In this message, the last on the rehearsal of the law, we will cover further general statutes and judgments.
Deuteronomy 23:9-14 speaks concerning keeping the camp clean. When the children of Israel as a camp went forth against their enemies, they were to keep themselves from every evil thing, especially from the discharges of their physical bodies (vv. 9-13). Jehovah their God walked in the midst of their camp to rescue them and deliver up their enemies before them; therefore their camp was to be holy (v. 14). This indicates that in the church as God's fighting camp today everything must be clean.
A camp is a group of people who have been formed into an army for fighting. If the camp is not clean and orderly, how can the army fight? Whether or not an army can fight depends on how those in the army take care of the camp. A clean, orderly camp is a sign of a strong, disciplined army. As the army of God today, we must keep our camp clean and in a good order. This is our training and our discipline, which enable us to fight.
There was not to be a cult prostitute among the daughters of Israel, nor was there to be a cult prostitute among the sons of Israel (v. 17). The payment for a harlot and the price for a dog were not to be brought into the house of Jehovah for a vow, for both of them were an abomination to Jehovah (v. 18). Here the term dog refers to a male prostitute or sodomite.
When the children of Israel entered their neighbor's vineyard, they could eat grapes, but they were not to put any into their vessel (v. 24). If they had put grapes into a vessel, they would have been greedy. Likewise, when they went into their neighbor's standing grain, they could pluck some ears with their hand, but they were not to wield a sickle upon their neighbor's standing grain (v. 25). Wielding a sickle would also have been a sign that they were greedy. These verses indicate that we should care only for our need and should not be greedy. We need to learn to be restricted in any kind of seeking.