed how devoted they were to the impure beings they worshipped. God had chosen Israel for Himself.

The Israelites were not to "round the corners of their heads," no doubt referring to some heathen practice, one of which has been described as "cutting the hair in a ring away from the temples." Lev. 19:27. Neither were they to make any baldness between their eyes for the dead. Deut. 14:1.

The godless nations practised such things as cutting themselves and shaving the front of the head. They did this to show respect for people who had died. This was empty hypocrisy, a show of religiousness meant to draw attention to themselves... Cutting oneself, shaving the hair, weeping and wailing can do nothing for the person who has died. In fact, if it is a believer who has died, this is really cause for quiet thankfulness that he or she is with the Lord... It is right that one should weep when feeling the loss of a loved one. The Lord Jesus wept in sympathy with Mary and Martha (John 11:32-35). But to put on an outward show is repulsive.

The adoption as sons still belongs to Israel (Rom. 9:4). God called Israel His firstborn son, and in God's purpose that nation still holds that place among the nations. In the New Testament, sonship is given to the individual believer, in whom the Spirit of Sonship (the Holy Spirit) lives, and who is an heir of God and joint-heir with Christ. This is infinitely higher than Israel's national and earthly calling. Therefore our responsibility is so much greater. The children of the LORD were not to share in the sinful customs of the pagan nations, who have no hope... The Lord whom they served is a Lord of life; they belonged wholly to Him; they were not their own. To sorrow like those who have no hope is also forbidden in the New Testament (1 Thess. 4:13).

"You are a people holy to the LORD your God." He does not say, "You ought to be a holy people." How could they ever make themselves holy, or make themselves a people who belonged to the LORD in a special way? Completely impossible. If they were not His people, no effort of theirs could ever make them such. But God, in His sovereign grace, keeping the covenant with their fathers, had made them His children, made them a people of His own above all the nations that were on the earth. Here was the solid foundation of Israel's moral structure. All their habits and customs, all their doings and ways, their food and their clothing, what they did and what they did not do — all was to flow out of one great fact. They had no more to do with that fact than with their natural birth: they really were the children of God, the people of His choice, the people of His own special possession.

The Hebrew word means "to surround on all sides," and so "to gather together, set apart, reserve, appropriate." Applied to property, it would mean the private treasure a person had gained or owned himself, as distinct from what he shared with others… The word "peculiar" came from the Latin peculium, which carries much the same force. It was used of the private purse a member of a household could build up and keep for himself, apart from what had to go to the good of the whole family… So the force of these interesting passages in Titus and 1 Peter will be clear — a people for His own possession.

God had chosen them to be a people of His own, above all the other nations. So they were to be a holy people… The children of the LORD were not to share in the sinful customs of the nations, who have no hope. The law allowed no disfigurement of the kind verse 1 mentions. The Lord whom they served is a Lord of life; they belonged wholly to Him; they were not their own. Grieving like those who have no hope is also forbidden in the New Testament (1 Thess. 4:13).

The ungodly nations cut themselves and shaved the front of their heads to show how they respected people who had died. This was empty hypocrisy, a show of religion meant to draw attention to themselves… Cutting oneself, shaving the hair, weeping and wailing can do nothing for the person who has died… It is right to weep when you feel the loss of someone you love. The Lord Jesus wept in sympathy with Mary and Martha (John 11:32-35). But to put on an outward show is repulsive.

The great fact of Israel's relationship to the LORD marked them off from all the nations under the sun. It was not that they were, in themselves, one bit better or holier than others; but the LORD was holy, and they were His people. "Be holy, for I am holy."

The first 21 verses of Deuteronomy 14 stress that Israel as a nation were a people set apart to God in a special way. So they were to avoid certain common practices, and to be very careful about what they ate… We can usefully carry the thought over to what we read and take into our minds. Let us take care that we do not feed our minds on what is impure.

Israel ought to pay special regard to this instruction. They were a holy people, chosen by God, a special treasure above all other people (v.2). The Church of God today has a higher dignity than this, for God has given her heavenly blessings, and her inheritance is in heaven (Eph. 1:3).

"You are a people holy to the LORD your God." He does not say, "You ought to be a holy people." How could they ever make themselves a holy people, or a treasured people to the LORD? Utterly impossible. But God, in His sovereign grace, kept His covenant with their fathers. He made them His children, and made them a treasured people above all the nations on the earth. Here was the solid foundation of Israel's moral structure. All their habits and customs, all their doings and ways, their food and their clothing, what they did and what they did not do — all was to flow out of one great fact. They had no more to do with that fact than with their own birth: they really were the children of God, the people of His choice, the people of His own special possession.

Deuteronomy 14 insists on what suited the children of the LORD their God: keeping away from improper cuts or disfigurements for the dead, and from any food which He, who knew better than they, declared abominable.

From verse 3 to 20 we have the law about clean and unclean beasts, fishes and fowls. But there is a very important difference between the two books. Leviticus gives the instructions mainly to Moses and Aaron. Deuteronomy gives them straight to the people. This fits the character of each book. You could call Leviticus the priest's guide book. In Deuteronomy the priests stay almost wholly in the background, and the people are to the front.

Spiritually, our food declares our character, as it also forms it. Whoever eats Christ will not only live by Him; in practice his life will take on the likeness of His too. So in the food allowed here to the people of God, we see a picture of their spiritual life... Still, the law never raises the matter of health. It does not treat of what is wholesome or unwholesome, but of what is clean or unclean.

We believe there is a lesson to learn here. If we want to please the Lord, we must not only read the Word of God. We must meditate on it, make it our own, take it in, and absorb it into our spiritual beings. These are days when Christians do not study their Bibles as they once did. The result is a general slackening of Christian character.

What is the typical meaning of parting the hoof? We believe it sets forth separation in walk from the world.

Avoiding the forbidden things was no doubt good for their bodies. It also helped to mark them off from other peoples. Many centuries later, believers from the Gentile nations soon outnumbered those from the Jews. Then these rules gave rise to the "quarrels over opinions" that Romans 14 speaks of. In that chapter the Spirit of God does not lay down a law. He leaves each person to be fully convinced in his own mind about what he should do. We can carry the same thought over to what we read and take into our minds. Let us take care not to feed our minds on what is impure.

