Thru the Bible - #174-Deuteronomy 23 - Persons Excluded from the Assembly

Transcript

Welcome And Chapter Reading

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to Berean's Corner, the podcast where we go through books of the Bible chapter by chapter and verse by verse. Wherever you are in the world, thank you for joining. Grab a glass of water, a cup of coffee or tea, and let's get into today's lesson. Well, welcome back. If you liked to study the Bible in context, if you like going through books of the Bible, chapter by chapter and verse by verse, well, you have come to the right place, and you are very welcome here. Open your Bible to Deuteronomy 23. The title of today's lesson is Persons Excluded from the Assembly. Deuteronomy 23, and let's read.

SPEAKER_00 1:07

No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord. No one born of a forbidden marriage, nor any of his descendants, may enter the assembly of the Lord, even down to the tenth generation. No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, even down to the tenth generation. For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt. And they hired Balaam, son of Beor, from Pether in Aram Haraim, to pronounce a curse on you. However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam, but turn the curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live. Do not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not abhor an Egyptian because you lived as an alien in his country. The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the Lord. When you are encamped against your enemies, keep away from anything impure. If one of your men is unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he is to go outside the camp and stay there. But as evening approaches, he is to wash himself, and at sunset he may return to the camp. Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. As part of your equipment, have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you. If a slave has taken refuge with you, do not hand him over to his master. Let him live among you wherever he likes, and whatever town he chooses, do not oppress him. No Israelite man or woman is to become a shrine prostitute. You must not bring the earnings of a female prostitute or of a male prostitute into the house of the Lord your God to pay any vow, because the Lord your God detests them both. Do not charge your brother interest, whether on money or food or anything else that may earn interest. You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a brother Israelite, so that the Lord your God may bless you and everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess. If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it. For the Lord your God will certainly demand it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. Whatever your lips utter, you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth. If you enter your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat all the grapes you want, but do not put any in your basket. If you enter your neighbor's grain field, you may pick kernels with your hands, but you must not put a sickle to his standing grain.

God’s Word Guides Daily Life

SPEAKER_01 4:28

Living a life that honors God every day. One of the beautiful things about studying Deuteronomy is realizing that God doesn't separate the sacred from the ordinary. As we've walked through this book, one truth has become increasingly clear. God's word speaks to every area of life, whether it's worship, family, finances, work, relationships, or personal conduct. God has given his people instructions because he desires to bless them. Psalm chapter 119 and verse 9 asks, How can a young man keep his way pure by keeping it according to your word? Likewise, Joshua 1.8 reminds us that blessing comes as we meditate on and obey God's word. The central truth of this chapter is this God's word provides direction for the everyday details of life. And when God's people order their lives according to his word, they position themselves to experience his blessing. The instructions in this chapter may seem unrelated at first glance, but together they teach us that God cares about holiness in every aspect of life.

