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Scriptural Text [& Editorial]
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Commentary & Explanation
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Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
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CHAPTER 23
Moses specifies those who may and may not enter the cogregation—He
sets forth laws concerning sanitation, servants, usury, and vows.
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1 HE that is
awounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off,
shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
2 A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.
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3 An aAmmonite or Moabite shall not
enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth
generationa shall
they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:
4 Because they met you not with
abread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of
Egypt; and because they hired against thee bBalaam the son
of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee.
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3a to their tenth generation
Now the Ammonite and Moabite were of the 'house of Shem' or of the Semitic
people and technically they were kinsmen and marriable as was the case of both
Jacob and Isaac marrying their near cousins of the house of Tarah. And both the
Ammonites and Moabites were the 'children of Lot', kinsman of Abraham. But
as to the Lord's restriction against them, the reason given may not have been
the purpose of it. Lot had children by his own daughters, thus the Ammonites
and Moabites. Whether the Lord was concerned for such close breeding entering '
into Israel or his purpose stated against them, in the case of the sons of
Elimelech the marriage was allowed in that they were near relations or
of Semitic descent as was also the case of the wife of Joseph in Egypt. But
this may have been the cause of Boaz standing in the gate to represent Ruth
rather than for Ruth to stand for herself. She may not have been accepted as
being 'of the congregation of Israel', though wife of Mahlon. Yet as wife of
Mahlon, to raise up seed to the dead was still an obligation of Mahlon's
kinsman brother.
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5 Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto
Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the acurse into a
bblessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God
cloved thee.
6 Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.
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7 ¶ Thou shalt not abhor an
aEdomite; for he is thy brother: thou shalt not
abhor an Egyptian; because thou wast a bstranger in his
land.
8 The children that are begotten of them shall enter into the congregation of the LORD in their third generation.
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9 ¶ When athe host goeth forth
against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing.
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10 ¶ If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp:
11 But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again.
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12 ¶ Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad:
13 And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and
it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith,
and shalt turn back and cover athat which cometh from
thee:
14 For the LORD thy God awalketh in
the bmidst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up
thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no
unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
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15 ¶ Thou shalt not deliver unto his
amaster the servant which is escaped from his master unto
thee:
16 He shall dwell with thee, even among you,
in that place which he shall choose in one of thy agates,
where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him.
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17 ¶ There shall be no awhore
of the daughters of Israel, nor ba sodomite of the sons of
Israel.
18 Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
Gay Rights?
Now in speaking of 'whores of the daughters of Israel' and 'sodomites of the
sons of Israel', the Lord in the Law of Moses is including the sexual sins
of actively being 'gay'. In terms of the ancient law, this should have
prohibited any such from dwelling in Israel, thus the harsh treatment of such
as the tribe of Benjamin which would nearly eliminate that tribe from Israel.
In terms of today's consideration, church membership ought to be withdrawn
from any known active 'gay' person, daughter or son as they may be. They
will not be tolerated in the day of the Lord's millennial reign. And though
the world tolerates them currently the Lord will apply his standard as so
stipulated here, that they will not be an accepted part of Israel and those
so associated with Israel in the Lord. Thus our belief is that their practice
is a sin which will be elimated upon the Second Coming of Christ. Either they
then must repent or be removed by the hand of the Lord.
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19 ¶ Thou shalt not lend upon
ausury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals,
usury of any thing that is lent upon usury:
20 Unto a astranger thou mayest
lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not blend
upon usury: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest
thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
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21 ¶ When thou shalt avow a
bvow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it:
for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee.
22 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.
23 That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the LORD thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth.
Keeping Covenants
To 'swear' an oath or a covenant unto the Lord is that which commandment not
to so swear was speaking of. Vain or ill intended vows unto the Lord where
the intent is actually not to keep such covenant is what is being spoken of.
This certainly included the 'covenant of the sacrement' as taken upon one's
self volentarily. And it is why there is such a great condemnation of those
who partake unworthily, for so doing they are false swearing a vow, oath
or covenant in vain, with no real intent to keep it. Thus it is better not
to partake than to covenant in vain, for therein lies the sin and the
condemnation on the part of God against them.
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24 ¶ When thou comest into thy neighbour's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy vessel.
25 When thou comest into the standing
acorn of thy neighbour, then thou mayest pluck the
bears with thine hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle
unto thy neighbour's standing corn.
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