"You are a holy people to the Lord your God." He does not say, "You ought to be a holy people." How could they ever make themselves a holy people, or a people set apart to Jehovah? Utterly impossible. If they were not His people, no effort of theirs could ever make them such. But God, in His sovereign grace, keeping His covenant with their fathers, had made them His children... All their habits and customs, all their doings and ways, their food and their clothing, what they did and what they did not do — all was to flow out of one great fact. They had no more to do with that fact than with their natural birth: they actually were the children of God.

From verse 3 to 20, we have the law about clean and unclean beasts, fish and birds. Its leading principles already came before us in Leviticus 11, but there is one very important difference. In Leviticus, God gives the instructions first of all to Moses and Aaron. In Deuteronomy He gives them directly to the people... Leviticus may be specially called the priest's guide book. In Deuteronomy the priests are almost entirely in the background, and the people are prominent.

The difference between clean and unclean animals was known before the flood (Genesis 7:2). Here, however, the Lord gives marks for the first time by which to tell them apart. In Deuteronomy 14:4-5 Moses, at God's command, names the beasts that were clean. The distinguishing marks were two: one related to their habit, the other to something that marked their walk. The habit was chewing the cud. The mark in their walk was that they parted the hoof, and were cloven footed... Such included those of the herd, or of the flock, from which alone sacrificial victims could be chosen. They also included the hart, the roebuck or gazelle, and fallow deer...

A wild animal (for example a lion or a wolf) was never brought as a sacrifice to God. The reason is that the picture is not of the fallen nature of man, but of the perfect Manhood of our Lord Jesus Christ. So the animals were to be of the herd, or of the flock. These were domesticated animals, brought under the will of man, just as the Son of God moved through this world subject to the will of God. The law counted other animals clean too, such as the roebuck and the hart (Deuteronomy 12:15). But they were not domesticated, so they could never be offered to God. They were clean, and God said, "you may kill and eat them in your gates." But the Israelites were never to bring and offer them in God's gates.

The chewing of the cud expresses the natural process of "inwardly digesting" what one eats, while the divided hoof sets out the character of one's outward walk. There is, as we know, a close connection between the two in the Christian life. Think of the one who feeds on the green pastures of the Word of God and inwardly digests what he takes in. He is able to combine calm meditation with prayerful study. He will, without doubt, show an outward walk that praises Him. God has graciously given us His word to shape our habits and govern our ways.

The first 21 verses of Deuteronomy 14 stress that Israel as a nation were a people specially set apart to God... Many centuries later, non-Jewish believers soon outnumbered Jewish believers in Christian circles. These restrictions then gave rise to the "doubtful disputations" that Romans 14 speaks of. In that chapter the Spirit of God does not lay down a rule. He leaves each person to settle in his own mind what he should do. We may usefully transfer the thought to what we may mentally read and inwardly digest. Let us take care that we do not feed mentally on what is impure.

Because God had chosen them to be a people specially His own, above all the other nations, they were to be a holy people... In Leviticus the laws about what Israel could eat and must avoid came to Moses and Aaron. In Deuteronomy the whole congregation hears these instructions. Deuteronomy also names many animals which we do not find in Leviticus. So Deuteronomy stresses their separation once more. They belonged to a holy Lord and were to be a holy people.

Chapter 14 forbids that the people, as being the children of the living God, should imitate the profane customs which indicated the devotedness of idolaters to the impure beings they worshipped. God had chosen Israel for Himself. Neither were they to defile themselves by eating abominable things. They were a holy people.

The distinction between clean and unclean animals was known before the flood (Gen. 7:2). Here, for the first time, the Lord gives the marks that tell them apart. In Deut. 14:4-5 Moses, at God's command, names the beasts that were clean... These included the herd and the flock, the only animals Israel could choose as sacrificial victims. They also included the hart, the roebuck or gazelle, the fallow deer, the wild goat, the pygarg or antelope, the wild ox or onyx, the chamois, or perhaps mountain sheep. Of these the hart, roebuck, and fallow deer appeared daily on Solomon's table (1 Kings 4:23). The rest are not mentioned elsewhere in the Old Testament.

The Hebrew word is zemer, Deut. 14:5, which is held to mean 'leaper,' and would suit the chamois; but this animal is not found in Palestine, and people think it never lived there. Some suggest the animal meant is the aoudad, the mountain sheep; others judge that it means the wild goat.

What, then, are we to learn from those two features in a clean animal? The chewing of the cud pictures the natural process of "inwardly digesting" what one eats. The divided hoof pictures the character of one's outward walk. There is, as we know, an intimate connection between the two in the Christian life. Take the one who feeds on the green pastures of the Word of God and digests within what he takes in. He is able to combine calm meditation with prayerful study. He will without doubt show the outward walk that praises Him. God has graciously given us His word to form our habits and govern our ways.

We call animals that chew the cud "ruminants," and the word "ruminate" has gained "meditate" as a second meaning. The animals with cloven hoof are sure-footed and also in many cases light-footed. When Habakkuk wrote, "The Lord God... will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon my high places," he seemed to indicate both these ideas. If we hide the word of God in our hearts by meditation, and if it shapes our outward walk in this way, our way will be clean in the sight of God.

A man may claim to love and feed on the Word of God, the pasture of the soul — to study it and chew it over. But if his footprints along the path of life are not what the Word calls for, he is not clean. On the other hand, a man may look blameless and correct in his walk. But if his walk does not come from the hidden life, it is worse than worthless.

The distinctions insisted on here have passed away as letter. As spirit they remain, and we must hold to them. If only we were always careful about what we feed on, and saw more clearly that we become like whatever we take in. But in art and in literature, even for the Christian, genius is allowed to gild vice and beautiful style to dress up error. So virtue in rough clothing is despised, and evil in a fine coat is welcomed.

Chapter 14 forbids that the people, as being the children of the living God, should imitate the profane customs which indicated the devotedness of idolaters to the impure beings they worshipped. God had chosen Israel for Himself. Neither were they to defile themselves by eating abominable things. They were a holy people.

Every part of the Bible is inspired. For the children of Israel at the time, these instructions had a real and literal meaning to do with health — in a hot country such laws matter. But we believe they also carry a typical meaning. To find that meaning is to discover their spiritual meaning as applied to ourselves, and we are sure this matters greatly.