Protecting The Purity Of Worship

SPEAKER_01 5:49

Moses gives seven areas where God's people were to honor him. The first regulation would be God's people must protect the purity of corporate worship. Notice verses one through eight. No one is emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord. No one of illegitimate birth shall enter the assembly of the Lord. None of us, excuse me, none of his descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall enter the assembly of the word of the Lord. No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the Lord. None of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall ever enter the assembly of the Lord, because they did not meet you with food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt. And because they hired against you Balaam, the son of Beor from Pithor of Mesopotamia to curse you. Nevertheless, the Lord your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, but the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you. You shall never seek their peace or their prosperity all their days. You shall not detest an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not detest an Egyptian because you were an alien in his land. The sons of the third generation who are born to them may enter the assembly of the Lord. One of the biggest misconceptions today is that anyone should be allowed to lead or participate publicly in worship, regardless of how they live or what they believe. The Bible presents a different picture. God is deeply concerned about his worship. No one, you know, not only does he care how he is worshiped, but he also cares about those who publicly represent him. Now, throughout this section, the repeated phrase is enter the assembly of the Lord. We see that and repeat that over and over. This refers to participation in Israel's public worship gatherings and national festivals. Moses gives three examples demonstrating that worship was to remain holy. The first is Certain men were restricted from public worship participation. Verse 1 says, No one who is emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord. This verse addresses men who had deliberately mutilated themselves. While the passage does not explain every circumstance, the context suggests intentional actions that were often connected with pagan religious practices. Throughout the ancient world, certain false religions practiced ritual of mutilation as an act of devotion. God made it clear that his worship was not to resemble pagan worship. This passage should not be misunderstood as teaching that such a person could never know God. Isaiah chapter 54, verses 4 through 5 speak of faithful eunuchs whom God would honor. Acts chapter 8, verses 26 through 39 records the Ethiopian eunuch believing the gospel and being baptized. The issue here concerns participation in Israel's covenant worship under the Mosaic law, not whether someone could experience God's saving grace. This principle remains: God's people are not to import worldly or pagan practices into the worship of the true God. Number two, certain illegitimate lineages were restricted from assembly participation. Verse 2 says, No one of illegitimate birth shall enter the assembly of the Lord. None of his descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall enter the assembly of the Lord. Now, this difficult passage most likely refers to children born through prohibited unions or foreign pagan relationships that introduced idolatrous influence into Israel. God's uh concern was preserving the spiritual purity of his covenant people. Throughout Deuteronomy, God repeatedly warns Israel against influences that would pull their hearts towards false worship. We saw that back in Deuteronomy chapter 7, verses 3 through 4. The emphasis is not ethnic superiority, the emphasis is the covenant faithfulness, which brings us to number 3. Certain hostile foreign nations were restricted from assembly participation. We saw that in verses 3 through 8, which we just read. Moses specifically mentions the Ammonites and the Moabites. Why? Because when Israel journeyed through Egypt, these nations opposed God's people instead of helping them. We saw that back in Numbers chapters 22 through 24. And if you uh went through those chapters with me, you remember that when Israel was uh going along their journey, these people pulled back. They wanted nothing to do with Israel. They even hired Balaam to curse Israel. You know, I always mention that being one of my favorite stories. So if you went with me through Numbers, you remember the story of Balaam and Balak. Although Balaam intended harm, God turned the curse into a blessing because he loved his people. We saw it in uh Numbers chapters 23 and through uh 24. God instructed Israel, do not seek political alliances with them, do not pursue their prosperity, but also do not hate people like the Edomites or Egyptians indefinitely. Interesting. This is what's interesting. God's grace is still evident. Now, Ruth was a Moabite, yet through faith she became part of God's covenant people, and eventually part of the genealogy of Jesus. We see that in Ruth chapter 4, verses 13 through 22. We also see that in Matthew chapter 1, verse 5. God's judgment is always balanced by his grace towards those who generally come to him. Which brings us to the third, I'm I'm sorry, that brings us to category number two.

Holiness In The Military Camp

SPEAKER_01 11:49

God's people must maintain purity even during military service. Look at verse us, look at verse 9. When you go out as an army against your enemies, then you shall keep yourselves from every evil thing. If there is among you any man who is unclean because of a nocturnal omission, that he must go outside the camp. He may not re-enter the camp. But it shall be when evening approaches, he shall bathe himself with water, and at sundown he may re-enter the camp. You shall also have a place outside the camp and go out there, and you shall have a spade among your tools, and it shall be when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it, and shall turn to cover up your excrement. Since the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, and you must not see anything indecent among you lest you turn away, excuse me, unless he turn away from you. Military life often places people in difficult environments. Yet God reminded Israel that even while serving in battle, holiness still mattered. And uh let that be a lesson to you know our young men serving in the military. Uh, you grew up in a Christian home, when you leave and go to the military, you are still to live your life holy. Victory did not merely depend upon military strength, it depended upon God's presence. Moses gave three instructions. The first was stay away from moral evil. Verse 9 said, When you go out as an army against your enemies, then you shall keep yourselves from every evil thing. When Israel's soldiers enter battle, they were to avoid sinful behavior. God wanted his warriors spiritually prepared as well as physically prepared. The same principle applies today. Believers engaged in spiritual warfare must pursue holiness. We see that in Ephesians chapter 6, verses 10 through 18. Guideline number two. Maintain personal cleanliness. Verses 10 through 11 tell us if there is among you any man who is unclean because of a nocturnal omission, then he must go outside the camp. He may not re-enter the camp, but it shall be when evening approaches, he shall bathe himself with water, and at sundown he may re-enter the camp. The ceremonial instructions regarding bodily emissions reminded Israel that God cared about purity. Though believers today are not under Israel's ceremonial laws, the principle remains: God's people should pursue purity in both body and spirit. You can see that in 2 Corinthians chapter 7, verse 1. Number 3, practice proper sanitation. Verses 12 through 14 tell us, you shall also have a place outside the camp and go out there. You shall have a spade among your tools, and it shall be when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and turn to cover up your excrement. God instructed Israel to keep their camp clean. Waste was not to be buried outside the camp. This wasn't, excuse me, waste was meant to be buried outside the camp. This wasn't merely about help. Verse 14 gives the reason. Look at verse 14. Since the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, and he must not see anything indecent among you lest he turn away from you. For the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp. God's presence among his people call for cleanliness and holiness. The lesson is simple. God desires purity because he dwells among his people. Which brings us to number three.

