Deuteronomy 22 Journey Through the Bible Deuteronomy 24
King James Version
The Book of Deuteronomy
Chapter 23
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Commentary
Deuteronomy 23
When the host goeth forth against thine enemies, then keep thee from every wicked thing (v 9). I have recognized this underlying factor in all of the battles that the People had faced, that God would bless them in their coming and in their going, but only if they keep themselves from every wicked thing. I want to think about what this "every wicked thing" is actually implying. First of all, when the People are facing opposition so great that they would rather deprive themselves of the speedy overtaking of the land of Canaan than to "go in and surely overcome them", I tend to think that by reason of being, it would seem utterly hopeless to think that them must at such times be completely sin free or else God will put upon them that which He would have done to their enemies. So is this a "suicide mission", or an episode of Mission Impossible? It would seem so, at least at first glance. Let's take a closer look.
In most of the chapters that contain text of the Laws of God, I have found that its either just before or just after a confrontation with an enemy, and that it is "enhanced", if you will, with this or similar word of warning, "...then keep thee from every wicked thing", and then it will usually include the punishment for disobedience or blessing for being obedient. I see new laws coming into effect in many of the recent chapters, and I want to believe that this is what growth looks like from a textual perspective, but sometimes I can almost smell the dusty ground as the People march onward. There are times when there onward walk is solid, and during these times, God pours out His blessings so abundantly that the whole world can't help wondering at God's outstretched arms.
He cares for His people, then and now. These new laws don't come into effect so that the People will fail, but just the opposite is true. When the People have walked upright for enough time, God will want to advance them to a fuller wholeness; to bring greater distance between the People of God now and the wretched slave people that they had become over the 400 years of their captivity. I don't live in slavery. In fact, some people would probably think that I am doing pretty good for what little effort that I exert for it. But that's what they see from where they stand.
This big city is not much different than my idea of what Sodom what like. All of the things that the Bible says about Sodom is true here, today. Even all of the things that researchers have found in the lifestyle of the Sodomites is very real in this big city today. There are some of us in this city that truly do love God and trust in His word. It is for these that God would spare a city such as this. His parable of the weeds growing up in the wheat fields, that the enemy planted in the night, it is this story that helps us to understand that God is watering His fields. The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike. In the end, the harvester will send the weeds to the fire.
Thank God that humans have the opportunity to become harvestable wheat, from the weeds that we were born into. It is our root to be weeds, but because God rained down on us with the blood of Jesus, we were given a chance at real life. We don't have to be Coma Christians; the ones who give their hearts to God and do nothing more than suffer through a superficial lifestyle that they think is the Christian Walk. This think ought not to be so. Jesus came that we might have life, and that more abundantly!
He wants for each of us to not only be harvestable wheat, but that we can morph into a beautiful rose bud, then bloom into a full grown butterfly, and fly away into the vast array of colors in Gods lovely rainbow. You can paint the picture any way you like, it will still only capture a glimpse of God's unending glory, and we can have that in our LIVING YEARS! So stop letting Satan tell you that your sin will keep you from heaven. This will only succeed in causing you to focus on the consequences. True joy in God is to focus on the rewards for righteous living. Its the difference between freedom and bondage.
Don't be down when you sin. Look up and remember that way don't work. Shake it off and keep the faith. That is the Wilderness Journey message, keep the faith.