The chewing of the cud pictures the natural process of "inwardly digesting" what one eats. The divided hoof sets out the character of one's outward walk. In the Christian life the two are closely connected, as we know. Think of the one who feeds on the green pastures of the Word of God and inwardly digests what he takes in — the one who can combine calm meditation with prayerful study. Without doubt he will show that outward walk which praises Him who has graciously given us His word to form our habits and govern our ways.

We are told that animals which chew the cud have two stomachs. When they eat, the food goes into the first stomach. After a time, by some process, it returns to the animal's mouth for a second, careful chewing. Then it goes down into the second stomach, and there the animal absorbs it. Chewing the cud stands for full assimilation.

The cloven foot suits a light, firm tread, and so it suits speed. It also keeps the animal from sinking into soft ground. These opposed hoofs unite to give stability. Perhaps they show us how the truths of the Word that seem most opposed to one another in fact only give balance and firm tread to the one who rests on them. They certainly keep him from being stuck in the mud in the very place of pasture.

Suppose a person grasps the truth very clearly, but has no conscience about his ordinary walk — all is good for nothing. Or take a person whose walk is blameless, but whose walk in no way flows from the truth — all is good for nothing. For what can be right that does not come from revealed truth received into the heart, and made part of one's living system as the Spirit applies it to our souls?

To be clean, an animal needed a divided foot — that is, the principle of separation in the "walk" or general conduct, for there is evil in the earth, and the foot must not sink into it. But a swine may have this feature by itself. This principle without the chewing of the cud only produces the ascetic or Pharisee — a hard, rigid, uncomfortable, God-forsaken religiousness, whose highest reach of piety consists in, "God, I thank You that I am not like other men."

In general, clean beasts were such as both chewed the cud and divided the hoof. What produces inward exercise and what outwardly affects the walk must combine in what truly feeds us. This is seen in its perfection in Christ alone; and it is as we feed upon Him that these characteristics are reproduced in us.

Israel as a nation were a people specially set apart to God… We may usefully transfer the thought to what we read and inwardly digest. Let us take care that we do not feed mentally on what is impure.

The first 21 verses of Deuteronomy 14 stress that Israel as a nation were a people set apart to God. So they were to avoid certain common practices, and to be very careful about what they ate. Avoiding the forbidden things would no doubt be good for their bodies, and would help to mark them off from other peoples. Many centuries later, when believers from other nations came to outnumber Jewish believers, these restrictions caused the arguments over opinions that Romans 14 speaks of. There the Spirit of God does not lay down law, but leaves each person to be persuaded in his own mind about what he should do. We can carry the same thought over to what we read and take in mentally. Let us take care not to feed our minds on what is impure.

To be fit for an Israelite's table, an animal had to have both marks. One without the other, whether real or apparent, would not do. We say real or apparent for this reason. Neither the rock badger nor the hare chews the cud. Yet they move their jaws in such a way that a common observer might class them with ruminants like the cow and the camel. So the lawgiver used language that is not scientifically exact, to teach people who would never be trained naturalists. He spoke in a way that everyone could understand. This is often the way in Scripture.

But remember, the chewing of the cud must never be separated from the divided hoof. Suppose a man knew the priest's guidebook only in part and had no practice in the divine ceremony. If he saw an animal chewing the cud, he might quickly pronounce it clean. This would have been a serious error. A more careful look at God's directions would show him at once that he must mark the animal's walk. He must note the mark left by each movement. He must look for the result of the divided hoof.

We have been told that animals that chew the cud have two stomachs. When they eat, the food goes into the first stomach. After a time some process brings it back up to the animal's mouth for a second, careful chewing. Then it goes down into the second stomach, and the animal takes it up. Chewing the cud stands for full assimilation.

Take these animals as pictures of natures or characters. To be clean, an animal needed a divided foot. That stands for the principle of separation in the "walk", or general conduct. There is evil in the earth, and the foot must not sink into it… On the other hand, the camel or hare chews the cud but does not divide the hoof, and it is just as much to be rejected, though perhaps not quite so bad. It shows a nature that feeds on spiritual food… but a nature with no principle of stability and separation in its walk.

To ordinary people the hare and the rock badger appear to be chewing the cud, though they are only grinding their teeth. They profess to chew the cud without the reality. God takes them here as He takes men according to what they profess. But that cannot make them clean.

The camel chewed the cud but did not divide the hoof. So there are those who make a show of honouring God while their walk is fouled in the mire of the world.

In general, clean beasts were those that both chewed the cud and divided the hoof. Whatever truly feeds us must join what stirs us within with what shapes the walk outside. Christ alone shows this in perfection; and as we feed on Him, the same marks appear in us.

Chapter 14 forbids the people, as children of the living God, to copy the unholy customs of the idolaters. Those customs showed how devoted the idolaters were to the impure beings they worshipped. God had chosen Israel for Himself. Nor were they to defile themselves by eating abominable things. They were a holy people.

In the same way, the divided hoof was not enough if it was not joined to the chewing of the cud... The inward life and the outward walk must go together. A man may claim to love and feed on the Word of God, the pasture of the soul — to study it and turn it over in his mind. But if his footprints along the path of life are not what the Word calls for, he is not clean. And on the other hand, a man may seem to walk with faultless correctness. But if his walk does not come from the hidden life, it is worse than worthless. There must be the divine principle within, feeding on and digesting the rich pasture of God's Word, or the mark of the footstep counts for nothing.

We have been told that animals which chew the cud have two stomachs. When they eat, the food goes into the first stomach. After a time it comes back up to the mouth and is chewed a second time, with care. Then it goes down into the second stomach, where the animal absorbs it. Chewing the cud stands for full assimilation... there is a lesson to be learned here. If we are to please the Lord, we must not only read the Word of God. We must meditate on it, make it our own, absorb it, take it into our spiritual being.

The last animal here is very different from the rest, and is the very type of uncleanness. In the swine there was no pretence of chewing the cud, but there was the cloven foot. Look only at the foot, and the swine would seem clean. Surely they picture those who openly disregard faith and the Word of God, and plead their good conduct instead. "He can't be wrong whose life is in the right." In fact, the life is not right. The swine loves the mud and roots up the ground; it is a picture of a destroyer. God does not judge as man judges, but His judgment alone is true.

