Latest / The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast / 510 | Holiness in the Camp, Holiness in the Heart - Deuteronomy 23

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510 | Holiness in the Camp, Holiness in the Heart - Deuteronomy 23 · The Woman at the Well Ministries Podcast

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  God is in control.
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  She's a happy girl. Hello, friends, and welcome back to another podcast of Woman
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  at the Well Ministries, where we believe that all of us have to come to Jesus
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  like the woman at the well in John chapter 4.
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  Our highest priority is making God real in your life.
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  Whether you are listening in our app, in your favorite podcasting app,
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  or on our website at watwm.org, we invite you to sit down with us as we look
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  to the scriptures to learn more about God and to strengthen your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
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  Living her life for Christ She's a happy girl.
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  Music.
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  She's a happy girl.
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  She's a happy girl Deuteronomy 23 is filled with laws that may at first glance
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  seem far removed from our daily lives.
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  Yet within these verses, we find God's heart for his people and his desire for
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  them to live holy lives in community with one another.
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  The Israelites were about to enter the promised land after centuries in Egypt
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  and years of wandering in the wilderness.
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  They needed clear guidance to establish the society that honored the Lord.
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  This chapter addresses many areas of life.
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  It sets boundaries for who could join the congregation of the Lord,
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  gives instructions for keeping the camp holy and clean, offers direction for
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  dealing with slaves who sought refuge, and forbids prostitution and sexual immorality.
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  It also includes guidelines about lending money, making vows,
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  and being generous with neighbors.
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  At its heart, the chapter emphasizes purity, holiness, and respect for others.
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  Though we live on this side of the cross, the principles in this chapter still apply to us.
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  God desires that his people be holy, that we live in integrity,
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  and that our lives be marked by generosity and love.
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  Deuteronomy 23 reminds us that God walks in our midst, and just as the Israelite
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  camp was to be holy, our lives are to be holy as we welcome his presence.
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  Join with me in reading Deuteronomy 23.
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  He that is wounded in the stones or hath his privy member cut off shall not
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  enter into the congregation of the Lord.
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  A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord.
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  Even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the Lord.
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  An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord.
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  Even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord forever.
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  Because they met you not with bread and water in the way when ye came forth
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  out of Egypt, and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of
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  Pithor of Mesopotamia to curse thee.
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  Nevertheless, the Lord thy God would not hearken unto Balaam,
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  but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee,
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  because the Lord thy God loved thee.
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  Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days forever.
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  Thou shalt not abhor of Edomite, for he is thy brother.
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  Thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian, because thou wast a stranger in his land.
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  The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of
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  the Lord in their third generation.
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  When the host goest forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.
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  If there be among you any man that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that
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  chanceth him by night, then he shall go abroad out of the camp.
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  He shall not come within the camp.
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  But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water,
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  and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.
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  Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad.
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  And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon, and it shall be,
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  when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith,
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  and shalt turn back, and cover that which cometh from thee.
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  For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of the camp, to deliver thee and to
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  give thee thine enemies before thee.
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  Therefore shall thy camp be holy, that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
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  Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee.
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  He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose
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  in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best.
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  But thou shalt not oppress him.
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  There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.
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  Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore or the price of a dog into the house
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  of the Lord thy God for any vow, for even both these are an abomination unto the Lord thy God.
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  Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother, usury of money,
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  usury of victuals, usury of anything that is lent upon usury.
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  Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury, but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury.
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  That the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to
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  do in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
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  When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it.
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  For the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee, and it would be sin in thee.
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  But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.
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  That which is gone out of thy lips shall keep and perform even a freewill offering,
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  according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou has promised with thy mouth.
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  When thou comest into thy neighbor's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy
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  fill at thine own pleasure, but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.
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  When thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbor, then thou mayest pluck
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  the ears with thine hand, but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbor's standing corn.
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  Just when we thought it was safe to believe that we had covered all the chapters
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  in Deuteronomy that would require some challenging interpretation,
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  we land in Deuteronomy chapter 23.
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  This chapter is filled with a number of laws for the Old Testament Israelites
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  that dealt with preserving the purity of the Israelite people and their camp,
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  taking care of slaves who had fled their masters, laws against prostitution,
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  laws against lending, laws against breaking a promise, and instructions for
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  being generous with their neighbors.
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  This chapter includes some very strict regulations that dealt specifically with
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  the people who were in the vicinity of the Israelite nation.
