The price of a dog. The book of Deuteronomy was not written during a time when people raised dogs for money, breeding, or companionship. Dogs were considered unclean and kept outdoors. If dogs were allowed in a home, they were used as service dogs to eat scraps that may fall from a counter. They were paid under the table. Now we have restaurants that allow certain animals to join guests at outdoor seating areas.

Deuteronomy 23:18 compares a harlot to a dog when it says not to bring a harlot’s wages or the price of a dog as an offering to the Lord. Egyptians worshipped dogs and perhaps their canine cost was viewed as a form of idolatry.

God requests the choicest fruits of our offerings. He asks for a pure heart when we bring the first 10% of our gross wage. (Gross doesn’t mean a dog’s status prior to canine “Best in Show” days). I wonder what biblical time Egyptians would think if they saw televised dog and animal shows today.

We step into God’s ring when we enter with wholesome motives. Only He can judge our presentation as purebred, according to His standards.

Lord, thank you for counting me as one of your (non-furry) children. Please train me according to Your perfect eye. Guide me to bring my Best of Show and offer time, resources, thought, wisdom and reasoning to others. Thank you for your gold medal performances.

Jumping through the obstacle course of life,

Christina

READERS! Your turn. What do you or can you do to show up for life with your best? The world needs your gifts. Let’s share our bounty, not our scraps.

“You shall not bring the wages of a harlot or the price of a dog to the house of the Lord your God for any vowed offering, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God (Dt. 23:18 NKJV).

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2 Comments

  1. Best in Show! I love this limage. I see the purple ribbon that indicates Best of Show.
    As an actively exhibiting artist for nearly half a century, I understand the meaning of winning Best of Show in a unique and personal way. In my career, I’ve exhibited in over 400 exhibitions, many solo exhibitions in galleries and museum shows. Best of Show is what every artist wants to discover when we walk into the opening of a new show and begin to look around for our work on the walls. We want to see if there is a PURPLE RIBBON beside it.
    We honor our Lord by giving our best, in whatever He has led us to do.
    Over and again, I see Him saying to everyone who came to Him, “Follow me.” We follow Him, as he orchestrates each step. This was such a good article, Christina. Thank you for encouragement today.

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