The things that were unclean to Israel were not only forbidden as food. Anyone who touched the dead carcass of any of them became unclean. He had to wash his clothes and stay unclean until the evening. Again, we must insist that there was no moral uncleanness in the dead body itself. It stood for the uncleanness that believers today may pick up by associating with what is morally or spiritually unclean. In other words, we must take time to know a person before we identify ourselves with him.

Avoiding the forbidden things would no doubt be good for their bodies, and would help to mark them off from other peoples. Many centuries later... these restrictions gave rise to the disputes over opinions that Romans 14 speaks of. In that chapter the Spirit of God does not legislate. He leaves every man to settle in his own mind what he should do. We may usefully transfer the thought to what we may mentally read and inwardly digest. Let us take care that we do not feed mentally on what is impure.

Deuteronomy 14 insists on what suited the children of Jehovah their God. They were to keep away from improper cuttings or disfigurements for the dead, and from any food which He, who knew better than they, called abominable. They are then shown what may or may not be eaten, whether beasts, fish, or birds.

In Leviticus, Moses and Aaron received the laws about the food Israel was to eat and avoid. In Deuteronomy the whole congregation hears these instructions. Several animals are also named in Deuteronomy which we do not find in Leviticus. So their separation stands out once more. They belonged to a holy Lord and were to be a holy people.

A fish needs a "fin" to move through the waters and "scales" to resist their action. In the same way the believer needs the spiritual capacity to move onward through the scene around him, and at the same time to resist its influence — to stop it penetrating, to keep it out… It is no use having a capacity to get on through the world if we are not proof against the world's influence. And though we may seem able to keep the world out, if we have no motive power we are defective. The "fins" would not do without the "scales," nor the "scales" without the "fins."

Nothing is more common in the Christian world than people pleading circumstances, and other influences, as an excuse for disobeying the word of the Lord. Many speak of the guidance of providence. Often they mean only that circumstances have opened up, regardless of the mind of God. But the principle is "unclean." A dead fish is carried down the stream, and only turns as the river winds. Not so the way of faith. It looks only to the Lord. It finds direction in His word.

There are times when a fish must swim through filthy water. To protect it, God has given it scales, which I suppose are "shut up closely as with a seal. One is so near to another that no air can come between them. They are joined one to another; they clasp each other and cannot be separated" (Job 41:15-17). Fitted with this armour, the fish can pass in safety through the filth. So God has provided a way for His own to pass unharmed through all the filth around us. He also gives the power to go against the stream.

A fish that has "no fins" finds its pleasure in burrowing in the mud. Its element is what is unclean, and the current of circumstances alone directs it. A fish having "no scales" is naked, and so exposed to every surrounding influence.

The water is a denser element than the one before, and its opposition seems to make movement itself a conflict here. In it the "fin" is the offensive weapon and the "scale" the defensive one. So we are reminded that the life of faith is also a warfare, and one we cannot be excused from. We cannot be non-combatants and clean. To be unarmed is to be overcome. Every step of progress must be a victory.

Under grace there is no longer any restriction about eating these creatures (1 Tim. 4:4-5). Yet if we feed on what is spiritually unclean, it will badly affect us. The believer has so much excellent spiritual food that he should fully avoid what is harmful.

Chapter 14 forbids the people to copy the unholy customs of idolaters. They were the children of the living God, and those customs showed how devoted idolaters were to the impure beings they worshipped. God had chosen Israel for Himself. They were also not to defile themselves by eating abominable things. They were a holy people.

A fish needs a "fin" to move through the waters, and "scales" to resist them. In the same way the believer needs the spiritual capacity to move on through the scene around him. He needs at the same time to resist its influence — to stop it getting in, to keep it out… It is no use being able to get on through the world if we are not protected from the world's influence. And though we may seem able to keep the world out, we are defective if we have no power to move us forward. The "fins" would not do without the "scales," nor the "scales" without the "fins."

Both divine direction and divine protection are required in all things and at every step.

The fish must have fins and scales. The fins let a fish rise in the water, steer its course, and avoid danger. The scales are its protection. To escape the pollutions of the world we need a careful walk, and we need the protection God has provided.

The fins let it swim against the stream. There is a spot on the Columbia River where you can stand and watch. The great fish leap up rapids, or small falls, several feet high. In the same way God has provided a power by which you and I may "swim against the stream." But there are times when a fish must swim through filthy water, and to protect it God has given it scales. … Fitted with this armour, the fish can pass through the filth in safety.

Here the creature meets a denser element than before — the water. Its opposition seems to make movement itself a conflict, in which the "fin" is the offensive weapon and the "scale" is the defensive one. So we are reminded that the life of faith is also a warfare, and no one is excused from it. We cannot be non-combatants and clean. To be unarmed is to be overcome. Every step of progress must be a victory.

In all of these things there is vital spiritual significance. Under grace there is no longer any restriction about eating these creatures (1 Timothy 4:4-5). Yet if we feed on what is spiritually unclean, it will harm us. The believer has so much excellent spiritual food that he should avoid what is harmful altogether. How good it is when we take the Lord's words to heart: "whoever feeds on Me, he also will live because of Me" (John 6:57). Can we dare to make room for a diet that goes against this pure and living food?

You are the children of the Lord your God. God had chosen them to be a people belonging to Himself, above all the other nations. So they were to be a holy people... The Lord whom they served is a Lord of life; they belonged wholly to Him; they were not their own.

The laws about the food Israel was to eat and to avoid came to Moses and Aaron in Leviticus. In Deuteronomy the whole congregation hears these instructions.

The next division handled is of the birds forbidden, which left other kinds free for Israel to use.

They were not to think their own thoughts, to use their own reasoning powers, or be guided by their own imaginations in such matters. God's Word was to be their only guide. Other nations might eat what they pleased. But Israel enjoyed the high privilege of eating only what pleased the Lord.

The first thing to notice about clean birds is their power to rise above the earth... A clean bird leaps above the earth; its flight is more or less heavenly. Second, clean birds are harmless, and separate from what is unclean... Third, what could be more dependent on God? They have neither storehouse nor barn. The unclean birds may return again and again to the dead body as their store of food; the clean birds do not. Fourth, many clean birds are joyful — they sing and make melody.

