Deuteronomy 23:1-25 (NKJV)
“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.
The laws in this chapter teach the Israelites how they were to live as God’s holy people. First, their leadership is to be holy. This is what it means to “enter the assembly of the LORD” (1, 2, 3, 8). Eunuchs and bastards, Ammonites and Moabites could belong to the people of Israel, but they could not serve as leaders of God’s people. If they could not become members of Israel, they would not produce ten generations within Israel.
While on a military campaign, men were to be disciplined and follow God’s laws. God did not pause His laws for maintaining ritual purity due to battle. He would be with them and walk in the midst of their camp. The men should continue in holiness, lest their holy Lord turn away from them.
The rest of the laws in this chapter follow a similar trajectory: this is how a holy people, among whom God dwells, lives. The escaped slave had more than likely been harmed by his or her master, and thus, was free according to Exodus 21:26-27. He or she was not to be enslaved again. Prostitution was forbidden. Interest was forbidden when giving to fellow people of God because they were all of one family. Vows to the Lord were to be fulfilled. One’s vineyard or field could provide temporary relief for individuals if they were hungry and had nothing to eat. While the law about vows stresses faithfulness to God (and seriousness in prayer), the rest teach Israel how to love one’s neighbor in specific situations.
While these laws have been abrogated, their spirit continues among Christians. New converts are not to be admitted to the ministry of the church (1Tim 3:6), but they are certainly to be admitted into the church, and hopefully many generations follow them. The Christian lives in the world yet strives to keep oneself unspotted from the world (Jas 1:27) even as they do battle against temptations and lusts. Christians love all people, but especially the brethren, not taking advantage of them, but being gracious to them and sharing the fruits of their labor with them. Let us pray: We give You thanks, O Lord, for forgiving our sins and making us holy through faith in Christ. Help us to live holy lives of love for You and those around us. Amen.