5 More Miscellaneous Laws To Help Us Get Along With God's People

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Prostitution, Offerings, Interest, Vows, and Greed -- All Issues God Warns About -- Deuteronomy 23:17-24

This passage covers five more laws God lays out for us via Moses. Here's a summary and some thoughts:

1. Prostitution (verses 17). It's a no-go for women and for men. No gender bias here. The text (NASB at least) refers specifically to a "cult prostitute". Many argue with the use of that adjective.  Wikipedia which seems to prefer the phrase 'sacred prostitution' says this:

"Sacred prostitution, temple prostitution, cult prostitution, and religious prostitution are general terms for a rite consisting of paid intercourse performed in the context of religious worship, possibly as a form of fertility rite or divine marriage."

There is much controversy as to whether or not they really existed as we know prostitutes today or whether they performed other duties in the temples of the ancient world. Much depends on the Hebrew words used in each case. Suffice it to say, that whatever their purpose, the general feeling is that carrying them out was unacceptable to God. (If you do a Google study on this, you will get much more than you bargained for, trust me.)

Our rather prolific commentator, Matthew Henry, looks at these verses this way:

"The land of Israel must be no shelter for the unclean; no whore, no Sodomite, must be suffered to live among them (v. 17, 18), neither a whore nor a whoremonger. No houses of uncleanness must be kept either by men or women. Here is . . . [a] good reason intimated why there should be no such wickedness tolerated among them: they were Israelites. This seems to have an emphasis laid upon it. For a daughter of Israel to be a whore, or a son of Israel a whoremaster, is to reproach the stock they are come of, the people they belong to, and the God they worship. It is bad in any, but worst in Israelites, a holy nation,2 Sa. 13:12.

2. Unacceptable Offerings (verse 18). In this verse the Israelites were told, and we need to pay attention, that monies coming from prostitution or the "wages of a dog" are unacceptable to God. Period. What does the text mean when it refers to the "wages of a dog" and is God equating that with prostitution?  For starters, we are told both of these things are "an abomination to the Lord your God."

David Guzak suggests that 'hire of a harlot' refers to female prostitution earnings whereas 'wages of a dog' refers to earnings from male prostitution. He goes on to say this is:

"A reminder of the principle that the work of the LORD does not need money from immoral or ill-gotten gains. Even in its most gross forms, this kind of practice has been allowed in the institutional church."

Guzik goes on to quote English commentator John Trapp writing in 1659: "And what a stinking shame is that, that stews and brothel-houses are licensed by the Pope, who reaps no small profit by them?"

Of course this issue as to whether or not pastors or missionaries should accept monies earned in immoral ways (e.g. through prostitution or gambling, or extortion, etc.) to carry out their work has been around for decades. I must admit I have to this point in time sided with the argument I heard a few years ago in favor of doing so that went something like this: "The devil has had that money long enough; it's time we put it to work for God."  That was easy to accept, but having studied these verses, I have changed my mind. God is richer than that. He doesn't need it and I believe, He doesn't want it, according to this passage.

Henry comes across on this as well:

"A just mark of displeasure put upon this wickedness, that the hire of a whore, that is, the money she gets by her whoring, and the price of a dog, that is, of the Sodomite, pimp, or whoremaster (so I incline to understand it, for such are called dogs, Rev. 22:15), the money he gets by his lewd and villainous practices, no part of it shall be brought into the house of the Lord (as the hire of prostitutes among the Gentiles was into their temples) for any vow. This intimates, 

• • • (1.) That God would not accept of any offering at all from such wicked people; they had nothing to bring an offering of but what they got by their wickedness, and therefore their sacrifice could not but be an abomination to the Lord, Prov. 15:8.
    • (2.) That they should not think, by making and paying vows, and bringing offerings to the Lord, to obtain leave to go on in this sin, as (it should seem) some that followed that trade suggested to themselves, when their offerings were admitted. Prov. 7:14, 15, This day have I paid my vows, therefore came I forth to meet thee. Nothing should be accepted in commutation of penance.
    • (3.) That we cannot honour God with our substance unless it be honestly and honourably come by. It must not only be considered what we give, but how we got it; God hates robbery for burnt-offerings, and uncleanness too."

These commentaries alone have much for us to consider. God doesn't accept such offerings. We can't go on with sin and worship at the same time. 

