Deuteronomy 22 and 23
PERHAPS some of us are finding these chapters long and not so very interesting. But remember that it is out of God’s deep interest in a people He loves, that these rules are given. Think how much He must have thought about them, to tell them of even the smallest matters, like lost clothes (22:3), bird’s nests (22:6), and eating grapes in a neighbor’s vineyard (Chap. 23:24)! Surely, He has as deep an interest in those who believe in the Lord Jesus in these days. With loving thoughts, He concerns Himself with all our affairs by day and by night! Knowing this, in the twenty-third Psalm, David records of God as his Shepherd, “Thou art with me” “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
These chapters show us not only things that are right, and things that are wrong: they go further and tell us what God’s will is about even the smallest matters in our lives: what is pleasing to Him, and what He cannot be pleased with. How, shall anyone know what he should do or should not do? By studying the Word of God, of course. The Bible is a mine of wealth, as someone has said very truly.
In the twenty-third chapter we find people of some other countries mentioned: Ammonites and Moabites, Edomites and Egyptians all come in for mention, and we notice that God does not forget the past. The children of Ammon and those of Moab might come to live among the people of God for many years, yet they were not allowed to join God’s people in their meetings; the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of these strangers, even though they were born in the country, were just as much shut out when the people of God came together to speak to Him. Ten generations is a long time, —at least 200 years. If left to ourselves, without the Word of God, in a question like this, you and I would, in a very short time, say, “It is a long while ago that this trouble happened; we might as well forget it, and admit that we have made mistakes too; we must not be too severe”, but since God’s Word is to be the Christian’s guide. we must look to learn what is His mind. Not only here in this 23rd of Deuteronomy do we find instruction on this subject, but in the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, verse 15, we get these words:
“God requireth that which is past.”
Verse 14 of chapter 23 is another important one to guard God’s people against everything not suitable to His presence. Shall His keen eyes, as He “walks” among them, see any unclean thing in them? Let nothing he left unjudged, and not put away, that the Bible condemns.
ML 02/01/1925