Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 23: God walks among His people

Begin in prayer

Before reading about holiness in Israel’s camp, let us remember the God who walks among His people. Ask Him to show our family the care and purity that belong to life in His presence.

God sets the lonely in families. He brings out the prisoners with singing, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.

Psalm 68:6

Father in heaven, Your presence calls Your people to holiness. Help us understand these laws and see Your love in turning a curse into blessing. Lead us to Christ and teach our family to honor You in practical care. Please open our eyes as we read Your Word, make us more like Christ, and bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

Moses names those excluded from the LORD’s assembly and sets different terms for neighboring peoples. Ammon and Moab opposed Israel, yet God turned Balaam’s intended curse into blessing because He loved His people. Israel’s military camp must remain clean because the holy LORD walks among them. An escaped servant must be allowed to settle without oppression. Prostitution and its earnings must never be brought into the LORD’s service. Israelites must not charge interest to a fellow Israelite, must keep voluntary vows, and may eat a neighbor’s produce without carrying away a harvest.

As you read Deuteronomy 23, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

God walks among His people in holiness and commands them to honor Him and care for others.

The assembly of the LORD was Israel gathered before Him to worship. Some were kept out, and the Ammonites and Moabites were kept out forever (verse 3). They had refused Israel bread and water and had hired Balaam to curse them (verse 4). But God turned the curse into a blessing, because He loved His people (verse 5). Edomites were treated as brothers, because they came from Esau, Jacob's brother (verse 7). Even the army camp must be kept clean, because the LORD walked in the middle of it to save them (verse 14). The same holy God cares for an escaped slave, a borrower and a hungry traveler (verses 15 to 25). Later the LORD promised eunuchs and foreigners who hold to Him a place in His house (Isaiah 56 verses 3 to 5). In Christ that promise is kept, and people of every nation who trust Him are welcomed into God's family.

How does Deuteronomy 23 show us that God walks among His people in holiness and commands them to honor Him and care for others?

God’s love protects His people.

Ammon and Moab failed to meet Israel with food and water. They hired Balaam to curse the people God had redeemed. The LORD refused that curse and turned it into blessing because He loved Israel.

God’s presence calls for holiness.

The camp must deal with uncleanness and keep human waste outside its boundaries. The LORD walks among His people to deliver them. The camp must remain holy so He does not see uncleanness and turn away from them.

God requires mercy and honest limits.

An escaped servant must be given a place to live without oppression. A hungry traveler may eat in a neighbor’s field or vineyard. Taking produce away in a container or cutting grain with a sickle would cross the stated limit.

Memorise

for Yahweh your God walks in the middle of your camp, to deliver you, and to give up your enemies before you.

Deuteronomy 23:14

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, where do I treat God’s presence lightly, and why do I need Jesus?

God turned the curse into blessing, as Moses says, “because Yahweh your God loved you”. Israel’s safety rests in the LORD who walks among them. His holy presence also calls them to purity and care for others.

Christ brings a greater deliverance, for He carried the curse His people deserve. He died for them. God raised Him up, and the curse could not hold Him. His saving work is finished, and nothing more is needed to secure their forgiveness.

Turn from sin and come to the Savior. Those who believe in Jesus are forgiven, because He loved them first. The God who walks among His people has come near to sinners in His Son.

Parent's note

Tell your children that God’s presence called Israel to holiness and care for vulnerable people. Explain the assembly restrictions without mocking bodily injury or placing shame on a child for the circumstances of birth. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God for His protecting love, and bring the careless conduct in the heart question before Him. Every child can pray, so welcome each child’s request for help.

The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

Acts 11:21

Father in heaven, thank You for the love that turns cursing into blessing through Christ. Bring each of us to trust His sacrifice. Help those who believe to honor Your holy presence, keep their promises, and show mercy toward people who need a safe place to live. In Jesus' name, Amen.