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  At the same time, there are always applications of these scriptures to our lives
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  on this side of the cross.
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  So let's jump in and find them.
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  As Deuteronomy chapter 23 opens, we encounter a series of verses dealing with
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  who could be allowed to join the congregation of the Lord.
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  Bible scholars have many opinions about what the congregation of the Lord meant
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  in this chapter, but there does seem to be agreement that it was an assembly
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  for religious purposes, which indicates that it could have been an assembly of leaders.
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  Moses had very strict instructions for who should be included in these assemblies,
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  with the intent of ensuring that as the Israelite nation entered the promised
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  land, the influence of surrounding nations would not affect their religious practice.
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  Verse 1 indicates that a eunuch would not be able to enter into the congregation of the Lord.
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  Eunuchs came from Asian religions, and the fact that they were eunuchs indicated
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  that they were not Israelites.
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  Verse 2 indicates that a child born out of wedlock could not enter.
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  If we cross-reference Leviticus 18, we see that the scripture also refers to
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  a child born from an incestuous relationship.
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  In this case, the verse speaks of a child born outside of marriage,
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  but when we refer back to Leviticus 18, it points to a child born of incest.
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  Many of these lots were penned as a deterrent to show the severity of the consequences of such practices.
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  Verse 3 refers to specific nations that could not enter into the congregation
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  of the Lord, specifically the Ammonites and the Moabites.
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  These nations descended from Lot and had separated themselves from Israel.
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  The Ammonites did not help the Israelites when they were traveling through the
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  desert, and the Moabites actually hired Balaam to curse Israel.
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  In verses 5 and 6, we see that these two nations were not to be mingled with the Israelites.
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  If we look at the last two verses of this section, verses 7 and 8,
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  we see that the Edomites and the Egyptians are mentioned because those nations
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  played a role in the history of the Israelites that the Lord turned to good.
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  Should they choose the faith of the Israelites, there was a provision for them to be grafted in.
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  This next section of the book of Deuteronomy focuses on the cleanliness of the camp.
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  The Israelites were preparing to enter the promised land, but many times they
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  would be going into battle.
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  Their camps would often be those of soldiers, and there were specific instructions
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  for what those camps were to be like.
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  The main command was that the camp was to be clean in every way.
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  When the men went into battle, they were to keep from every wicked thing.
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  If for some reason a man became unclean during battle and night came before.
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  He could be cleansed, he had to remain outside the camp until he washed himself.
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  Then when the sun went down, he could re-enter the camp.
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  Verse 12 specifies that there needed to be a place outside the camp designated for relieving oneself.
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  Verse 16 instructs that each soldier was to carry a paddle or a shovel with
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  his weapon, so when he needed to use the bathroom, he could dig a hole,
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  relieve himself, and cover it back up.
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  While these instructions may sound unusual or even amusing to us today.
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  The reason behind them is very serious.
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  Verse 14 provides the explanation. For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst
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  of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee.
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  Therefore shalt thy camp be holy, that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
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  The presence of the Lord in the camp meant that the people had to keep it holy,
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  even in matters of daily cleanliness.
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  Verses 15 and 16 deal with what should happen if a servant or a slave escaped
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  from his master and came into the camp.
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  The answer is that the servant should be given freedom within the camp and should
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  no longer live in oppression.
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  This was a remarkable instruction in a world where slavery was common,
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  showing God's concern for justice and compassion even within the Israelite community.
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  Verses 17 and 18 prohibit prostitution and sexual immorality among both the
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  sons of Israel and the daughters of Israel.
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  Prostitutes were not to be brought into the house of the Lord as part of a vow.
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  This practice was common in the nations surrounding the Israelites,
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  often tied to idolatrous worship, but it was not to occur among the people of God.
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  Verses 19 and 20 deal with lending money. In verse 19, we see that the Israelites
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  were not to lend to their brothers or families because money was to be shared,
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  food was to be shared, and much of life within the camp and within the Israelite
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  community was to be lived in common.
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  In verse 20, we see that it was permitted to lend money to a stranger because
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  that would be considered a business deal.
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  Similar to lending, there were specific rules around making a vow or a promise.
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  Verse 21 makes it clear that if an Israelite made a vow to the Lord,
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  they were required to bring before the Lord what they had promised,
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  or it would be counted as sin.
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  Verse 22 clarifies that if no vow was made, then failing to bring something forward was not a sin.
