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This chapter continues the theme of purity by focusing on the holiness of God and His sanctuary, the tabernacle, as well as the purity of the whole camp since God is dwelling among His people.
Verses 1-6: This section describes all those who are forbidden membership in “…the congregation of the LORD.” Most commentators and Biblical scholars agree that that phrase refers to not just worship in the tabernacle and all the sacrifices and offerings related to it, but also the right of general citizenship, holding any public office, and marriage to any Israelite. Moses gives specific examples of those who are forever barred from the congregation: eunuchs (v.1), bastards (v.2), and any Ammonite or Moabite (v.3). Eunuchs: In the ANE, eunuchs were most often the result of pagan worship rituals or forced slavery. It’s important to note here that God, through Moses, is not necessarily making a moral judgment against such men by prohibiting them from full membership in the congregation of His chosen people. Rather, the point here is in regard to the purity and the sanctity of both the tabernacle and the congregation. Earlier, God had made it clear to Moses and the Israelites that no son of Aaron’s lineage is allowed to serve as priest who is blind, crippled, hunchbacked, has any major skin blemishes, or has had his genitalia mutilated in any way. (Leviticus 21:18-21) The same goes for any animal that is brought to the priest to offer up as a sacrifice to the Lord. (Leviticus 22:24) As with many other passages here in Deuteronomy, God is further clarifying or adding to His law for the Israelites, and now He is forbidding any eunuch from membership in the congregation of His chosen people because they are not whole or complete. The Moody Bible Commentary states it thusly: “Wholeness” was important in the Israelite worship system, so anything that did not conform to the “perfect” template (in this case a complete male body) was excluded. With something missing from his body he was no longer representative of a man made fully in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). This might seem harsh and unloving of God to exclude a man who very likely had no choice in his castration, since this was often done at an early age when boys were sold into slavery to the cultic priests of the pagan temples, or captured as slaves by a conquering foreign nation. But we must always keep in mind that God is a holy God, and He has every right to set whatever boundaries and restrictions He wants to regarding whom He allows to associate with His chosen people. More than that, however, He has absolute authority and sovereignty over His creation, and He may do with any of us as He so pleases. Bastards: Those of illegitimate birth are also excluded from Israelite membership and worship in the tabernacle. Since any unmarried individuals who had sexual intercourse are either put to death or required to get married, per the commands in the previous chapter, this passage is most likely referring to non-Israelite children born to cult prostitutes in the pagan temples. However, this may also include a child born of rape, a scenario that was also mentioned in the previous chapter. Since there isn’t much detail or clarification provided here, we can only presume one of two possibilities: 1) if the victim is unmarried, she rears the child alone until such times as a marriage is arranged and then her husband formally adopts the child as his own. Same thing applies if the woman is already married. 2) The child is forever forbidden from full membership in the Israelite community, including the worship of God in the tabernacle, thus denying him/her any way of salvation in this current dispensation of the law, even though both of his/her parents are Israelites. Given what we already know thus far from the texts of the Pentateuch, I am inclined to accept option #1 as the correct answer, but it is very possible that option #2 is also correct. The phrase “…even to his tenth generation…” is an old Hebrew idiom which means “forever”. This verse is not saying that those of the eleventh generation will be allowed to worship God in the tabernacle and be accepted with full membership privileges and rights in the Israelite congregation. The Ammonites and Moabites: Because of their treatment of Israel when they came out of Egypt, God is denying these two nations any membership among – or even any peaceful alliance with – His chosen people forever. (Nehemiah 13:1-2) It’s also because they hired Balaam to curse Israel, something God did not allow and, instead, turned into a blessing of His chosen people. (Numbers 22:5-6) It is also possible that this prohibition is due to the fact that both these nations are the descendants of the incestuous union of Lot with his two daughters. This would tie in well with the theme of purity and holiness of both the previous chapter and this one. Verses 7-8: The Edomites and Egyptians, however, are permitted to join the Israelites in their worship in the tabernacle provided, of course, that they convert to the Hebrew faith and belief in God and are willing to