14:19-21
They were allowed to eat winged insects such as grasshoppers etc, but not others. Personally, I think a complete ban on eating insects of any sort would be in order!
They were not allowed to eat anything that they found that was already dead. However, they could give or sell the meat to a foreigner. Now this indicates that there was nothing inherently sinful in the food, for God had nothing against foreigners. Indeed, later statements include them in blessings.
Finally we have the injunction that a young goat must not be cooked in its mother’s milk. I have no idea why. “But you are a people holy to the Lord”. This is the reason, and the various food laws were to somehow mark the people out as different.
14:22
We now move on to the matter of tithes. “Be sure to set aside a tenth ...”. There are often arguments about whether or not tithing applies today. My own position on this matter is that tithing is a good place to start. Our God is a generous God who gives freely, and it is general Scriptural teaching in both the Old and New Testament that we are to be likewise. Now I don’t think a legalistic approach to tithing is helpful, and can result in us treating it as a tax. This is manifestly not the point! Our giving is beneficial to all. In 2 Corinthians Paul devotes two chapters (8 and 9) to the matter of giving. We should ask God to give us a generous heart.
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