Many birds of the sky have qualities that God hates in those He brings into relationship with Himself. Others are unfit to be food for mankind. What could be more opposed to His character than fierce greed toward the living, and endless appetite toward the dead?... If some of these birds boldly seek their prey by day, others find their natural pursuits in the darkness of the night... But all stand for traits we should have no fellowship with. Christ is to be our food.

God gave the apostle Peter the wonderful work of opening the door of faith to the Gentiles, and He qualified him for it by a vision of wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air... Under the direct teaching of God, Peter finds these beasts, birds, and creeping things to stand for men utterly unclean in themselves, but, through divine grace, able to be cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus.

Under grace there is no longer any restriction about eating these creatures (1 Tim. 4:4-5). Yet if we feed on what is spiritually unclean, it will harm us. The believer has so much excellent spiritual food that he should fully avoid what is harmful.

Many centuries later, in Christian circles, those from among the Gentiles soon outnumbered those from the Jews. Then these restrictions gave rise to the "quarrels over opinions" that Romans 14 speaks of. In that chapter the Spirit of God does not legislate but leaves every man to be persuaded in his own mind what he should do. We may usefully transfer the thought to what we read and inwardly digest.

Chapter 14 forbids the people, as children of the living God, to copy the unholy customs that showed how devoted idolaters were to the impure beings they worshipped. God had chosen Israel for Himself. They were also not to defile themselves by eating disgusting things. They were a holy people.

The great fact of Israel's relationship to Jehovah set them apart from all the nations under the sun. It was not that they were, in themselves, any better or holier than others. But Jehovah was holy, and they were His people.

The Hebrew is peres, which means 'breaking,' and ossifrage means 'bone breaker.' This has led people to identify the bird with the one now known as the Lammergeier. It is a species of vulture, though it looks like an eagle, since feathers cover its neck. It attacks a carcass when the vultures have finished: it picks the bones, and then breaks them to feed on the marrow. It does this by carrying them up to a height and letting them fall on a stone or rock until they break.

These feed not only on death like the carnivores, but on corruption. This is the nature that finds delight in looking at and taking in what is not only dead but foul and rotten. But is there any such nature? Sadly we know too well that there is... All of this kind are unclean, whether they are marked by power and dignity like the eagle, cruelty like the hawk, shamelessness like the cuckoo, or the heavy, shallow seriousness and foolish wisdom of the owl.

What can be more opposed to His character than fierce violence toward the living, and endless greed toward the dead? If the Israelite could not eat such birds, the Christian is to have no fellowship with ways that are morally like them. He is to avoid them and reprove them... All symbolise traits with which we should have no fellowship. Christ is to be our food.

They stay alive by making victims of others. Man's motto is, "Mind yourself." His selfishness is the display of the uncleanness of his nature. Jesus was not like this; for "He pleased not Himself." He went about doing good... Such creatures live on the helplessness and downfall of the weak. And how many a man makes a pedestal for himself by the ruin of others!

We may usefully apply the thought to what we may mentally read and inwardly digest. Let us take care that we do not feed mentally on what is impure.

It loves to pick up scraps of evil from all sides. While it shakes its head over them and seems to condemn them, it quietly puts them in the mouth, chews and ruminates on them... The elements of all these evil tendencies are of course in each of us. But if we have also been given new natures, we have the power to "reckon dead" and "make no provision for the flesh."

Chapter 14 forbids the people, as children of the living God, to copy the unholy customs that showed how devoted idol-worshippers were to the impure beings they worshipped. God had chosen Israel for Himself. They were also not to defile themselves by eating detestable things. They were a holy people.

Of course the translation in many cases is only approximate, since some of the names occur nowhere else. There is no attempt at scientific terms here. This is practical direction for the Lord's people, with a moral application now for faith.

There are several species of kite, and they feed on small birds, mice, reptiles, and fish. The Israelites were forbidden to eat it (Lev. 11:14; Deut. 14:13). The same Hebrew word is translated 'vulture' in Job 28:7, and 'falcon' in the Revised Version. Scripture notes it for one thing only, its sharp eyesight, but that feature would fit many different birds.

Many birds of the sky have qualities that God hates in those He takes into relationship with Himself. Others are not fit to be food for people. What could be more opposed to His character than fierce violence toward the living and endless greed toward the dead? … The Israelite was forbidden to eat such birds. In the same way the Christian is to have no fellowship with ways that match them morally, but is to avoid them and rebuke them. … All of them picture traits we should have nothing to do with. Christ is to be our food.

Birds that fed on flesh, birds that would swallow anything at all, and all birds that grovel on the ground were unclean for the Israel of God, because the God of Israel had said so… The Christian is called to refuse everything of a fleshly nature. He also cannot feed on anything and everything that comes in front of him. He must "test the things that differ." He must "pay attention to what he hears."

Many of these birds are birds of prey, and they remind us of the selfishness of man in the flesh. They stay alive by making victims of others. Man's motto is, "Mind yourself." His selfishness is the sign of how unclean his nature is. Jesus was not like this, for "He did not please Himself." He went about doing good. His heart was set on blessing others. … These birds of prey are truly selfish. The hawk and birds like it pounce on small, defenceless creatures only to help themselves. … And how many people build a pedestal for themselves out of the ruin of others!

Many centuries later, believers from other nations soon outnumbered believers from the Jews in Christian circles. These food rules then led to the arguments over doubtful things that Romans 14 speaks of. In that chapter the Spirit of God does not lay down a law. He leaves each person to be convinced in his own mind about what he should do. We can usefully apply the same thought to what we read and take into our minds. Let us take care not to feed our minds on what is impure.

The word oreb comes from a root meaning "to be black." It seems to cover not only the common raven, but birds of the same family (corvus) — the crow, the rook, and so on. Scripture names the whole class as unclean.

These feed not only on death like the meat-eating animals, but on corruption. This is the nature that finds delight in looking at and taking in what is not only dead but foul and putrid. But is there any such nature? Unfortunately we know too well that there is.

What can be more opposed to His character than fierce, greedy violence toward the living, and endless greed toward the dead? … If the Israelite was forbidden to make such birds his food, the Christian is to have no fellowship with ways that are morally like them. He is to avoid them and speak against them. … Christ is to be our food.