3. Interest (verses 19 and 20). The Israelites could lend money, or food, or anything that could be lent, to both other Israelites and to foreigners, but they could only charge interest (of any type) to foreigners. In our study of earlier chapters, you will remember that God has provided ways for unpaid debts to be covered between Israelites. The text says God expected the Israelites to keep this law "so that the Lord your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land".  Do you get the sense that this has something to do with being successful in business?  I do.

Robert Jamieson suggests that this distinction was "admirably conducive to keeping the Israelites separate from the rest of the world." Business practices have a way of drawing us more towards the world, than the other way around. So this distinction does indeed make sense for us today as well. While we are in no way to cheat foreigners in our dealings with them, there is an opportunity to treat God's people in an even more beneficial manner.

Matthew Henry reminds us that because the Israelites were to share all things in common, there was very little need for lending anything to each other.  The lending was primarily to help people get by with their immediate needs of day to day living and suggests to me perhaps that it may have been lending as we might lend a cup of sugar for baking to a neighbor today until she/he can get to the store.

4. Your Word (verses 21-23). When you promise something, do it. Don't delay. When you owe something, pay it back on time as you said you would. Because if you don't, God calls it "sin" to you and He will require it of you one way or another. There seems to be an out -- if you didn't promise or make a vow to do so, then it is not sin in you. But you still need to do the ethical thing. The last of these three verses goes on to say you need to perform whatever your lips said you would perform, because for you, saying it is the same "as you have voluntarily vowed (it) to the Lord your God." That's a big one. Integrity matters to God. It's a hard thing to find these days, especially among politicians, but also rare in the business world.

Again Guzik educates us here with his thoughts: "In many circles today, the breaking of an oath is just standard business practice -- but before God, it is simply sin."

For Guzik, the question arises as to whether or not 'vows' or 'oaths' are permitted for a Christian today. I like the way he answers this dilemma: 

"i. Some think not, because of what Jesus said in Matthew 5:34-37: But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. (See also James 5:12)

ii. But, in context of the rest of Scripture, we see that Jesus was not forbidding oaths, as much as telling us that we should be so filled with integrity in our words that an oath is unnecessary.

iii. Jesus answered under oath in a court (Matthew 26:63-64), and God Himself swears oaths (Luke 1:73, Acts 2:30, Hebrews 3:18, 6:13, 17).

Vows are never required by God; many times it is better not to make a vow. . . . Many vows are just plain foolish - "I'll never do that again" is a foolish vow, and it is foolish and unwise to demand such a vow from someone else. . . .  Of course, there is a vow we all can and should make - a vow to praise God: Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises unto You (Psalm 56:12). So I will sing praise to Your name forever, that I may daily perform my vows (Psalm 61:8)."

5. Greed (verses 24-25). When the Israelites were visiting the vineyards of their neighbors or their fields, they were only to partake of the fruit or grapes or grain to the extent that they were hungry and needed to eat. They were not to  bring baskets and fill them, or apply a sickle to the grain in order to reap more faster  (You may remember that some Israelites had the practice of taking more than they were supposed to as far back as when God was providing them with 'daily' manna in the wilderness.)

Guzik explains it as follows:

"The idea is that, as one traveled they had the right to pick off a few grapes or heads of grain to eat along the way. It wasn't the right to harvest from your neighbor's fields, but to provide for your own immediate needs. . . . This is the law Jesus and His disciples were operating under when they plucked heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands (Luke 6:1-5). They were accused by the Pharisees of breaking the Sabbath, but not of stealing grain, because the Pharisees knew this law in the book of Deuteronomy."

Henry adds some new thoughts on this one:

"[The law got the Israelites used] to hospitality, and teaches us to be ready to distribute, willing to communicate, and not to think every thing lost that is given away. Yet, [I]t forbids us to abuse the kindness of our friends, and to take the advantage of fair concessions to make unreasonable encroachments: we must not draw an ell from those that give but an inch. They may eat of their neighbour's grapes; but it does not therefore follow that they may carry away."

IN ALL THESE 5 AREAS, it sounds to me that God and Moses certainly knew the Israelites and God certainly knows us. Bottom line:

-- No prostitution.

-- No ill-earned offerings to God (you can't sin at night and worship in the morning)

-- No interest to be charged to our brothers and sisters in the Lord

-- No NOT keeping our word (it is a sin)

-- No greediness or misuse of the kindness of others

How are you and I doing in these matters?

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