Odd & ends rules for worship

Deuteronomy Chapter 23

Moses is giving instructions on who cannot worship with those who assemble with the Lord. He said, no man whose testicles had been crushed or penis cut off, could be included in the assembly. Those of illegitimate birth and their descendants for ten years may not be included. No Ammonites or Moabites, or any of their descendants for ten generations may be included. These nations did not welcome the Israelites with food and water when they came out of Egypt. Instead they tried to hire Balaam, son of Beor from Pethor to curse the Israelites, but the Lord would not listen to Balaam. He turned the intended curse into a blessing. You must never so long as you live, try to help the Ammonites or Moabites in any way.

However, Moses said to the Israelites, to not detest the Edomites or Egyptians, because the Edomites are your relatives and you lived as foreigners among the Egyptians. The third generation of Egyptians who came with you from Egypt may enter the assembly and worship the Lord.

Next Moses gave miscellaneous regulations: when you go to war stay away from anything impure. If a man become ceremonially unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he must bathe himself and at sunset may return to the camp.

Mark off an area outside the camp as a latrine. Each of you must have a spade as part of your equipment, so when you relieve yourself, dig a hold and cover the excrement. The camp must be holy, for the Lord moves around your camp to protect you and defeat your enemies. He must not see shameful things among you, or he might turn away from you.

If slaves escape and take refuge with you, do not force them to return. Let them live among you in whatever town they choose and do not oppress them.

No Israelite man or woman may become a temple prostitute. Do not bring to the house of the Lord any offering from the earnings of a prostitute, it would be detestable to the Lord.

Do not charge interest on loans you make to your fellow Israelite, whether it is for food, money, or anything else. You may charge interest to foreigners, but not to Israelites, so the Lord may bless you in everything you do in the land you are about to occupy.

When you make a vow to the Lord, be prompt in doing whatever you promised him. For the Lord demands that you promptly fulfill all your vows. If you don't, you will be guilty of sin. However, it is not a sin to refrain from making a vow. But be careful to do as you said for your vow is to the Lord your God.

You may eat your fill of grapes from your neighbor's vineyard, but do not take any away in a basket. And you may pluck a few heads of your neighbor's grain by hand, but you may not harvest it with a sickle.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW Moses was trying to catch up on all the small regulations the Israelites must follow before they entered the Promised Land.

Prostitution was not overlooked by God's law, it was strictly forbidden. To forbid this was obvious to us, but to the Israelites, every other religion known to them included prostitution as a part of the worship service.Prostitution mocks God's idea of sex, treating sex like an isolated physical act, instead of a commitment to another. Outside of marriage, it destroys relationships. God frequently had to warn the people against the practice of extramarital sex.

The eating of bits of grapes and bits of grain by hand was to guard against hunger, but did not mean it as an excuse for taking advantage of one's neighbor.

How does this chapter relate to us today? Times have changed since the days of the Israelites entering the promised land. We have not Ammonites and Moabites to banish from our worship. Nor illegitimate souls. We appear to be much more lenient and open in letting everyone who desires to worship, do so. Can you imagine the uproar if we suddenly banned all divorced or illegitimate people from worship? Or forbidding someone with missing body parts or handicapped? The love of Jesus Christ brought about such sweeping changes in the worship service. His thinking was that everyone should be allowed to worship, that bringing souls to Christ was a good thing.

Have you brought someone to your church lately? Have you asked someone at work or in your neighborhood to come to your place of worship? Perhaps there is a person just waiting to be asked. Just afraid to go in without a familiar face to see. YOU be the one to ask, YOU be the one to bring someone to Christ.

Yours in Christ,
Mary