The distinction between unclean and clean has many sides to its meaning. The broad general feature is this: the unclean feeds on dead flesh. The clean does not touch it. It eats plants or grain — what has been dead but is now alive in resurrection. Birds live in the air, the heavenly places. They are symbols of spiritual natures, either good or bad, clean or unclean.

Let us remember also that fallen human nature feeds on what is unclean, as the raven does. Only what is born of the Spirit is spirit, and so, like the dove, feeds on what is clean. If we recognise this we shall be very careful about what we feed our minds on. It has been well said that for spiritual growth we must "starve the raven and feed the dove."

Chapter 14 forbids the people to copy the profane customs of idolaters, for they are the children of the living God. Those customs showed how devoted idolaters were to the impure beings they worshipped. God had chosen Israel for Himself. Nor were they to defile themselves by eating detestable things. They were a holy people.

The first 21 verses of Deuteronomy 14 stress that Israel as a nation were a people specially set apart to God. … Avoiding the forbidden things would no doubt be good for their bodies, and would help to mark them off from other peoples. Many centuries later, Gentile believers came to outnumber Jewish believers in Christian circles. These restrictions then gave rise to the disputes over "doubtful" matters that Romans 14 speaks of. In that chapter the Spirit of God does not lay down law. He leaves every man to be persuaded in his own mind what he should do. We can usefully apply the same thought to what we read and take into our minds. Let us take care that we do not feed our minds on what is impure.

When Noah sent the raven out from the ark, it could still find food, though the dove could not, because it can feed on dead flesh. The meat-eating ravens brought Elijah flesh as well as bread. This shows God's miraculous power; He caused them to feed His servant. They are greedy eaters, and have no storehouse or barn, yet God feeds them, and He will surely feed those who trust in Him.

From verse 3 to 20, we have the law as to clean and unclean beasts, fishes and fowls… But there is a very important difference between the two books. Leviticus gives its instructions primarily to Moses and Aaron. Deuteronomy gives them directly to the people. Leviticus may be specially called the priest's guide book. In Deuteronomy the priests are almost entirely in the background, and the people are prominent.

Of course the rendering in many cases is only approximate, some of the names occurring nowhere else. Nor is there any aim at scientific terminology, but a practical direction for Jehovah's people, with a moral application now for faith.

The Hebrew word is nets. It is taken to cover the different species of hawk, and there are several of them, as the words "the hawk of any kind" imply. They were birds of prey, and were pronounced unclean.

Many birds of the heaven show qualities that God hates in those He takes into relationship with Himself. Others are simply unfit for people to eat. What can be more opposed to His character than fierce, grasping violence toward the living, and greed toward the dead that is never satisfied?… The Israelite was forbidden to eat such birds. In the same way, the Christian is to have no fellowship with ways morally like them, but is to avoid them and reprove them. Some of these birds hunt in the open daylight; others do what suits them in the dark of night… But all of them picture traits we should have nothing to do with. Christ is to be our food.

All the birds of this kind are unclean. It makes no difference whether a bird is marked by power and dignity like the eagle, cruelty like the hawk, impudence like the cuckoo, or the heavy, shallow gravity — the stupid wisdom — of the owl… None of them looks as impressive as the owl. But his all-knowing air only reaches as far as his own patch. His look of grave, impartial rebuke is only the fear of committing himself. He prefers the twilight not because he loves meditation, nor out of any unusual devoutness, but simply because daylight always confuses him.

But oh, for the wings of the dove, "covered with silver, its pinions with shimmering gold!"… "Not as a raven but a dove The Holy Spirit came from above" — that wisdom from above, which is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. It is innocent about evil, wise about what is good. Unlike the carrion-feeding natures, it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

The first point to notice in clean birds is their power of rising above the earth… Second, clean birds are harmless, and separate from what is unclean… Third, what can be more dependent on God? They have neither storehouse nor barn. The unclean birds may turn again and again to a dead body as their store of food. The clean ones do not… Fourth, many clean birds are joyful; they sing and make melody.

Avoiding the forbidden things would no doubt be good for their bodies, and would help to mark them off from other peoples. Many centuries later… these restrictions gave rise to the quarrels "over opinions" that Romans 14 speaks of. In that chapter the Spirit of God does not legislate. He leaves every man to be persuaded in his own mind what he should do. We may profitably transfer the thought to what we may mentally read and inwardly digest. Let us take care that we do not feed mentally on what is impure.

The law about clean and unclean animals, fish and birds runs from verse 3 to verse 20. We have already seen the main principles in Leviticus 11. But there is a very important difference between the two passages. Leviticus gives its instructions first to Moses and Aaron; Deuteronomy gives them straight to the people. This fits each book exactly. Leviticus can be called the priest's guide book. In Deuteronomy the priests stay almost entirely in the background, and the people come to the front.

The Hebrew for the first is bath yaanah. The second is kos: it appears in those two passages and in Psalm 102:6, and no doubt means the owl. The third is yanshuph, which also appears in Isaiah 34:11. The Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate make this one the "ibis," and some have taken it to be the Ibis religiosa, a sacred bird of Egypt… Several species of owl are well known, but no one can say for certain which of them these words mean.

The Hebrew word is tanshemeth, and it stands among the unclean birds. People have seen swans in Palestine, but they are rare, and swans feed on plants, so the word probably means some other bird. The old Greek and Latin versions have the purple waterhen and the ibis, and the Revised Version has "horned owl." It is likely some water bird, and the purple waterhen… would have to count as unclean, because it feeds on reptiles as well as birds.

Many of these names are only roughly translated, and some of them appear nowhere else. There is no attempt at scientific terms here. This is practical direction for Jehovah's people, with a moral lesson now for faith.

Many birds of the sky are marked by qualities God hates in those He takes into relationship with Himself. What could be more opposed to His character than fierce violence toward the living, and endless greed toward the dead?… The Israelite was forbidden to eat such birds. In the same way the Christian is to have no fellowship with ways that match them morally, but to avoid them and speak against them. Some of these birds hunt their prey openly by day; others do their work in the dark of night… But all of them stand for traits we should have nothing to do with. Christ is to be our food.

