Deuteronomy 23: 1 – 25
Miscellaneous Items
23 “He who is emasculated by crushing or mutilation shall not enter the assembly of the LORD. 2 “One of illegitimate birth shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD. 3 “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever, 4 because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. 5 Nevertheless the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you. 6 You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days forever. 7 “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were an alien in his land. 8 The children of the third generation born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD. 9 “When the army goes out against your enemies, then keep yourself from every wicked thing. 10 If there is any man among you who becomes unclean by some occurrence in the night, then he shall go outside the camp; he shall not come inside the camp. 11 But it shall be, when evening comes, that he shall wash with water; and when the sun sets, he may come into the camp. 12 “Also you shall have a place outside the camp, where you may go out; 13 and you shall have an implement among your equipment, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and turn and cover your refuse. 14 For the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you. 15 “You shall not give back to his master the slave who has escaped from his master to you. 16 He may dwell with you in your midst, in the place which he chooses within one of your gates, where it seems best to him; you shall not oppress him. 17 “There shall be no ritual harlot of the daughters of Israel, or a perverted one of the sons of Israel. 18 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. 19 “You shall not charge interest to your brother—interest on money or food or anything that is lent out at interest. 20 To a foreigner you may charge interest, but to your brother you shall not charge interest, that the LORD your God may bless you in all to which you set your hand in the land which you are entering to possess. 21 “When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you. 22 But if you abstain from vowing, it shall not be sin to you. 23 That which has gone from your lips you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God what you have promised with your mouth. 24 “When you come into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes at your pleasure, but you shall not put any in your container. 25 When you come into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain.
Today we are going to continue our study in our Holy God’s faithfulness and kindness in giving us fallen beings truthful laws that can help us live successful lives. We are going to see in this chapter a unique listing by our Holy Maker in dealing with some ‘Miscellaneous Items’.
Sometimes we come to wonder why He threw together in this chapter these particular items or laws? In addition how did He organize these miscellaneous Items? Thinking from a human point of view it could be tempting when you get a bunch of miscellaneous items to just dump everything onto a list and call it a day.
I have tried this way of doing things and I can tell you that the only problem is that when you actually need to use something from this miscellaneous group, you can’t find it.
There’s got to be a better way to deal with those sundry items…
So as we begin to look at these subjects and good start is to ask if you understand exactly what are miscellaneous items?
The definition of miscellaneous refers to different items gathered together from different sources. The word can be used to refer to anything. For the purposes of these verses, we can define miscellaneous items as individual, yet significant subjects that tend to overwhelm or become a problem.
On first glance at today’s verses, these items seem to have no particular order; they are miscellany. On closer inspection, however, we can organize things and store them in such a way that they will be helpful to us when we need them.
There’s three ways of doing this:
1) Store items in a specific location
2) Create your own toolkit
3) Purchase a specialized kit
Let’s review each method, one by one:
Option 1: Store items in a specific location
Organize miscellaneous items into well-defined groups.
To do this, you need to organize items in the most logical order. The idea here is to find a common theme among items. You can choose whatever theme you like, as long as it makes sense to you.
For example, our list above could turn into the following groups by writing down each book starting from Genesis and then list each chapter and in a short note that you can understand list what topic the chapter deals with.
Option 2: Create a personal toolkit
If the above organization method doesn’t appeal you to, there is another alternative. In a way, you will be keeping your miscellaneous items together. The only difference here is that you are going to organize, properly store, and label your collections.
Organize miscellaneous items into well-defined groups.
Once again, organize the miscellaneous items into specific groups or collections. There’s no wrong or right way to do this; create the groups that make the most sense to you.
You can list a particular condition and then list all the chapters and verses that deal with this condition say such as ‘anger’
Option 3 – Purchase a specialized kit
When I was a young Pastor from time to time I would get a call and someone would ask me a question. I had two things handy to help me deal with these miscellaneous inquiries. One was a Strong’s Concordance and the other was a Billy Graham’s book on questions and answers from the bible.
If someone asked me where it says women are suppose to submit to their husbands. Well I just pick up my Strong’s Concordance and look up the word ‘submit’. I find the exact verse this person was referring to and respond that the verse says in the book of Ephesians chapter 3 verse 18, “wives submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.”
Now in some other questions I might also find the answer in Strong’s book but one such as dealing with human conditions such as ‘suicide’ I pull out my Billy Graham book which has a lot of this type of information to help others.
Moses also came to the question as to whom in the future were to be welcome to become true Israelites with full rights in the community and who would not, and then went on to deal with the question of honest dealings.
23 “He who is emasculated by crushing or mutilation shall not enter the assembly of the LORD.
This subject is talking about a man’s private parts which indicate deliberate mutilation. These descriptions could well have been basically representing Canaanite religious rites which were an abomination to Yahweh and were seen as representative of Canaanite religion, which included the castration of male religious prostitutes. Any copycat tactics by Israelites would have the same effect for them as well. Such practices would exclude anyone from the assembly of Yahweh.
