We are Included in God's Kingdom Solely by His Love and Grace
Scripture Passage: Deuteronomy 23:1-8 (NASB)
1“No one who is emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord. 2 No one of illegitimate birth shall enter the assembly of the Lord; none of his descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall enter the assembly of the Lord. 3 No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the Lord; none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall ever enter the assembly of the Lord, 4 because they did not meet you with food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. 5 Nevertheless, the Lord your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, but the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you. 6 You shall never seek their peace or their prosperity all your days.
7 “You shall not detest an Edomite, for he is your brother; you shall not detest an Egyptian, because you were an alien in his land. 8 The sons of the third generation who are born to them may enter the assembly of the Lord.
SUMMARY
This passage states that that no one who is emasculated, is of illegitimate birth, or is an Ammonite or Moabite (or their descendants) can enter the assembly of the Lord. God singles out the Ammonites and Moabites because they did not meet the Israelites with food and water on the way out of Egypt. God reminds the Israelites that the Ammonites and Moabites hired Balaam to curse the Israelites, but God turned the curse of Balaam into a blessing for the Israelites. God also says that the Israelites shall not detest the Edomites, who are the Israelites’ brothers, or the Egyptians because the Israelites were aliens in the Egyptians’ land. The sons of the third generation of the Edomites and Egyptians may enter the Assembly of God.
MEDITATION & REFLECTION
In today’s passage God fixes rules for who can join the assembly of God based on the past conduct of that group. These rules are clear and final. There is no ambiguity. In a way this passage could be frightening, the way that God dispenses final justice based on the past actions of each group. But He is perfectly righteous and fair. Is it harsh that the Ammonites and Moabites are forever banned from being part of God’s people because they did not give Israelites food and water as the Israelites were leaving Egypt? It might seem so. When the Ammonites were taking sides against Israel, I doubt the Ammonites imagined that their actions would prevent them from joining the assembly of God.
But the reality is – sin has consequences. Just because God has forgiven us does not mean that we may sin without any consequence. Our sin hurts our families, our friends, those around us, and ultimately our sin damages our own hearts, taking us farther and farther away from God. In fact sin by definition is disobeying and rejecting God. So it makes sense that the Ammonites and Moabites, who deliberately rejected and harmed God’s people, would be excluded from the assembly of God. Through their sin they showed that they didn’t want to be part of God’s people in the first place.
APPLICATION
I often excuse my sins by telling myself, this is not a big deal. During the pandemic, I find myself having a shorter temper than usual, less patience with everyone in my life including my family and my co-workers. If I am rude to a co-worker, or I yell at my son, I tell myself – it’s not a big deal, I will make it up later. But in fact there are immediate and harsh consequences. With every harsh word, every time I fail to show patience and love to those around me, I separate myself farther from God and from my family and co-workers. A member of our men’s QT group reminded me this week that the farther I am from God, the more reluctant I am to return. Sin hardens my heart. My hardened heart and guilt make me less willing to listen to God.
The reality is I deserve to be cast out with the Ammonites. That I am included in God’s Kingdom is solely because of God’s love and grace. God, in His infinite mercy, decided to include me and all sinners in His Kingdom through Christ’s sacrifice. In the light of His mercy towards this undeserving sinner, how can I do anything other than repent for my personal sin, and especially my lack of love for others?
PRAYER
Lord, I forget too easily Your mercy and justice. Your justice and righteousness is perfect. By right I should be with the Ammonites, forever outside Your assembly. My own sin is so deep, but somehow You forgave me. Please help me to remember always that my life and everything I have is only given to me through Your blessing. Please help me to put everything in perspective, and understand that whatever might be making me feel annoyed or impatient is nothing compared to the vastness of my own sin and the infinitely greater love that You show me every minute of my life. Please plant in my heart the overflowing love of Your Spirit, which produces spiritual fruit that I cannot produce on my own. Most of all, Lord, help me to understand Your heart for Your people and to have that same heart myself.
In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.
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