The night birds show us the ungodliness and deceit of the flesh most clearly. Eager to devour others, they quietly take what their greedy appetite wants in the stillness of the night, when no one suspects them. The owls and other birds hide through the day. Then, with remarkable night sight, they seize their victims suddenly and almost without a sound, while the victims have no idea of the danger. What a striking picture of practical ungodliness and deceit!

The great fact of Israel's relationship to Jehovah marked them off from every nation under the sun. It was not that they were, in themselves, the least bit better or holier than others. But Jehovah was holy, and they were His people. "Be holy, for I am holy."

Avoiding the forbidden things would no doubt be good for their bodies, and would help to mark them off from other peoples… Later these restrictions gave rise to the arguments over disputed matters that Romans 14 deals with. In that chapter the Spirit of God does not lay down law. He leaves each person to be convinced in his own mind about what he should do. We can usefully carry the thought over to what we read and take into our minds. Let us take care that we do not feed our minds on what is impure.

In Isaiah 34:11 and Zephaniah 2:14 the Hebrew is qaath, and means pelican. In Leviticus 11:17 and Deuteronomy 14:17 the Hebrew word is shalak. The right translation there is cormorant, a large bird that lives on fish. It dashes down on its prey, and can follow it in the water or dive after it if it descends. Scripture mentions it only as an unclean bird.

In many cases the translation of these names is only approximate. Some of them appear nowhere else. The list does not aim at scientific terms. It gives practical direction for Jehovah's people, with a moral lesson now for faith.

Now the passage turns to birds. It names only certain birds as forbidden, and gives no rule for telling clean from unclean. Yet all of them are clearly birds that feed on flesh or on other living creatures. These unclean birds of the air picture what is satanic (Matthew 13:4 and 19). Satan himself is "the prince of the power of the air." How many people everywhere follow Satan's example, consuming others instead of being a blessing to them.

Many birds of the air show qualities that God hates in those He takes into relationship with Himself. Others are not fit to be food for people. What could be more opposed to His character than violent greed toward the living, and endless greed toward the dead? ... The Israelite was forbidden to make such birds his food. In the same way, the Christian is to have no fellowship with ways that are morally like them, but to avoid them and speak against them. ... Christ is to be our food.

Some of these birds feed on carrion and other unclean things. They are a striking picture of the filthiness of the flesh — the nature that finds its pleasure in what is vile and corrupt. So, as Christians, we must "cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God." ... The eagle, the vulture, and birds like them belong to this class.

The first 21 verses of Deuteronomy 14 stress one thing. Israel as a nation was a people set apart for God. So they were to avoid certain common practices, and to be very careful about what they ate. Avoiding the forbidden things would surely be good for their health, and help to mark them off from other peoples. ... We can apply the same thought to what we read and take into our minds. Let us take care that we do not feed our minds on what is impure.

Under law, and under law only, God put strict limits on what animals, birds or water creatures Israel could eat. God never placed these laws on Gentiles, but only on Israel. Some were forbidden because of a spiritual meaning, not because there was any evil in the creature itself. This is clearly seen in Acts 10:9-15. In a vision the Lord told Peter to eat all kinds of animals. Peter objected, but the Lord insisted. Then Peter realised that the unclean animals stood for people — for Gentiles. God had shown him, he says in Acts 10:28, that he should not call any man unclean. Before the cross, Israel stayed strictly separate from Gentiles, because Gentiles counted as unclean to them. But the sacrifice of Christ cleanses all who trust Him as Saviour, whether Jews or Gentiles. So God has removed the barrier between clean and unclean animals. Now "everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving" (1 Timothy 4:4).

Chapter 14 forbids the people, as children of the living God, to copy the profane customs of idolaters. Those customs showed how devoted idolaters were to the impure beings they worshipped. God had chosen Israel for Himself. They were not to defile themselves by eating abominable things either. They were a holy people.

The leading principles about all these have already come before us in Leviticus 11. But there is a very important difference between the two passages. Leviticus gives its instructions first of all to Moses and Aaron. Deuteronomy gives them directly to the people. This is exactly what you would expect from the two books. Leviticus may be called the priest's guide book. In Deuteronomy the priests are almost entirely in the background, and the people are prominent.

Of course the rendering in many cases is only approximate, since some of the names occur nowhere else. Nor is there any aim at scientific terminology. This is a practical direction for the Lord's people, with a moral application now for faith.

The word chasidah is related to the word translated 'merciful.' The bird is remarkable for its tender care, not only of its young, but of the aged. In the Levitical list it is classed among the unclean birds. Lev. 11:19; Deut. 14:18. We might expect this, since it feeds upon mice, snakes, and other reptiles.

The ungodliness and deceitfulness of the flesh come out especially in the night birds. They are eager to devour others. In the stillness of the night, when they are least suspected, they get what their greedy appetites want... Look also at the bat. It dreads the light. Large numbers of them are found in caves and dark corners in Palestine. It hides by day in filthy and deserted places. In the half-light of morning and evening, soft wings let it fly without a sound, and it quickly devours the many insects in its way with its sharp teeth.

In all of these things there is vital spiritual significance. Under grace there is no longer any restriction about eating these creatures (1 Tim. 4:4-5). Yet if we feed on what is spiritually unclean, we shall be badly affected by it. The believer has so much excellent spiritual food that he should fully avoid what is harmful.

We are not only not to eat; we are not even to touch their dead bodies... The unnoticed and silent activity of the flesh is to be hated as much as what is openly filthy and corrupt. The secret and polished ways of selfishness are to be treated as an abomination as much as those that are open and shameless.

"You are a people holy to the LORD your God." He does not say, "You ought to be a holy people." How could they ever make themselves a holy people, or a people belonging to the LORD? Utterly impossible. But God had made them His children in His sovereign grace, in keeping with His covenant with their fathers. He made them a people of His own above all the nations on the earth. Here was the solid foundation of Israel's moral structure. All their habits and customs, all their doings and ways, their food and their clothing, what they did and what they did not do — all was to flow out of one great fact. They had no more to do with that fact than with their own natural birth: they really were the children of God.

From verse 3 to 20, we have the law as to clean and unclean animals, fish and birds. The leading principles as to all these have already come before us in Leviticus 11. But there is a very important difference between the two passages. In Leviticus God gives the instructions first to Moses and Aaron; in Deuteronomy He gives them straight to the people. This fits the character of the two books. Leviticus may be called the priest's guide book. In Deuteronomy the priests are almost entirely in the background, and the people are prominent.

