Seder 152/153: Deuteronomy 23---Holiness of the Assembly and Camp of Israel; Resisting Evil

 Being in God's holy presence is not a matter to be taken lightly.  In Deuteronomy 23, Moses communicates some guidelines for Israel's assembly and military camp.  

Questions are often raised about the prohibition in verse 3: "No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord."  Since Ruth was a Moabite and an ancestor of David, were Ruth and David excluded from the assembly?  

Here it is important to understand that Israel has always been a multi-ethnic entity, absorbing people from many nations who decide to serve the God of Israel.  (Remember, for example, the "mixed multitude" that departed from Egypt along with ethnic Israelites on the Exodus--Ex 12:38.)  When someone like Rahab or Ruth decided to follow Yahweh, that person became an Israelite.  Once Ruth made that commitment (Ruth 1:16-17), she was no longer a Moabite in the sense intended in Deuteronomy 23:3.  The Moabites excluded from the assembly were those who had not made such a commitment and were presumably still serving Chemosh (see Nu 21:29).   

Another passage that raises questions is Deuteronomy 23:19-20, which prohibits charging interest on a loan to an Israelite but allows charging interest on a loan to a foreigner.  Loans to Israelites, including people from other nations who had decided to join Israel, were personal loans for permanent residents of the land who were in difficult financial straits.  Foreigners tended to be more affluent temporary residents, and loans to them would have been business loans.  So the distinction in verses 19-20 really is between personal loans and business loans.

Deuteronomy 23:9-14 gives another reminder of the special nature of warfare for Israel.  Because God would be present with them, fighting their battles, Israel's military camp was to be a holy place comparable to the tabernacle or temple.  

At Church of the Messiah on July 22, 2023, the text for Kyle Kettering's sermon was Deuteronomy 23:9:  "When you are encamped against your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing."  Kyle posed the question: "Can I keep myself from evil?"  He explained that the fight against evil involves both God's help (which is why we pray "deliver us from evil--Mt 6:13) and our own efforts.  James and Peter both instruct Christians to "resist the devil" (Ja 4:7; 1 Pe 5:8-9).