obey and honor His law. God reminds the Israelites that they were once strangers in Egypt, and therefore they are to be kind to the Egyptian or Edomite that is now a stranger among them. (Exodus 22:21, 23:9, Leviticus 19:34, Deuteronomy 10:19) Furthermore, the offspring of any marriage of an Israelite to an Egyptian or Edomite is eligible for full membership in the congregation of Israel starting with the third generation. (v.8) There is a notable exception to this law in the form of King David who was a descendant of Ruth, a Moabitess. The Moody Bible Commentary offers the following possibility as a way of explanation for this exception: “The simplest view is that we have here an example of “faith” trumping “law.” Ruth demonstrated great faith in the God of Israel, especially during the dark period of the judges, and was graciously allowed to be included into the Israelite community as well as the messianic line.” It’s important to note here that God is making clear to His chosen people that only the foreigner that believes in Him and accepts Him as the one, true God of all creation will be accepted into the congregation of Israel with all rights and privileges thereof. And, in the case of Ruth, her faith in God was so great that He graciously made an exception, again proving that God is absolutely sovereign over all, and He is allowed to make exceptions to these types of laws as He sees fit. Contradictions such as this are an example of some of the more difficult and complex theological issues that we find in scripture, but that doesn’t mean that God’s word contradicts itself in any way. Instead, we ought to treat these examples as an avenue of deeper study of the Bible and of God Himself; a way by which we can grow in our faith by tackling such issues and learning more about OT theology and God’s chosen people at this time in history. Verses 9-14: This section deals with the soldiers of Israel’s army when they go out on a military campaign against their enemies. Because God is present among His people, the entire camp must make sure to remain pure and undefiled, including the soldiers themselves. If there is any man that is unclean because of a seminal emission while he is asleep at night, he is to follow the proper ritual for cleansing himself outside the camp the following day. (v.10-11) (Leviticus 15:16) Additionally, all soldiers are to have a shovel extension on their weapon or person that allows them to dig a hole anytime they need to empty their bowels. This is to be done outside the camp, and the feces is to be covered up afterwards. (v.12-13) The reason for these laws is because the presence of God within the camp is what assures victory for the Israelites. (v.14) (Leviticus 26:12, Deuteronomy 7:21) Because God is holy, the camp must also be holy, and that means it must remain undefiled. Any deviation will cause God to remove His presence from the camp. Verses 15-16: Any servant or slave that is a runaway, meaning he has fled his master before the appointed time of release of service, and who is found by another will not be returned to his original master. This law applies to both the foreign slave/master and the Israelite slave/master. The servant is to remain free to choose a new master. The implication here is that the servant or slave has been mistreated and abused, for that is the primary reason that he or she would flee before the time of service is complete. This is indicated by the last phrase of verse 16: “…thou shalt not oppress him.” (Proverbs 22:22) This commandment is contrary to the standard practices of the nations of the ANE, again demonstrating the distinct separateness of God’s chosen people among the heathen peoples of the promised land. Verses 17-18: Purity in human sexuality is of upmost importance to God, and he states once again, clearly and explicitly, that adultery and homosexuality among His chosen people is forbidden. (Genesis 19:4-5, Leviticus 18:22, 19:29, 20:13, Deuteronomy 22:21, 2 Kings 23:7) There are no exceptions to this law, and no further clarity is required. The command in verse 17 is as simple and direct as Adam’s statement in Genesis 2:24. Sex is to be enjoyed between one man and one woman only and within the covenant of marriage only. Period! Anything outside of that – adultery, polygamy, homosexuality, orgies, or sex between an unmarried couple – is strictly forbidden by God which He makes very clear to the Israelites throughout the Pentateuch. The apostle Paul makes it clear in his epistles that the same applies to all believers today. (Romans 1:27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21, 1 Timothy 1:9-10) God has never been vague or equivocal on this issue, quite the opposite in fact. He has made it clear in His word that human sexuality is something holy and sacred between a married couple, each of the opposite sex. Any pastor, reverend, bishop, clergyman, or church that preaches and teaches anything other than this command and prohibition is a liar and a heretic and should be marked and avoided as such. The term “dog” in scripture is most often used to refer to gentiles, male prostitutes, or homosexuals, the latter