Here we categorize several miscellaneous laws that were important to the life of the nation and that illustrate spiritual truths that are important to us today.
Entering the assembly (23:1–8; 25:17–19). It was a privilege to be a member of the Jewish nation and share in the blessings of God’s covenant. The word “congregation” (“assembly,” niv) may refer to the worshipping assembly and not the nation as a whole. Gentiles could live within the confines of Israel’s territory but that didn’t give them the right to share in the feasts and other religious events. Gentiles who submitted to circumcision and confessed Jehovah as the true and living God could become proselytes (Ex. 12:43–51), but some of them were excluded for various reasons. The Lord has the right to determine who shall enter His holy nation.
For one thing, any emasculated male (eunuch) was rejected (Deut. 23:1). Priests who had similar defects were prohibited from serving at the altar, although they could eat of the holy food (Lev. 21:16–23), and Israel was a kingdom of priests (Ex. 19:5–6). Therefore, the men entering the nation had to be free from these defects. It’s possible that some of the Gentile men had received this surgery as part of their devotion to a heathen God, while Jewish circumcision spoke of belonging to the true God of Israel. The prophet Isaiah looked forward to the day when eunuchs would be welcomed into the kingdom and be blessed of God (Isa. 56:3–5). We can rejoice today that physical blemishes and limitations are not a barrier to faith in Jesus Christ and participation in the blessing of the new covenant (Acts 8:26–39).
Illegitimate children (Deut. 23:2) were also excluded, although we’re not sure what this term meant in ancient Israel. The rabbis interpreted it to mean a child “born of a forbidden marriage,” as the NIV translates it, but what is “a forbidden marriage”? It could include incestuous marriages or marriages involving rejected nations (Ammonites, Moabites). Why the innocent child should be punished for the sins of the parents (24:16) is difficult to understand. The phrase “unto the tenth generation” means “forever” (v. 3).
The Ammonites and Moabites (23:3–6) were descended from Lot (Gen. 19:30–38), the nephew of Abraham, but they didn’t show kindness to their Jewish relatives. The Ammonites wouldn’t sell them food and water, and Balak, a king of Moab, hired Baalam to curse Israel (Deut. 2:9–23; Num. 22—24). Because both nations were related to Israel, the Lord wouldn’t permit the Jews to attack them. Their punishment was exclusion from Israel’s national blessings forever. However, Ruth the Moabitess married Boaz and entered the nation of Israel and became the greatgrandmother of King David (Ruth 4:17–22) and therefore an ancestress of Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:3–6). She had put her faith in Jehovah (Ruth 1:16–17), and the Lord accepted her.
The Edomites and the Egyptians (Deut. 23:7–8) could enter the nation in the third generation because the Edomites descended from Jacob’s brother Esau (Gen. 25:24–26), and the Egyptians received Jacob and his family into their land and cared for them (Gen. 46—47). In spite of later Egyptian hostility, God transformed the family of Jacob into a great nation while they sojourned in Egypt.
The Amalekites (Deut. 25:17–19) were rejected by the Lord and Israel was not to forget their evil deeds. They attacked Israel after the nation had come out of Egypt (Ex. 17:8–13), starting with the weary and feeble Jews bringing up the rear of the march. Joshua defeated them and God declared perpetual war on them. King Saul lost his crown because he failed to exterminate them (1 Sam. 15), and he was slain on the battlefield by an Amalekite (2 Sam. 1:1–16). It wasn’t until the time of Hezekiah that the Amalekites finally disappeared from the scene (1 Chron. 4:41–43).
Sanctifying the army camp (vv. 9–14). This section applied to Israel’s soldiers when they were encamped away from home. The basic principle was that they treat the camp as they would their land at home, for the Lord was with them even on the battlefield, walking in their midst. The idol-worshipping nations believed that they left their gods behind when they went to another country, but Israel’s God was always with them, for He is the God of all the earth. If a soldier had become unclean at home, he would have to leave the community, wash, and return the next day, and that same rule applied in the camp. The men were also to have a place outside the camp for disposing of their excrement. This would not only keep them from being defiled, but it would also promote hygiene.
No matter where we go, God goes with us, and we must not think that we can disobey Him and get away with it. God’s admonition is, “[K]eep away from everything impure” (v. 9 niv). Whether we’re on vacation or away from home on business, the Lord watches us and desires us to be as careful where we’re unknown as we are where we’re known. Moses was on holy ground in Midian (Ex. 3:5) as was Joshua standing near Jericho (Josh. 5:13–15).
Sharing with the poor and needy (vv. 15–16, 19–20; 24:6, 10–15, 19–22; 25:4). This collection of laws relates to opportunities that the Jews would have to show kindness and generosity to both humans and animals. Contrary to the laws of other nations, the law of Israel allowed the Jews to harbor fugitive slaves and protect them. These slaves would not be Jewish, because the Jews were not allowed to enslave their brothers. Jewish servants were either released in the Sabbath year or would agree to serve willingly for life (15:12–18). Also, Jewish masters were not allowed to abuse their servants so that they would want to flee. These fugitives would be from the surrounding nations, and assisting them would give the Jews opportunity to tell them about the God of Israel.
