Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

Purity. It’s important from God’s point of view. It doesn’t matter what WE think. Every single time God made a distinction based on purity, there was a reason. It wasn’t judgement against individuals. It was a proclamation and a prophecy about what Jesus was going to be and what Jesus needed to be in order to fulfill His calling. These aren’t restrictions, they are a trumpet blast proclaiming the freedom that the Lamb of God was going to bring (and has brought) our way. A shofar for ALL ages.

If you had crushed testicles, or had your penis severely damaged in some way (or cut off), you couldn’t enter the tabernacle (or later, the Temple). It doesn’t matter the reason you had to do it. If you were born of unmarried parents, not only could you not enter the tabernacle but none of your descendants could for TEN generations. Blemished or maimed people weren’t pure. If you were an Ammonite or Moabite male you could also not enter the tabernacle – assuming you had converted – for TEN generations. These males were banned not because of PHYSICAL or RACIAL impurity. They were banned because of how the Ammonites treated the Israelites when they came out of Egypt (spoiler: it was badly – Exodus 17:8-13) and how Moab hired Balaam to curse the Israelites (Numbers 22:1–24). God turned the situations into blessings (God NEVER curses), but tells them to never seek their peace or their prosperity. They were enemies. On the other hand, they weren’t to despise the Edomites (descendants of Esau) even though they hadn’t been cordial to them OR the Egyptians, who had enslaved them. If an Edomite or Egyptian converted, they could go into the tabernacle in three generations – which was not a long time compared to the others. Keep in mind that the Ammonites and the Moabites were children of incest (Genesis 19:36-38). Sexual sins carry a heavy weight. We really don’t realise it (1 Corinthians 6:18).

The army was to be clean. They weren’t to keep idols or other unclean things that their enemies or the country through which they travelled might have had. They were to be separate. Even things you might not consider while travelling in an army had to be obeyed. Like the prohibition regarding nighttime emissions (wet dreams – Leviticus 15:16). If you had one, you had to leave the camp and stay out until he washed himself and the next sunset came. Just the same as at home. They had to have a designated place OUTSIDE the camp for the latrine. They had to be issued a spade with their equipment and had to cover up their poop. The WHOLE CAMP was where God walked. He was there to fight for them and to deliver their enemies (Deuteronomy 20:1-4). Therefore, they had to keep the camp holy. This was not a place for unbridled passion, no control of self, or disorder. This is not talking about morally wrong practices, but ritually unclean things in a place deemed holy.

If a slave runs away from their master and enters the land, don’t send him back. Give him a place to stay (his choice of locale) and support him in getting established. Do NOT mistreat him – in other words, he isn’t a slave anymore but a free man. Treat him that way. Don’t support forced slavery.

You were NOT to have temple prostitutes (female OR male) like the other nations had. Sex was NOT a form of worship and neither was prostitution (male OR female). Worship was NOT to be about fertility rites. Also, if you earned your money as a prostitute (neither female OR male), you couldn’t use it for holy vows.

Jews were not to charge interest to fellow Jews. Ever. This would also apply to believers in Jesus (Jew OR Gentile). Don’t charge interest to those who worship Yahweh. You are brothers and family doesn’t charge usury. The Lord promised to bless those who held to this command.

Vows are serious. Don’t be frivolous with them. If you make a vow, you were held to it. Period. It would be better to just keep your word and NOT vow, because you were held to it whether it was well thought out or rash.

The Lord asked that owners of vineyards and fields be generous. If someone walked through a field, they could eat of the grain as they walked. If they went through a vineyard, they could eat of the fruit of the vine. BUT they could not gather in containers to eat later. This was a mercy designed for the less fortunate. You see it in operation in the book of Ruth and in Matthew 12:1.

“When a man takes a new wife he shall not go out with the army, and he shall not be obligated with anything; he shall be free from obligation, to stay at home for one year, and he shall bring joy to his wife that he took.” (Deuteronomy 24:5)

God never intended for males and females to ever have more than one wife (Genesis 2:24; Mark 10:5-9). But God knew the hardheartedness of humanity, so He allowed them divorce. Deuteronomy 24:1 is the ONLY verse that tells how it is allowed. “When a man takes a wife and he marries her and then she does not please him, because he found something objectionable and writes her a letter of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her away from his house,” There had to be a scriptural uncleanness about her. Not just ‘I object to her’. The word here as objectionable is ‘ervah meaning shame, indecency, and nakedness. It is a word about moral and sexual conduct NOT ‘I did not like how you spiced my food and talked to my mother’. Jesus confirmed this in Matthew 19:8-9 “He said to them, “Moses, with reference to your hardness of heart, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not like this. Now I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except on the basis of sexual immorality, and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”” And you could not take her back later. Once you were divorced it was DONE.

If you were newly married, you were not to go to war. For the first year of their lives, the male was to bring JOY to the female. Period. Very reminiscent of the New Covenant teaching in Ephesians 5:25-27. Marriage is a serious arrangement and a serious responsibility. In modern times we have lost that reverence for it, and it would be better for everyone involved if we got it back.

Now various laws about pure conduct one to another. You could take collateral for a pledge, but not something that was vital to the operation of their livelihood. If you kidnapped ANYONE for slavery of ANY kind, you were to be killed. Forced slavery was WRONG in God’s eyes. PERIOD. They were to be VERY careful to observe the Law about leprosy (Leviticus 13-14) whether it was a skin condition (Hansen’s Disease) or biblical leprosy (the sins of evil speech, gossip, and murmuring). The implication is evil speech particularly because God references Miriam (Numbers 12:10-15), which was about an evil tongue.

If you lend something to someone, don’t enter their home to get the pledge. That would be an embarrassment to them. Wait outside and let the person bring the pledge to you. If it was a POOR person, don’t keep the pledge overnight. Especially if they were so poor that the only pledge they could give was their clothing. It was symbolic, not a necessity. Neither of you were going to forget the loan. If you had a hired servant (employers), you were responsible to treat them well and right in God’s eyes – not by our standards. It didn’t matter if they were Jew or foreigners. They were to be treated fairly. They were to be paid when the money was due (in that day, DAILY; in our day, payday). It was not to be withheld for any reason.

You cannot punish a son for what the father did, or a father for what their son did. People are NOT to be held responsible or punished for what their ancestors did. You could bless someone who had been wrongly used, but not punish someone for what someone else had done. Foreigners, orphans, and widows were to be taken special care of. Widows’ pledges were not to be accepted for loans. They were to treat EVERYONE with respect and integrity on an EQUAL basis. Why? They were foreigners in Egypt and got redeemed from it by God. They should extent that same Grace and Mercy to others.

If you reap a field and miss a bit, don’t go back for it. If you take the fruit from your trees (like olives), don’t go back and make sure to strip it bare. Leave what you miss. Leave what doesn’t come down. It will be food for the destitute and show your generosity (similar to what is above). God tells them that they were slaves in Egypt. They were COMMANDED to do this thing so that the orphan, widow, and foreigner among them ALWAYS had something to eat. They were once slaves. They were to be compassionate, even if it was a disadvantage, because their SOURCE told them so – meaning, they would be taken care of too.

Summary

Key Players: God, Moses

Key Themes: Purity, Uncleanness, Marriage, Provision, Kindness

Key Verse(s): Deuteronomy 23:14; 24:5, 14, 17, 22