two of which is the case here in verse 18. (Matthew 7:6, Philippians 3:2, Revelation 22:14-15) The command in this verse refers to the tithe of profit from the prostitution of male and female whores – of which some of the men were also sodomite prostitutes – in the pagan rituals and cultic practices of the heathen nations of the promised land. To bring that money into the house of God is an abomination and strictly forbidden by God. Verses 19-20: The Israelites are forbidden from charging interest on any loans to one another. (v.19) (Exodus 22:25, Leviticus 25:35, Nehemiah 5:2, Psalm 15:5) To the foreigners however, they are allowed to charge interest on a loan. (v.20) (Deuteronomy 15:3) Verses 21-23: While on the topic of money and lending, Moses reminds the people of the seriousness of vows and freewill offerings made to the LORD. (Numbers 30:2, Job 22:27, Psalm 61:8, 66:13-14, Ecclesiastes 5:4-5, Matthew 5:33) They are to keep their vows by doing whatever they promised to God. (v.23) Failure to do so is a sin in the eyes of the Lord, and will be dealt with accordingly. (v.21) It’s better to have not made the vow at all than to make it and not follow through with it. (v.22) Verses 24-25: The Israelites are allowed to eat of their neighbor’s crops, but they may not harvest any of them to save for later. This commandment is another way of God’s provision for the poor and destitute among His chosen people. It’s also an example of God’s promise to bless the Israelites when they conquer and settle the promised land. There will be such an abundance of crops that there will be more than enough food to not only feed the poor but also for the landowner to sell for a profit at the market. Therefore, the landowners are not to be stingy by forbidding any of their neighbors to freely eat of their crops and vineyards.
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While this chapter seems at first to be a hodgepodge of unrelated topics, a closer study reveals that Moses is expounding on the seventh, eighth, and tenth commandments. This entire book, remember, is an exposition by Moses of the law of God which is summed up in the ten commandments. Here in chapter 22, Moses gives examples to the people of situations and scenarios related to the commandments regarding adultery, theft, and covetousness.
Verses 1-4: The eighth and tenth commandments forbid stealing a neighbor’s personal property or even coveting it. These four verses address the possibility of someone’s livestock that has wandered off and is discovered by one’s neighbor. (Exodus 23:4-5) The one who found it is required to return the animal to its rightful owner instead of keeping it for himself. (v.1) If the owner cannot be immediately located, the one who found it may keep it until the owner turns up to claim it. (v.2) The same goes for any personal property that is found by someone. (v.3) Nor is any man to turn a blind eye to his neighbor’s ox or donkey that has been injured and needs help. This is presumably related to the scenario in verse 1 where the animal has wandered away from its owner and then, for example, falls into a ditch and gets hurt or stuck. The one who comes upon the injured ox or donkey is to help it and return to its neighbor instead of just ignoring it. God expects His chosen people to treat each other with dignity, care, and respect. In the ANE, one’s livelihood depended on healthy livestock, and to steal another ox, sheep, or donkey was to rob that man of his daily sustenance and living wage. The same goes for clothing or precious metals such as gold or silver. Not only are the Israelites expected to respect each other’s personal rights and property, they are to be kind and gracious to one another by returning that property when found. This principle is one of a few foundational stones for any godly, stable, and productive society. Verse 5: This is the clearest, most direct command in scripture which prohibits cross dressing and transvestite practices. As with homosexuality and those who engage in such perverse behavior, the cross dressers are also an abomination in the eyes of God. The theme for the rest of this chapter is purity, and Moses is giving examples to the people of ways in which they need to remain pure in their daily lives before God. This verse is another example of how God is a God of order and precision. One of the purposes of His law is to maintain that order in a world corrupted and poisoned by sin. The devil is the author of lies and confusion, and that is the purpose behind homosexuality and transvestitism. Satan seeks to pervert God’s holy design for gender and sexuality, and cross dressing and “gender confusion” are one of the ways he does this. There is no such psychological disorder as “gender dysphoria”. The problem with anyone today, especially the younger generation under eighteen, who believes he/she is the opposite gender “trapped in the wrong body” is sin, plain and simple. It’s not a mental disorder. And anyone who says that the Bible has nothing specific to say about the practice of homosexuality or gender issues is lying through their ungodly and abominable teeth. This verse states