Refuge For Escaped Slaves

SPEAKER_01 15:36

The third category is God's people were to show compassion towards escaped slaves. Look at verses 15 to 16. You shall not hand over to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. He shall live with you in your midst, in the place which he shall choose in one of your towns where it pleases him, you shall not mistreat him. Unlike surrounding nations, Israel was not to return escaped slaves to abusive masters. Instead, they were to provide protection and allow them to live freely within Israel. God's people were not to oppress those seeking refuge. This instruction reflects God's compassion. Just as God rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt, his people were to extend mercy towards those in distress. And I want to say something else about that. Now I'm going to touch on something that happened here in North America. Now I know I have people on all six continents, and I thank the Lord for you listening to these lessons. I want to touch on something about the slavery that happened in North America particularly. You notice what the Lord said about not returning a slave to his abusive master. Now, back now, some of you, you may know this, you may not know this, but there was something called the Slave Bible. And I'm going all the way back to the uh the 1600s and uh the 17th, all the way up uh to the 1800s, and it was called the Slave Bible, and the Bible was actually really thin. You can look these things up for yourself. It was a thin Bible, you know why? Because they had so many chapters and so many books either shrunk down or taken out of the Bible, because when they called themselves believers, because that that's what they they did, they called themselves believers, were teaching the in uh the enslaved people the scriptures, they didn't want them reading scriptures like this, and they didn't want them hearing scriptures like this. So when they remove these type of scriptures, it's because they didn't want the people who they had enslaved to hear this and say, Well, wait a minute, don't these people do exactly that? If somebody escapes an abusive situation, don't they return you to your master? See, they didn't want the slaves of that time knowing that. So they took these type of verses out of the Bible. So when some people like to say, Well, how did they keep those people enslaved mentally? Well, that's how they did it. They made them think that they were teaching them about the true God. But the truth is, is that they didn't give them the Bible in context and they took out anything that talked about freedom, it talked about Christ being your deliverer. They took all of those things out of the scripture. Uh, that was just a little side note that I want to touch on

The Slave Bible Warning

SPEAKER_01 18:18

there. Let's move on to regulation number four. God's people must reject sexual immorality. Verses 17 and 18 says, None of the daughters of Israel shall be a colt prostitute, nor shall any of the sons of Israel be a cold prostitute. You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog into the house of the Lord your God for any volatile offering, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God. Canaanite worship often involved male and female cult prostitution. That's just what they did back then. God completely rejected those practices. His people were never to participate in them. Furthermore, money earned through immoral practices was never to be offered as worship. God is not interested in gifts that come from sinful rebellion. It's just that simple. David understood this principle when he declared, I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God, which costs me nothing. 2 Samuel chapter 24 and verse 24. God desires holy worship from holy lives. And you know, let that be a lesson to people who, in the days and times we live in, take their dirty, sinful money and they try they call themselves doing something for the Lord. They call themselves feeding the hungry, they call themselves giving to the church when they have earned their money through sinful things, sinful things like the music that they that they sing or or uh or however they deliver the music because you know the type of music that the Lord does not honor. Or uh back in the days, you know, they had, you know, pimps back in the in the 1970s, but some I'm pretty sure even back in those days, some of those guys

Rejecting Cult Prostitution And Dirty Money

SPEAKER_01 19:58

called themselves giving to the church, and you know, I'm gonna do something good for the Lord. Or you can go into the to the 80s and and beyond, and probably even to this day, you had drug dealers who was peddling drugs into the community, which kills people and wrecks people's lives, but yet instead they would think they're doing something good by giving to the church or saying, I'm gonna buy the seats in the new church. God is not interested in that. The Lord does not want your dirty money, the Lord wants you to come to him holy, he wants you to come to him with clean hands, and he wants you to come to him with clean offering. Sorry, that was just another little sidebar. Uh, the fifth category. God's people were to show grace in lending. We see this in verses 19 through 20. You shall not charge interest to your countrymen interest on money, food, or anything that may be loaned at interest. You may charge interest to a foreigner, but to your countrymen you shall not charge entrance interest, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land which you are about to enter to possess. Sometimes fellow Israelites experience financial hardship. If a fellow covenant member needed help, they were not to be burdened with interest. That's just how the Lord wanted it. The loan was intended to provide relief, not it wasn't supposed to be for profit. This reflects God's compassionate heart towards his people. At the same time, interest could be charged in commercial dealings with foreigners outside of Israel's covenant community. God wanted his people to practice generosity towards one another while still exercising wisdom in business. That's what the Lord is saying here. Jesus later taught a similar heart of generosity in Luke chapter 6, verses 34 to 35, and that's just very clear that it makes a lot of sense. The Lord didn't say that your fellow brother, and this is dealing with Israel in the old covenant. He didn't say that he didn't need to pay you back, but he said you're not supposed to give it to him in interest so you can make money. Because the Lord wanted his covenant people to deal uh a certain way with each other that they were in covenant with, which brings us to number 6. God's people must keep their promises to God. We see this in verses 21 through 23. When you make