2 “One of illegitimate birth shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD.
It is an open question what was meant by ‘an illegitimate birth.
It has been seen as referring to the product of an incestuous relationship (22.30) or the product of a forbidden marriage (7.3).
3 “An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever, 4 because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. 5 Nevertheless the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.
The exclusion of Ammonites and Moabites was on the basis of their unsuitability as evidenced by their actions. Ammonites were included with Moabites because they were brother nations and often acted as one. What one did the other did. Thus they were lumped together as hiring Balaam, even though in Numbers no mention is made of the Ammonites. But they had continually demonstrated their enmity towards Israel by their attitude. They had refused hospitality to a refugee nation who was related to them, in the time of need, they had hired a false prophet against them, and they had sought for them to be cursed. They were thus untrustworthy. Even from a practical point of view they were not the kind of people that should be introduced into the inner counsels of Israel.
6 You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days forever.
This is not as harsh as it sounds. Its meaning is that they are not to establish peace treaties with either nation. To ‘seek their peace and prosperity’ was a traditional way by which entering into such treaties was described. The ban was signifying that there was something so unstable in the characters of the nations that they were never to be trusted in a treaty. Their curse returned on their own heads. This would confirm that the problem therefore lay in their basic attitude.
7 “You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an Egyptian, because you were an alien in his land.
In contrast were the Edomites and the Egyptians, the former because they were a genuine brother nation, the latter because in contrast with the Moabites and the Ammonites they had welcomed Israel to live among them at their time of need. Thus whenever they wished to enter the assembly of Israel this was possible after completing a probationary period which established their genuineness.
8 The children of the third generation born to them may enter the assembly of the LORD.
Thus when it came to Edomites and Egyptians the father and his son would be probationers, but the grandson would receive welcome as a full member, so the wait would not be too long. It may be asked why they had to be put on probation, whereas other resident aliens could be welcomed almost immediately. The answer lies in the circumstances. Being neighbors they could seek to ‘convert’ in large numbers, and by this means plant spies in the assembly in readiness for a coup. This was hopefully to be prevented by the period of probation during which the genuineness of their motives could be proved. And while the son might follow his father in such a plan, the grandson, brought up as an Israelite, would see himself as such. (Do you see any similarities of this situation going on in the world today?)
Behind these stipulations lies an important lesson. It is that while we must forgive people, and always welcome them, we must ever be sensibly aware of their frailties. The Christian ‘forgets’ in that he never again holds a repented of sin against someone, but he is still wise enough to recognize other people’s basic failings.
Having established the purity of the assembly of Israel Moses now moved on to the question of the purity of the military camp of Israel. If they desired Yahweh to be with them in their midst they must preserve the purity of the camp.
9 “When the army goes out against your enemies, then keep yourself from every wicked thing.
When proceeding against the enemy it was necessary to keep ritually clean. The examples given are directly relevant to the camp but the implication is that they should avoid all uncleanness in every way. The general principle having been stated, some of the detail is then spelled out.
10 If there is any man among you who becomes unclean by some occurrence in the night, then he shall go outside the camp; he shall not come inside the camp. 11 But it shall be, when evening comes, that he shall wash with water; and when the sun sets, he may come into the camp.
What ‘chances a man by night’ is a euphemism for men’s discharges (Leviticus 15.16). This rendered a man ‘unclean’ until the evening. The washing with water was preparatory to the period of waiting which would result in his becoming clean. It was not the water that cleansed but the waiting outside the camp. The water probably removed his earthiness so that he could meet with Yahweh in his period of waiting. Yahweh would be there, for He was not excluded from outside the camp, except in His symbolized presence. This is a military camp. When in the ‘camp of Israel’ (that of the whole people, not the military camp) he would wait within his tent, but then he was not sharing it in such close vicinity with others. Soldiers would often be huddled together.
12 “Also you shall have a place outside the camp, where you may go out; 13 and you shall have an implement among your equipment, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and turn and cover your refuse.
This might suggest that there was a camp for the soldiers, the official camp, within a wider camp which would include the latrines, both of which would be under guard, but the latter of which would be seen as ‘outside the camp’. Soldiers on active service would not want to be wandering alone away from the camp. The point, however, here is that the soldier who wished to relieve himself should leave the main camp to go to the latrine area, either with a shovel or peg which each soldier probably carried in his pack, or with a shovel kept in a prominent place for general use, dig a hole, relieve himself, and then cover it over. This would keep the main camp holy and would be of great hygienic benefit.
14 For the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing among you, and turn away from you.
This was necessary because Yahweh their God walked in the midst of their camp. Yahweh was with them. This might sound weird but some people like to comment that they have a bible to read in their bathrooms. I point out this verse to them that they should not. There is unquestionably here the requirement that the people of God be clean and hygienic in their habits, even though the reason for it is a religious one.
