Somehow, we have the idea that the Lord told the Israelites not to eat certain foods because they were not good for them. Bolstering this idea are things like trichinosis, a disease contracted by eating some types of pork. The Israelites probably did not know about trichinosis. Assisting them in their lack of health knowledge was the instruction to avoid dead things and wash their hands before eating.

In Deuteronomy chapter fourteen the Lord provided a list of what they could eat and what they could not eat. This list concludes at Deuteronomy 14:21:

“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.”

The answer follows that statement. The Israelites were to be a holy people. The Lord’s Chosen were to be different. They were not to be like everybody else.

And different they are. The women dress modestly and wear scarves over their hair. The men wear kippahs (like a beanie cap), prayer shawls, outrageous hats, and some let their forelocks grow long.

Perhaps there is a lesson for Christians today.

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” – First Peter 2:9

We are to be different, separate from the world. Please see the entire second chapter of First Peter. And after reading these words, here is the question; are we indeed separate in our behavior, appearance and worship? Can the world look at us and see a separate people? Or do they see us blending in with the world’s ways and our worship more like club meetings with entertainment and light shows?

May we strive to be different from the world, and be that chosen generation, that royal priesthood, that purchased possession. And praise the Lord Jesus for paying the price and purchasing us, and our pardon. Praise His name, forever!