September 3, 2020
The message of Deuteronomy is one that the church desperately needs to hear today. These final words of Moses given to the children of Israel as they prepared to enter into the Promised Land serve as a warning, an encouragement, and a charge. Through them, God exposes the idolatry of our hearts and calls us to give all of our love, worship, and devotion to Him alone in every area of our lives! Moses warns the people that when they enter the land there will be things that compete with God for their attention, their affections and their worship. We, too, have hundreds of things that compete for our hearts each and every day. In this book, God teaches us how to properly respond to the amazing grace He has given us by giving Him our undivided allegiance, our whole hearts and our whole lives. Over the next 34 days, let’s seek this ancient way together as a church!
In this chapter Moses gives the Israelites instructions on keeping themselves holy as a people, keeping their camp holy, and keeping their conduct towards one another holy. Verse 14 tells us why this kind of holiness is necessary for the people of God: God Himself dwells and walks in the midst of His people!
The presence of God with His people is a major theme in the Scriptures as a whole: God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, dwelt among His people Israel, took on human form and dwelt among us in Christ, and now dwells both in and with His people in the Holy Spirit. The significance of God’s holy presence being with His people cannot be overstated!
In the New Testament, Paul picks up on this same call to holiness on the basis of the Lord’s presence with His people, saying that believers, both as individuals and as a corporate body, are a temple of the Holy Spirit, a dwelling place for God’s holy presence (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 2:19-22) Because God dwells with us and in us in all His holy splendor, we too must be holy!
Deuteronomy 23
Those Excluded from the Assembly
23 “No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord.
2 “No one born of a forbidden union may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord.
3 “No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. Even to the tenth generation, none of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever,4 because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the way, 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 But the Lordyour God would not listen to Balaam; instead the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loved you. 6 You shall not seek their peace or 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 a sojourner in his land. 8 Children born to them in the third generation may enter the assembly of the Lord.
Uncleanness in the Camp
9 “When you are encamped against your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing.
10 “If any man among you becomes unclean because of a nocturnal emission, then he shall go outside the camp. He shall not come inside the camp, 11 but when evening comes, he shall bathe himself in water, and as the sun sets, he may come inside the camp.
12 “You shall have a place outside the camp, and you shall go out to it. 13 And you shall have a trowel with your tools, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it and turn back and cover up your excrement.14 Because the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.
Miscellaneous Laws
15 “You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. 16 He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him.
17 “None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute. 18 You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the Lord your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God.
19 “You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest. 20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but you may not charge your brother interest, that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
21 “If you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. 22 But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. 23 You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.
24 “If you go into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes, as many as you wish, but you shall not put any in your bag. 25 If you go into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbor’s standing grain.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Family Discussion Question:
- What does it look like to really esteem the holy presence of God with and in us? How does that motivate us in pursuing holiness ourselves?
Dear Heavenly Father,
I was taught as a young child that Jesus lives in our hearts. And as I grew into an adult, I heard that our bodies are to be a temple of holiness, as He lives in us. Because I realize this truth, I try to live a life pleasing in Your sight. I know that I fall short of Your expectations every day. Please forgive me . Help us to always remember to keep our hearts, minds and bodies pure and clean. Shine Your light and show us where we need to improve. Because “everyday with Jesus, is sweeter than the day before.” In Jesus’ precious and holy name, I pray. Amen.
Amen.
I will be careful to perform what goes out from my lips, for I have voluntarily vowed to the Lord my God what I have promised.
AMEN and HALLELUJAh!!!! I will do everything that I am suppose to do for my Lord and Savior. I will say good things that come out of my mouth. I praise and Glorify my Lord and Savior. In this I pray in Jesus name. Amen
Father,
Creator of all the universe, you spoke and everything that is came into being. Without you, Father, there would be nothing.
Father, don’t forsake me.
Others may forsake me. Others may turn their backs on me. Others may slander and turn others away from me.
But, you Oh LORD, will never forsake me.
Why do you love me so much that you have written my name on the palms of your hands?
How large are you Oh LORD that the names of all you love have a place in the palms of your hands? Hold me there, dear LORD, until you call me home.
Thank you, Father, for loving even me. And thank you for your son, Jesus Christ, for it is in His name I pray,
Amen
Father I was raised knowing that you are the one who is there for me. It was not until I was 18 years old when I was saved and was born again that I realized how wonderful it was to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit that came into my body. I have had many trails and you have pulled me out of them. Right now my husband just got out the hospital with a serious infection but I am thanking you for the knowledge to know to bring him to the hospital and that they were able to treat it.
Thank you dear Lord for touching and healing Vickie’s husband. Continue to touch him during his recovery. Give them double the wisdom and strengthen their relationship. To you be the Glory!!! Amen.
God’s ever-present promise keeps me no matter my circumstances!
Thank you for reminding that God’s holy presence is in, with and all around me at all times. Today I will not take for granted or dismiss God’s presence, and the holy life I can live empowered buy the holy spirit.
Thank you Lord Jesus for your H oly Spirit that guides us into all truth. Help us to heed and discern.your guidance in our daily lives. Help us to be holy as you Lord are Holy.
There is no one like you Lord Jesus to save.
Thank you Lord. Glory and adoration belong to you L ORD for evermore. Amen.