Deuteronomy 23 Devotional
by Pastor Lawrence

This is not one of those chapters that most Christians turn to for their devotional readings; nevertheless, it is the very Word of God, and like all Scripture it is profitable for us today. There are three main sections in the chapter: the first deals with those who may not enter the assembly of the Lord, the second discusses a couple of rules for soldiers while encamped in battle, and the third is concerned with how to help some of the most vulnerable members in society.

First, Moses explains how eunuchs, bastards, children of incest and certain foreigners are not allowed to enter the assembly of the Lord. Obviously, since the eunuch cannot have children, his exclusion only applies to himself, but in all of the other scenarios, the identity or actions of one man may affect how his children are treated for generations to come. There is some debate amongst scholars as to whether the assembly of the Lord mentioned here refers to the congregation of Israel or to what might be called the General Assembly of Israel, which would signify the males in society who are entitled to vote, serve in the military and exercise leadership in some capacity. Either way, there was a clear exclusion for certain individuals for the sake of maintaining a ritual purity in the nation of Israel. These laws are what we often refer to as ceremonial laws as opposed to the moral law of God. In other words, they all were bound up with the ceremonial rituals of the Mosaic covenant and are no longer applicable today. With the coming of Christ and the purification that he maintained and then reckoned unto us who have trusted in his name, we are considered to be pure and holy in God’s sight based upon his perfect record.

Although these laws were designed to keep Israel clean at least in an outward sense, they were also designed to protect the younger generations from the sins of their fathers. Knowing these rules in advance, the first generation would be much less likely to make their children eunuchs to serve before kings since they would be excluded from the assembly. Similarly, they would be less likely to have a children out of wedlock for the same reason, or to inter into some other forbidden union with a close relative or a foreigner that would hinder their children from being acceptable in God’s sight. Currently, in the United States, forty percent of children are born out of wedlock and grow up without the benefit of two parents. These mosaic laws were designed for the good of the children to stop this type of thing from happening. The good news is that these children would not be excluded forever. If you read the prophecies in Isaiah 19:23-25 and 56:4-5 the Lord lays out a future in Christ Jesus in which both believing eunuchs and foreigners will be called children of God and take their rightful place amongst the people of God. The conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch and Cornelius the centurion in the book of Acts are meant to show the fruition of these prophetic promises.

As for the rules of cleanliness in the camp of the Israelite soldiers, these were designed to keep the soldiers both pure and healthy physically and morally. During the American Revolution, one of the common complaints of the colonists was the filthiness and immorality of the “lobsters,” the nickname they gave to the British soldiers for wearing red coats. These soldiers were well known for their vulgarity and filthy behavior which stood out clearly in the puritanical culture of New England. As we often hear about some of the shameful acts and the morally deplorable actions of our own soldiers in America, it is not hard to see why the Lord would even prescribe laws concerning these type of unmentionable things. It is not only us who see and hear these things, but so too does God, who may turn against a battalion of men for their indecency.

As for the laws concerning runaway slaves, prostitutes and the poor, the rule seems to be one of mercy: not forcing a slave to go back to an abusive master, not accepting the wages of a prostitute to encourage her to find a more suitable occupation, and not charging interest on a loan to a poor neighbor or beating him for feeding himself from your vineyard when he is hungry. In each of these cases an Israelite is called to love his neighbor as himself and to help him in his time of need. When Jesus first came to earth, he was well known for being a friend to the poor and to sinners, and in his sermons he taught us to lend to our neighbor without expecting anything in return that we might be called sons of the Most High, for the Lord himself is kind even to the ungrateful and the evil. So be merciful as your Heavenly father is merciful.