Lending With Grace Not Exploitation

SPEAKER_01 22:07

a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for it would be sin in you, and the Lord your God will surely require it of you. However, if you refrain from vowing, it would not be sin in you. You shall be careful to perform what goes out from your lips, just as you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised. Moses now addresses vows. God did not require people to make vows. The Lord didn't ask them to do this. But once a vow was made, it became a serious matter. Ecclesiastes chapter 5, verses 4 to 5 says, When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it. It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. See, God values integrity, and your word matters. Jesus will later teach, let your statement be yes and yes, and no and no. And in some versions it says of the Bible, it says, Let your yes be yes and let your no be no. That's in Matthew chapter 5, verse 37. Believers should be known as people whose word can be trusted. And that is a lesson. We may not be in old covenant Israel, but that is a lesson that we need to follow even today. You need to stick with your word. And the God is very, God made it very simple to us. Listen, you don't have to vow anything to me, but if you vow it, you should do it. Give you an example. If you vow to give something, you should give the thing that you said you were going to give. If you vow to get to participate in a certain service, you need to do it. Example, say that you say, you know, Lord, I'm vowing that on the third Saturday of every month I'm gonna volunteer at the soup kitchen. Listen, you need to keep your word. Don't let things get in the way. You need to keep your word. Let your let yes be yes and let your no be no. Number seven. God's people were to respect their neighbor's property. Notice verse 24. When you enter your neighbor's vineyard, then you may eat grapes until you are fully satisfied, but you shall not put any in your basket.

Vows Integrity And Your Yes

SPEAKER_01 24:18

When you enter your neighbor's standing grain, then you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not weld a sickle in your neighbor's standing grain. Travelers were permitted to satisfy immediate hunger by eating grapes or plucking grain with their hands. However, they were forbidden from harvesting or taking produce away. There was a clear distinction between meeting a legitimate need and stealing. Jesus referenced this very principle when his disciples plucked grain while walking through the fields. We see that in Luke chapter 6, verses 1 through 5. God desires generosity from property owners while also protecting personal property from abuse. Excuse me, his law balanced compassion with personal responsibility. Very simple. If you're hungry, it was okay to eat. Go through the grain, uh, I'm excuse me, go through the vineyard, eat all the grapes you wanted, but you were not to rob your neighbor and go through there with a basket, fill up your belly, and then fill up your basket. Now we get to our conclusion. Deuteronomy 23 reminds us that holiness is not limited to church services. God's word governs our worship, it governs our personal purity, it governs our work, our finances, it governs our promises or our vows, it governs our relationships, and it governs our treatment to others. Nothing falls outside the authority of God's word. Nothing. Peter writes, like the holy one who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior. 1 Peter chapter 1 verses 15 through 16. Notice he doesn't say some of your behavior. This is exactly what Moses was teaching Israel. God's blessing is experienced when his people take his word seriously in every area of life. Our obedience should not be reserved for just Sunday mornings. It should shape how we live Monday through Saturday as well. You know, you're not supposed to be a what they call a Sunday Christian, but you're supposed to be a Monday to Sunday Christian, or I would say Sunday to Saturday Christian, if you will. When God's people pursue holiness in the ordinary routines of life, they demonstrate that they belong to Him. And that and they position themselves to experience the joy and blessing that come from walking in obedience to His word. Well, people, that brings us to the end of Deuteronomy chapter 23. As always, I hope that you got something out of this lesson. As I always ask, I ask you to continue to pray for me that the Lord is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Pray that the Lord keeps me in good health. Pray that the Lord keeps me in good spirits. Pray that he keeps me steadfast in these scriptures and the scriptures, and that I never get

Respecting Neighbor Property And Need

SPEAKER_01 27:02

lazy in these scriptures, that I stay with my nose to this book, just like a good Berean, so I can bring the scriptures to the people and to myself as we learn together. And as always, I am praying for you. I'm glad that you take time out of your morning, your afternoon, or your evening to listen to me go through the word of God. It means a great deal to me. I appreciate you all a great deal, a great bit, and I am praying for you as well. I'm praying that you are full in spirit. I'm praying that you are good mentally. I'm praying that all is going well with you, that all is well. And I appreciate you so much. Well, that brings us to the end of Deuteronomy chapter 23. That is all for now. God bless. Thank you for listening to Berean's Corner. We appreciate you joining us as we dive into God's word and seek biblical truth together. If this episode encouraged or challenged you, be sure to subscribe, share, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. You can find Bereen's Corner on BuzzSprout, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, Amazon Music, and more. Let's stay connected. If you have questions, comments, or prayer requests, reach out to us at BereansCorner.buzzprout.com where you can follow along with show transcripts and leave a message in the fan mail slot. Also follow us on YouTube at Berean's Corner and don't forget to subscribe. We'd love to hear from you. Until next time, keep searching the scriptures like a Berean. Stay discerning, stay faithful, and God bless.