in plain, simple, modern English exactly what God views of this particular sin. It’s also clear from this verse that cross dressing is nothing new to modern civilization. As far back as the time of Moses and the Israelites in the ANE, pagan religious rituals must have included such perverted practices as this, else Moses would not have specifically mentioned it here. This ties in with the foundational purpose of the law: the separation of the Israelites unto God from all the heathen nations around them. Verses 6-7: Biblical scholars and commentators have differing opinions on the purpose of this commandment. According to the Moody Bible commentary, some see it as a directive to the Israelites to respect and care for all life, but that doesn’t seem likely given that Moses says it’s okay to take the bird’s eggs for sustenance but not the mother herself. The logical explanation for this is the same reasoning behind the commandment from chapter 20 about not cutting down fruit-bearing trees when laying siege to a city, as well as that found in Leviticus 22:28[ii]. Killing both the mother bird and her young or eggs will deprive the Israelites of an ongoing and sustaining food source. It’s also possible that this command is related in some obscure way to that which prohibits the Israelites from cooking a young goat in its mother’s milk. (Exodus 23:19, 34:26, Deuteronomy 14:21) Verse 8: In the ANE houses were built with flat roofs that could be used as an additional living space or a place to entertain guests in the evenings when the weather cooled. (2 Samuel 11:2) The command here is that each man is to build a parapet, or fence, around his roof to protect anyone from accidentally falling off the edge. It again relates to not defiling the promised land with any bloodguilt as already discussed in the previous chapter, as well as the general theme of loving one’s neighbor as oneself. Verse 9-12: The commands in these verses are not only practical wisdom that will make daily life easier for the Israelites, but also examples of outward demonstrations of spiritual purity. The Israelites are not to sow a field with more than one kind of crop, or yoke two different animals together to plow, or sew a garment with two different fabrics. Verse 12 is a reminder of the command already given in Numbers 15:38-39. That, along with obedience of the directives in the previous three verses will remind the people every day of their chosen and separate status from all the nations around them. (2 Corinthians 6:14-15) Verses 13-21: Moses now arrives at the most important type of purity in the law of God. These verses give a scenario whereby the husband accuses the wife of not being a virgin when he married her. The matter is to be brought before the city elders, and her parents are to show proof of her virginity. This evidence is the bloodstain on the bedsheet of the woman’s hymen that is broken the first time she has sex. (This is the cloth referred to in verse 17.) Thus, if the accusation is proven to be false, the man is punished by the elders in the form of whipping and required to pay restitution to the parents in the amount of a hundred shekels of silver, which is twice the standard bride price. Nor is he allowed to divorce his wife. He is to remain married to her for the rest of his life or hers. The reason for such harsh punishment is to prevent false accusations. But if the parents of his wife are unable to show proof of their daughter’s virginity, and the elders rule in favor of the husband, the wife is sentenced to death by stoning. She has been found guilty of lying and has thus brought corruption and evil into the community. (v.21) The law of God spends a great deal of time and page on sexual purity in all its forms. The physical act of sex is to be celebrated only within the bounds of marriage which God had already defined for the Israelites – and all mankind – as a holy union between one man and one woman only. (Genesis 2:23-25) As I have already noted in my commentary of Genesis 2, the introduction of sin by the disobedience of Adam and Eve corrupted God’s holy and good design for human sexuality, perverting it into all kinds of depraved forms. The whole purpose of His law for Israel – and for all mankind ever since – is for our own protection as well as to separate us from the world and all its wickedness and depravity. Condemning a woman to death merely because she lied about her virginity to her future husband seems cruel and unusually harsh to our modern sensibilities, but that just shows how far we today have fallen away from God and His holiness. Extramarital affairs, divorce, unmarried people living together and having casual sex, homosexuality, and all manner of other filthiness is so commonplace to modern society that even Christians barely raise an eyebrow to any of it, even within their own churches and communities. Hollywood, especially, has dulled our sensitivity to this issue, and we have no problem enjoying – even laughing at – TV shows and movies that depict extramarital sex or homosexuality. Yet God is clear in passages such as this one in Deuteronomy just how seriously he expects His