15 “You shall not give back to his master the slave who has escaped from his master to you. 16 He may dwell with you in your midst, in the place which he chooses within one of your gates, where it seems best to him; you shall not oppress him.
An escaped slave who came among them must be free to choose where he would live. This fact is emphasized. He was to be a totally free man. Please note the threefold emphasis, ‘in the midst of you (as one of you), in the place which he shall choose within your gates, where it pleases him best.’ He would probably also be welcome into the assembly of Israel if he was willing to commit himself to the covenant.
In contrast with the welcome given to the escaped slave are the unwelcome Israelite male and female prostitutes.
17 “There shall be no ritual harlot of the daughters of Israel, or a perverted one of the sons of Israel.
Prostitution was to be totally forbidden in Israel. Neither male nor female native cult prostitutes were to be allowed, nor indeed any prostitutes. There must be no copying the ways of foreign nations.
18 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.
Any attempt to bring money into the Sanctuary which was earned by prostitution (in respect of a vow, was to be absolutely rejected. The ‘dog’ may well signify a male prostitute. Both male and female prostitutes were an abomination to Yahweh.
The section on what should be welcomed and what should not was then followed by the approach to covenant responsibilities fulfilled out of honest goodness; such as not taking from the poor interest on loans (19-20), not taking from God was has been avowed to Him (21-23), and not taking from their neighbors what belongs to them (24-25). Honesty was required in all their affairs. There is the presumption in the first that the poor will have loans made available to them, in the second that freewill offerings will be made available for others to partake of, and in the third of the making available to all of ‘ready meals’ from growing grapes and grain (24-25). The three are thus closely connected by the thought of honesty of purpose and a readiness to provide.
Lending by one Israelite to another on interest was not to be allowed. Such borrowing would normally be by those in desperate straits, for it was to be an agricultural society. To add interest would be to make such a person’s situation worse. The debt must not be added to in this way.
The principle of not charging interest (or any extra payment) applied to all lending whether of silver or of goods or of food. Such were to be lent freely out of gratitude to Yahweh.
20 To a foreigner you may charge interest, but to your brother you shall not charge interest, that the LORD your God may bless you in all to which you set your hand in the land which you are entering to possess.
It was permissible to lend on interest to foreigners, demonstrating that there was nothing inherently wrong in lending on interest. In that case it would be commercial. The point was that advantage should not be taken of a fellow-Israelite’s hard luck. But they had no such covenant responsibility towards foreigners, and the foreigners would mainly be merchants and traders. Then Yahweh their God would bless them in all that they put their hand to in the land ‘which they were entering in order to possess it’. They would from this see how Yahweh was the great lender, He was ‘giving’ them the land, they must behave in the same way towards the poor, and Yahweh Himself would then reward them.
21 “When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it; for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you.
To make a vow to Yahweh was a serious matter. Once made there should be no hesitation about fulfilling it. Last weekend I did a wedding which reminds me of the vow couples make. Today the divorce rate is close to 70 % for even people who profess that they are Christians. Does anyone think that God treats the vows made today as not a serious matter?
22 But if you abstain from vowing, it shall not be sin to you.
It is made quite clear that vows were not demanded. They were totally a matter of freewill and love for Yahweh. There was no breach of covenant for the one who never made a vow.
23 That which has gone from your lips you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to the LORD your God what you have promised with your mouth.
However, once a vow of a freewill offering had been made, it was expected that it would be fulfilled. What was promised with the lips, and came from the mouth, must be observed (Numbers 30.2).
One of the prime requirements for those who would enter Yahweh’s presence was that having given their word they fulfilled it, even to their own cost (Psalm 15.4), an attitude we could do well to heed.
Further provision was made here for the poor, but it also applied to any who were feeling hungry and looked for the means at hand to satisfy it, especially when travelling.
24 “When you come into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes at your pleasure, but you shall not put any in your container.
The principle was simple. If they were in a vineyard belonging to an Israelite they could eat as many grapes as they wished. However, they were not to take any away in a vessel or any other similar thing. The idea was not that everyone should raid the vineyards when they were hungry. The point was that no restriction was put on someone passing through as long as they only ate what they then required.
This does not allow us to help ourselves to the crops growing on a farmers land. I cannot just pull my car over to a huge corn field and pick a few ears of corn for my dinner.
25 When you come into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain.
The same applied to standing grain (not harvested grain). They could pluck ears with their hand and eat their fill. But they must not cut any down with a sharp tool. Thus none need go hungry, but this was not to be an excuse for theft or taking wrong advantage of a neighbor’s generosity.
Both these examples are based on Yahweh’s ownership of the land, and position with regard to Israel. He has the right to make these demands because the land and all it produces is in the end His. He Is the master and owns the land and those who ‘rent’ the land are His servants so that He may do as He will.. Ultimately they too will benefit for it is Yahweh who makes the land fruitful.
There is a lesson here for us all on neighborly sharing and being generous, especially to have-nots, as we recognize in a similar way that what we have also fully belongs to Him, and we should use it as he chooses.
