Deuteronomy 13-15

Thoughts

Deuteronomy 13 Allegiance and Compassion

Even if someone performs signs or wonders, if they tell the people to follow other gods, Israel must not listen. Signs and wonders could be manipulated or demonic, but if it is not from the Lord, stay away.

God allows this as a test to see if His people truly love Him:
The word for “testing” is נָסָה (nasah) which is same word used when testing Abraham

From Guzik:  Under the new covenant, God has not commanded the formation of Christian nations along the same pattern as He did with biblical Israel. Israel was commanded to use capital punishment against heretics. Under the new covenant, neither the church nor the state has the same divine command to execute false teachers. Instead, false teachers should be noted and avoided (Romans 16:17, 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15, 1 Timothy 6:3-5, 2 John 1:10-11). This is how Christians, under the new covenant, are to put away the evil from their midst. (https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/deuteronomy-13/)

If a close relative or friend secretly tries to get you to serve other gods, you must not pity them or cover it up.

If a whole town turns to idol worship, the community must be destroyed completely

The ruins are never to be rebuilt, as a permanent reminder of the seriousness of idolatry.

Deuteronomy 14

Israel is called God’s children and must not imitate pagan mourning customs (like cutting themselves or shaving their heads for the dead).

special treasure: סְגֻלָּה (segullāh)!

Category	Unclean Animals (Cannot Eat)	Notes
Land Animals	Camel, Hare, Hyrax (rock badger), Pig	Do not meet both requirements for land animals: chewing the cud and having a split hoof. The pig has a split hoof but doesn’t chew the cud; the others chew cud but lack a split hoof.
Sea Creatures	Any without fins and scales (e.g., shellfish, eels, catfish)	Only creatures with both fins and scales are considered clean.
Birds	Eagle, Vulture, Black Vulture, Red Kite, Black Kite, Falcon (all kinds), Raven (all kinds), Horned Owl, Screech Owl, White Owl, Seagull, Hawk (any kind), Cormorant, Stork, Heron (any kind), Hoopoe, Bat	Most are birds of prey or scavengers. Bats are included because of their wings, though they’re mammals.
Carrion	Any animal found dead (not slaughtered)	Could be given or sold to foreigners (Deut. 14:21) but not eaten by Israelites themselves.
Cooking Practice	A young goat boiled in its mother’s milk	Likely tied to pagan ritual practices, not the goat itself.

Each year, they must set aside a tenth of their produce and eat it in the presence of the Lord at the place He chooses.

• If the place is too far, they can exchange the tithe for silver and use it to buy food and drink for the feast.
• Every third year, the tithe is stored locally for the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows

Deuteronomy 15

Every seven years, debts between Israelites must be canceled.

I was a little confused between this and Jubilee:

Deuteronomy 15 (7th year): Focused on individual debt and servants.

Leviticus 25 (50th year Jubilee): A nationwide reset: land, people, and debts all restored to their original state.

Israel is called to be generous lenders, knowing God will provide. God promises blessing for generosity, and to help fellow Israelites in need.

After 6 years, Hebrew slaves (better term is servant) are to be set free and sent off with animals, grain, and wine. Bless others as God as blessed you.

• However if the servant chooses to stay, a ceremony marks them as a permanent servant.

vs 23 “Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.” reminds me of John 19:34 “Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.”

Questions

Does God actively put things in our lives to test us or passively like He let’s things that are already happening to happen to refine us?

What are the ‘prophets’ or ‘dreamers’ of today?

Why is the command “do not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk” repeated 

Why is food so closely tied to God’s holiness?

Why does Deuteronomy 15:4 say “But there will be no poor among you;..” but vs 11 says “For there will never cease to be poor in the land.”

Application

These chapters continue the theme that everything we do must be for the glory of God. Deuteronomy 13 tells us we must stay loyal to God in both good and bad times. Deuteronomy 14 tells us to strive to be holy and set apart, and Deuteronomy 15 shows how we need to reflect God in our generosity. Whether we are eating, handling finances, or spending time with friends, everything should center on God. People sometimes talk about or ask others about their ‘spiritual life’ but honestly our whole life should be spiritual.