Deuteronomy 14
Joshua 14 unfolds around the story of Caleb requesting Hebron as his inheritance after the Israelites conquered the land of Canaan and began the process of distributing land to each tribe. It includes both the important sequence for receiving the promised land and the testimony of a person who remained faithful for a long time.
1verseYou are the children of the LORD your God. You shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.
2verseFor you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.
3verseYou shall not eat any abominable thing.
4verseThese are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,
5versethe deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the chamois.
6verseEvery animal that parts the hoof, and has the hoof split in two and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.
7verseNevertheless these you shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of those who have the hoof split: the camel, the hare, and the rabbit. Because they chew the cud but don’t part the hoof, they are unclean to you.
8verseThe pig, because it has a split hoof but doesn’t chew the cud, is unclean to you. You shall not eat their meat. You shall not touch their carcasses.
9verseThese you may eat of all that are in the waters: you may eat whatever has fins and scales.
10verseYou shall not eat whatever doesn’t have fins and scales. It is unclean to you.
11verseOf all clean birds you may eat.
12verseBut these are they of which you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the osprey,
13versethe red kite, the falcon, the kite of any kind,
14verseevery raven of any kind,
15versethe ostrich, the owl, the seagull, the hawk of any kind,
16versethe little owl, the great owl, the horned owl,
17versethe pelican, the vulture, the cormorant,
18versethe stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
19verseAll winged creeping things are unclean to you. They shall not be eaten.
20verseOf all clean birds you may eat.
21verseYou shall not eat of anything that dies of itself. You may give it to the foreigner living among you who is within your gates, that he may eat it; or you may sell it to a foreigner; for you are a holy people to the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
22verseYou shall surely tithe all the increase of your seed, that which comes out of the field year by year.
23verseYou shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place which he chooses to cause his name to dwell, the tithe of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock; that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.
24verseIf the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry it because the place which the LORD your God shall choose to set his name there is too far from you, when the LORD your God blesses you,
25versethen you shall turn it into money, bind up the money in your hand, and shall go to the place which the LORD your God shall choose.
26verseYou shall trade the money for whatever your soul desires: for cattle, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatever your soul asks of you. You shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.
27verseYou shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no portion nor inheritance with you.
28verseAt the end of every three years you shall bring all the tithe of your increase in the same year, and shall store it within your gates.
29verseThe Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, as well as the foreigner living among you, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your gates shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.
The Structure and Flow of the Text
- Verses 1–5: introduce the principles and procedures for distributing the land of Canaan, with the priest Eleazar, Joshua, and the tribal leaders overseeing the distribution. The distribution is carried out according to God’s command.
- Verses 6–12: Caleb appears among the tribe of Judah and refers to the promise he received from Moses. He fulfilled his commission as a scout at Kadesh-barnea 40 years earlier, and based on the promise at that time, he requests the land of Hebron as an inheritance.
- Verses 13–15: Joshua grants Hebron as an inheritance by acknowledging Caleb’s faith and integrity, then recalls the reasons and the situation at the time to conclude the chapter.
Caleb’s Faith and the Fulfillment of the Promise
Even at the age of 85, Caleb still keeps his health and courage and relies on God’s promise. ‘God who was with me’—his trust is clearly evident, showing that the promise will surely be fulfilled even after a long time. This symbolizes God’s faithfulness and the journey of steady faith of an individual.
Meditation Points
- Let’s reflect on Caleb’s attitude of firmly trusting God’s promise and living faithfully even amid long waiting.
- Because the distribution of the land was based entirely on God’s Word, we can revisit where the standard for our lives is found.
- Let’s think about the spiritual harmony between the community and individuals, and the impact that one person’s faith can have on generations and the community.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- Check how you can put into practice in your life the kind of faith and trust in God’s promise that do not change over long years.
- What is the promise of God that I must hold onto, and consider specific ways to live out today with the kind of attitude needed to do so.
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