chosen people – and us today – to treat the subject of sexual purity. This doesn’t mean that a man and woman who have been previously divorced cannot get married. We live in a fallen and broken world, and that means that there are certain situations where a marriage must be dissolved to protect one spouse, as in the case of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse by the other. Or someone comes to know Christ and accept him as his/her personal savior after having previously been married and divorced. A new union with another Christian is acceptable to God and the couple should strive every day to build their new marriage and family upon God and His word. What God – and Moses – is stating here in the law is that those who claim to follow God and are His children should always strive for holiness in all areas of daily life, but most importantly in the realm of marriage and sexuality. God created and designed human sexuality to be both pleasurable to the man and woman and as a way of fulfilling His command to “…Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth…”. (Genesis 1:28) Any deviation from that standard is sin, and God will not tolerate or excuse sin in any form. That is the whole point of our need of Jesus Christ and His precious blood that can cleanse us of our sin and clothe us in His righteousness in the eyes of God the Father. Verse 22-24: If a man is caught in an affair with a married woman who is not his wife, or a woman who is betrothed to another man, and she willingly participated in the act, then both of them are condemned to death. (Leviticus 20:10, Numbers 5:22, Ezekiel 16:38, Matthew 5:27-28, John 8:5, 1 Corinthians 6:9, Hebrews 13:4) Again, this seems unreasonably harsh to our present day sensibilities, but imagine if this penalty was enforced today! How many less broken homes? How many more good and godly marriages and a more stable, flourishing society would we have? Both verses 22 and 24 end with the same warning: “…so thou shalt put away evil from among you.” Any society that obeys and honors all of God’s law will discover true happiness and experience such wealth and prosperity for all its citizens that could never be achieved any other way. Verses 25-27: In the case of rape, however, only the man is condemned to death. Because the woman resisted, there is no fault found in her, and she is free to go. Under God’s law the punishment always fits the crime, and there is mercy for those that truly deserve it. The criminal is held accountable for his/her actions and choices, and the victim is served justice. This is one reason that God spends so much time lecturing His people on caring for the poor, the destitute, and standing up to fight for those who cannot defend themselves. A true, godly system of justice always punishes the criminal and defends the rights of the victim. This is one of the fundamental characteristics and attributes of God Himself. Verses 28-29: In the case of an unmarried man seducing and having sexual relations with a virgin who is not betrothed to anyone, and the woman is also a willing participant in the incident, the man is expected to pay the girl’s father the standard bride price of fifty shekels and then marry her. (Exodus 22:16-17) He is also forbidden from ever divorcing her. The reason for this law is the same as that concerning the husband who falsely accuses his new bride of not being a virgin. In both scenarios the woman is publicly humiliated and unjustly shamed. Therefore the responsibility falls to the man who wronged her to make restitution and put the matter right. Take note of where God is placing the bulk of the responsibility and guilt in both these scenarios. Moses describes the husband or the unmarried man as the one who has done the wrong, not the woman. This indicates the burden of leadership and godly responsibility of the men in the Israelite society. They are to lead, nurture, care for, and protect their wives, daughters, widows, and all other women in their community. Think back to the curse God placed on Eve in the garden of Eden. “…thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” (Genesis 3:16) The woman is the weaker of the two sexes, and it is the responsibility and burden of the men to watch over the women and not lead them astray. This, of course, doesn’t completely absolve the woman of any accountability for her actions and choices, but in the majority of cases of these types of transgressions that Moses is discussing here, it’s the man who is initiating the crime, not the woman. Verse 30: Moses gives one last reminder about the law regarding incest. It, too, is strictly forbidden by God and should never be found among His chosen people. The term “…his father’s wife…” assumes a scenario where the son of a deceased man takes his stepmother – not his biological mother – as his new wife. The phrase “…discover his father’s skirt…” refers to the privacy and sanctity of the sexual relationship between a husband and wife. Even though the man and his stepmother are not related by blood, God still sees it as incest, and it is thus forbidden. |
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