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Topic: Peculiar People
[DCLM Daily Manna 1 June 2020 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]
Text: Deuteronomy 14:1-21
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 are upon 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.
Key Verse: “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 are upon the earth” (Deuteronomy 14:2).
MESSAGE:
According to a story, the pastor of a church got on the trolley Monday morning to get to work. He paid his fare and the trolley driver gave him too much above his change. The pastor sat down and fumbled with the change; he looked it over and counted it eight or ten times. He realised he was tight that week and this was just what he would need for at least a lunch. He wrestled with himself all the way. And finally, he came to the stop and got up, walked up to the trolley driver and said, “Here, you gave me too much change. You made a mistake.” The driver said, “No, it was no mistake. You see, I was in your church last night when you spoke on honesty and I thought I would put you to the test.”
Our text reveals God’s choice of Israel as His children and gave specific commandments. They were not to put marks on their bodies; not even for the dead. They were not to eat any abominable thing, unclean animals as specified, whether on land or in the seas; nor anything that dies of itself. Why? Israel was chosen to be a peculiar people above all the nations that are upon the earth.
Believers are Israel of God today; chosen to be peculiar and secured in Christ. We are chosen not because of our works, but by His grace. As peculiar people, we are partakers of God’s nature of holiness and righteousness.
The believer who is peculiar is honest and direct in dealings with others. He is different, separated and uncorrupted. God’s grace and abiding presence is sufficient to make you peculiar. Dare to be peculiar!
Thought For The Day: Be a peculiar Christian.
The Bible In One Year: 1 Samuel 25-26