The "flying creeping things" seem to be unclean because they belong to two spheres at once. Those that moved by leaping were the exception, since the leap is perhaps a push away from the earth. This earth-taint also explains the rules about death that come in here: even touching the carcass of an unclean creature defiled a person. Classed this way, the list shows clearly that a moral symbolism governs it. There is no other order to be seen.

Flying creeping things stand for people who profess what is heavenly but mix it with earthly-mindedness. Their lives are therefore contradictory. Philippians 3:18-19 tells us of these, the many who "walk," that is, claim a heavenly character, but really set their minds on earthly things. The believer is not to have fellowship with these. Yet if the flying insect had jointed legs for jumping on the earth, the law permitted it as food. Though it touched the earth, it could leap above the earth's level. This pictures the faith that rises above circumstances. So they could eat locusts, crickets and grasshoppers.

Avoiding the forbidden things would no doubt be good for their bodies, and would help mark them off from other peoples. We can usefully transfer the thought to what we read and take in mentally. Let us take care that we do not feed our minds on what is impure.

Under law it is true that certain meats were forbidden to Israelites (Lev. 11); but not because eating those meats was in itself sinful. Rather, it was a symbolic lesson to Jews about keeping a distinct separation from the Gentile nations, and it impressed on them how strict the legal covenant was. Acts 10 shows this plainly. God gave Peter a vision of every kind of animal in a sheet let down from heaven, and told him, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." When Peter objected, God told him, "What God has made clean, do not call common." God said this three times to stress its importance (Acts 10:9-16). The age of law was over: its regulations must not carry over into Christianity. The cross broke down the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles.

He does not say, "You ought to be a holy people." How could they ever make themselves a holy people, or a special people to the Lord? Utterly impossible. If they were not His people, no effort of theirs could ever make them such. But God had made them His children. In His sovereign grace He kept His covenant with their fathers, and He made them a special people above all the nations on the earth. Here was the solid foundation of Israel's moral building. All their habits and customs, all their doings and ways, their food and their clothing, what they did and what they did not do — all was to flow out of one great fact. They had no more to do with that fact than with their natural birth: they really were the children of God.

Here the law gives no rule for telling which birds are clean. In general, to belong to this class was to be clean. It names individual exceptions, without giving any marks to tell those apart either... Others have noted that the list is almost entirely birds that feed on flesh, in whole or in part. That must take in the birds that eat anything too.

The first point to notice in clean birds is their power of rising above the earth... A clean bird leaps above the earth; its flight is more or less heavenly. Secondly, clean birds are harmless, and separate from what is unclean, reminding us of Him who was "holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners." Thirdly, what can be more dependent on God? For they have neither storehouse nor barn. The unclean birds may turn again and again to the dead body as their store of food — not so the birds that are clean. Fourthly, many clean birds are joyful; they sing and make melody.

The birds speak to us of that heavenly character which surely belongs to us as Christians. Yet here too, in what claims to be heavenly, something unclean can come in — and then we have what is worst of all. In the parables of Matthew 13 the birds of the heavens carry off the good seed, and they are devils.

Spiritually, our food declares our character, as it also forms it. He who eats Christ will not only live by Him. His life will also come to look like His. So in what God permits here as the food of His people, we find a picture of the spiritual life of the people of God. And this is the real and ultimate meaning of these divisions... The law never brings up health. It does not deal with what is wholesome or unwholesome, but with what is clean or unclean.

In all of these things there is vital spiritual significance. For though under grace there is no longer any restriction as to eating these creatures (1 Tim. 4:4-5), yet if we feed on what is spiritually unclean, we shall be badly affected by it. The believer has so much excellent spiritual food that he should fully avoid what is harmful. How good it is that we take to heart the Lord's words: "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on Me, he also will live because of Me" (John 6:57). Can we dare to make room for a diet that goes against this pure and living food?

"You are a people holy to the LORD your God." He does not say, "You ought to be a holy people." How could they ever make themselves a holy people, or a special people to Jehovah? Utterly impossible. If they were not His people, no effort of theirs could ever make them such. But God, in His sovereign grace, acted in keeping with His covenant with their fathers. He made them His children, a special people above all the nations on the earth. Here was the solid foundation of Israel's moral life. All their habits and customs, all their doings and ways, their food and their clothing, what they did and what they did not do — all was to flow out of one great fact. They really were the children of God. They had no more to do with that fact than with their own birth.

The great fact of Israel's relationship to Jehovah marked them off from all the nations under the sun. It was not that they were, in themselves, one bit better or holier than others; but Jehovah was holy, and they were His people. "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

Israel was not to eat anything that died of itself. Yet they could give it to a sojourner or sell it to a foreigner. These people were not under the same laws as Israel, and could decide for themselves what they would eat.

Picture it this way. For a Christian to join in the empty pleasures and follies of a sinful world is like an Israelite eating what had died of itself. The Christian, thank God, has something better to feed on than the poor dead things of this world... It is not a question of the right or the wrong of things looked at in themselves. If God's word had not settled it, no one could have known that eating what died of itself was wrong.

Perhaps this is here to show that God, who demands that His rights and the rights of His house be honoured, also wills that what is fitting be kept toward even the lowliest of His creatures. The goat gives her milk, as God ordained, to sustain the life of her kid. So it is not fitting to use what God has ordained for life as an instrument connected with its death.

The Creator has planted certain feelings and instincts in nature, and we must never violate them. We may set it down as a fixed principle... that no action can possibly be of God that does violence to the sensibilities proper to nature. The Spirit of God may, and often does, lead us beyond and above nature, but never against it.

Take the boiling of a kid in its mother's milk. I understand that one mark of idolatry, of Satan's power, is to destroy the order, affections and beauty that God has established in nature. Christianity lifts us above it, but respects it all. He degrades in every way by what is unnatural... This was an example concerning tender and kindly affections.

Milk is meant as nourishment, just as the Word of God is meant to nourish young believers (1 Peter 2:2), not to boil them! We should be careful how we use the Scriptures... If we use the Word against them in a harsh, critical way, this is like boiling a kid in its mother's milk.