Jews were not permitted to charge interest when they loaned money or produce to their brothers, but they could charge foreigners (23:19–20; see Ex. 22:25–27 and Lev. 25:35–37). The blessing God would send the lender would far surpass the interest he would make on the loan. This is another example of the principle expressed in Matthew 6:33.
If a lender needed collateral for a loan, he wasn’t permitted to take the borrower’s millstones (Deut. 24:6), because the man needed them in order to feed himself and his family. The lender was not to demean the borrower by going into his house to secure a pledge (vv. 10–15), and if that pledge was the man’s cloak, the borrower had to return it by sunset (Ex. 22:25–27). Business transactions between Jewish brethren were to be humane and compassionate, to help the needy brother and not to enrich the lender.
The farmer was to leave some “gleanings” for the poor during the time of harvest (Deut. 24:19–22; see Lev. 19:9–10). This would give the aliens, orphans, and widows opportunity to gather food in a dignified way and not be forced to beg. As with the lender, so with the generous farmer: God would bless him in his work and reward him for his kindness to the poor (Ps. 41:1; Prov. 14:21, 31; 29:7). “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
This generosity should also extend to one’s animals (Deut. 25:4). To muzzle the ox that is threshing the grain is to frustrate him and make his work unnecessarily painful. Once again, the Lord shows compassion for animals and urges us to show pity to those under our care. “A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel” (Prov. 12: nkjv). Paul used this verse to teach that those who labor in the gospel should be supported by God’s people (2 Cor. 9:1–14; 1 Tim. 5:17–18).
Fulfilling religious vows (vv. 17–18, 21–23). The subject of vows is discussed also in Leviticus 27 and Numbers 30. A Jew could make a vow to give the Lord something, or do something for Him, in return for a special blessing. The vow could also involve abstaining from something in order to please the Lord. Vows were purely voluntary (Deut. 23:22), and they had to be declared openly and fulfilled obediently (v. 23). Whatever was promised had to be brought to the sanctuary and given to the Lord (Eccl. 5:4–6). To make the promise and not keep it would be taking the Lord’s name in vain (Ex. 20:7; Prov. 20:25).
However, no vow could be paid to the Lord with money earned by committing sin (Deut. 23:17–18). “Playing the harlot” is a euphemism for idolatry (Ex. 34:15–16) because the pagan shrines did offer worshippers female and male prostitutes (“dogs”). No Jewish man or woman was ever to become a shrine prostitute, and no vow could be paid to the Lord with the hire of a prostitute. We don’t do evil that good may come from it (Rom. 3:8). All money is defiled in a sense—Paul and Peter both called it “filthy lucre” (1 Tim. 3:3, 8; Titus 1:7, 11; 1 Peter 5:2)—but some money is especially filthy because of its origin.
Seeing that justice is done (24:7, 16–18; 25:1–3, 11–16). Kidnapping was prohibited (24:7) and was a capital crime (Ex. 21:16). To kidnap people and sell them is to treat them like merchandise and not like persons created in the image of God. The Jews were not to enslave one another or sell one another to be enslaved by the Gentiles. The Lord had delivered His people from Egypt so they could be free, and kidnapping was the reverse of God’s purpose.
When an offender was found guilty and sentenced to be beaten, he was not to be humiliated but punished justly (Deut. 25:1–3). To beat him too little would be to minimize the offense, but to beat him too much would be to treat him in an inhuman manner and “degrade him” (niv). The limit was forty stripes, but the Jews later made it thirty-nine (2 Cor. 11:24) so as not to accidentally go over the legal number. Whether it’s a judge sentencing a criminal or a father chastening his child, the punishment must fit the offense and not demean the offender. As the United States “Bill of Rights” says, “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments afflicted” (Amendment VIII).
Two men fighting (Deut. 25:11–12) is an invitation for more trouble; better they should seek help and settle their dispute in a more constructive way. It’s understandable that the wife would want her husband to win, but her method of assistance was shameful, unfair, and grossly offensive. In describing this scenario, Moses prohibited all indecent methods of combat by either men or women. The penalty would certainly restrain anybody from doing such a thing.
Honest weights and measures (vv. 13–16) were essential to the public good (Lev. 19:35–37). The prophets denounced dishonest weights and measures because their use made the poor poorer and the rich richer (Amos 8:5; Mic. 6:10–11; see also Prov. 11:1; 16:11; 20:10, 23). Once again, Moses reminded the people that their future security and blessing in the land depended on their obedience to God’s law. When they cheated others, they only cheated themselves.
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 13: nkjv).