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  However, verse 23 emphasizes the heart of the matter. Whatever had gone out
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  of their lips, they were to keep and perform.
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  God most desired a free will offering given above and beyond the tithe because
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  this was a true demonstration of love for the Lord.
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  This chapter closes with two more verses on being a good neighbor.
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  Verse 24 explains that if you were walking through your neighbor's vineyard,
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  it was permitted to eat enough grapes to satisfy your hunger.
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  Since they were not your grapes, you were not allowed to fill your basket,
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  but eating what you needed in the moment was permitted.
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  Verse 25 reiterates the same lesson in reference to corn.
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  You walked through the field, it was acceptable to pluck in the air and eat
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  it, but you were not to take a sickle and harvest what belonged to your neighbor.
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  These closing instructions highlight God's desire for generosity,
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  honesty, and respect within the community.
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  When we are looking at applying scriptures, such as those found in Deuteronomy
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  chapter 23 to our own lives, we often need to take a bird's eye view.
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  I believe the key verse for this entire chapter is verse 14.
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  Just as God walked through the camp of the Israelites and therefore the camp
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  needed to be holy, God also walks through our lives.
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  The New Testament reminds us that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost
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  which is in you, which ye have of God and ye are not your own. 1 Corinthians 6.19.
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  Our lives need to be holy and ready to accept a visit from the Lord.
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  When we look at the application of the first section, we have to consider God's intent.
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  God's intent was that the leadership of the Israelites would remain with his chosen people.
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  As the Israelites were moving into the promised land, they would encounter many
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  people who came from other faiths.
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  Verse 1 referred to a eunuch, and it was not the physical condition that made
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  the individual unworthy.
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  Instead, the fact that they were a eunuch indicated they came from a different faith.
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  In the same way, those who came from other religions could not be grafted into
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  the leadership of the Israelites.
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  The Lord gave specific instruction to mention two nations, the Edomites and
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  the Egyptians, and there is
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  also clear evidence that they played a role in the life of the Israelites.
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  What's important for us today is that we must pay close attention to our leadership
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  and ensure that those we are following are truly following God's word and holding
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  to the belief system that we share.
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  God desires holiness in his people, and he wants our communities of faith to
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  be led by those who are faithful to him.
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  We must guard against influences that
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  would undermine God's truth or bring destruction into the body of Christ.
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  I think that the application of the verses about the cleanliness of the camp is pretty clear.
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  God walks in our camp. God walks in our lives, and we need to make sure that our camp is clean.
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  In the same way, we need to ensure that our lives are clean and are unspotted
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  from the world, like we're commanded in James 1.27.
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  In these next few sections, when we look for the application,
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  what we see is God's heart.
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  God did not want his people or anyone to be held in slavery or bondage,
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  and thus the Israelite community was to be a place of refuge.
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  God desired holiness for his people, and so in verses 17 and 18,
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  he made it clear that prostitution and sexual immorality were not to be practiced.
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  God wanted his people to live in community, to be generous with each other.
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  Therefore, they were not to lend money and collect interest from one another.
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  God did not forbid business deals, but those dealings were not to be among friends
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  and family within the community and.
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  But rather with strangers. God's desire is that we are people of our word.
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  If we make a vow or a promise to someone, we need to keep it.
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  If we cannot keep it, we should not make a vow or a promise in the first place.
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  If we make a vow or a promise to God, we need to keep the promise that we made to him.
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  It's better not to make a promise at all than it is to make one and break it.
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  God is not as concerned with formal vows and promises as he is with the freewill
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  offerings that we give in response to recognizing what he has done in our lives.
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  What matters most is that our giving and our service flow from our love for
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  him and our understanding of his love for us.
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  God wants us to be good neighbors. He wants us to enjoy living in community
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  and to be generous with one another.
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  God's desire is that his people have full bellies and all that they need to survive.
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  His people are not to steal from each other, but they should also be able to feel safe.
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  Knowing that if someone is hungry, taking a grape from a vineyard or an ear
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  of corn from a field is acceptable.
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  The principle here is generosity and care for one another, balanced with respect
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  for what belongs to others.
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  This chapter is about purity and holiness, and it's about ensuring that our
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  camp is ready for the Lord.
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  As we close, ask the Lord what part of your camp needs to be cleaned up,
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  and then listen well so that your life in your camp are ready to receive all that He has for you.
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  Remember, you are loved. Jesus loves you.
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  Music.
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