Who's In and Who's Out of the Assembly of the Lord, and what does that term mean anyway?

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Does God's Exclusivity in the Days of Israel Make Any Sense? -- Deuteronomy 23:1-8

Here we go again -- can we really make any heads or tails out of the beginning verses of, this time, Deuteronomy chapter 23? Well, before we even try we need to agree on some terms.

This is the Old Testament. This was specific to the Israelite Nation that had recently come out of Egypt and had even more recently settled in the Promised Land.

Second, there is no single definition that commentators actually agree to with respect to the meaning of the phrase "the assembly of the Lord". So says Matthew Henry. For Chuck Smith, it's simply the 'temple' and this passage refers to entry to the temple. Robert Jamieson, who agrees with Henry, says that what is banned here is either "admission to public honors and offices in the Church and state of Israel" or it means, "in the case of foreigners, incorporation with that nation by marriage."

David Guzik is much more intrigued with the whole thing and he goes into a much more detailed explanation of the term:

"When we read this term, it usually refers to the nation gathered before the LORD in worship, such as when they were gathered at Mount Sinai (Deuteronomy 5:22, 9:10, 10:4, and 18:16). But it doesn't always have this sense.

i. Deuteronomy 31:30 refers to all the congregation of Israel, while Deuteronomy 31:28 makes it clear that "all the congregation" was gathered through all the elders of your tribes, and your officers. So, in some contexts, the congregation can refer to elders and officers. It may very well be that these exclusions from the assembly of the LORD are exclusions not from the religious life of Israel, but from the political life of the nation.

ii. Poole suggests that the idea of the assembly of the LORD is the leadership, or the rulers of Israel. These people were barred not from the religious life of Israel, but from the political life of the nation. Trapp agrees, saying on shall not enter the assembly of the LORD: "Shall not go in and out before the people as a public officer." Clarke adds, "If by entering into the congregation be meant the bearing a civil office among the people, such as magistrate, judge, &c., then the reason of the law is very plain."

iii. Isaiah 56:3-5 shows that even eunuchs and foreigners could be accepted before the LORD if they would obey Him, and they would be accepted before the "normal" people who disobeyed God."

So, we have several choices: meaning the temple (most conservative); the elders and officers of the temple (moderate); or the leadership of Israel (liberal view). You will have to make up your own mind as to the right interpretation -- or you can wait to ask God what He intended when you meet your Maker. I personally, contrary to my nature, have opted for the moderate view in this case. Not being allowed into 'the assembly of the Lord' for me refers to not having an office in the church or the temple. But I may be wrong. If so, please correct me as soon as possible.  [You can leave a message right here on the blog or go back to the social media source that directed you to today's blog.]

In the meantime, let's move on to see who's in and who's out of the 'assembly of the Lord'.

In verse 1, we see that eunuchs (men who have been castrated, especially, in the past, those employed to guard the women's living areas at an oriental court) are forbidden to be part of the assembly. Guzik has this to add:

"Eunuchs were excluded because God's covenant with Israel was vitally connected with the idea of the seed, and emasculation is a "crime" against the seed of man. Additionally, most eunuchs were made to be so in pagan ceremonies where they were dedicated to pagan gods." Again, God wanted no part of this association in His 'assembly'.

Robert Jamieson provides us with some more interesting insights into the idea of a eunuch. He writes:

"It was a very ancient practice for parents in the East by various arts to mutilate their children, with a view to training them for service in the houses of the great."  (I guess what happens today to young girls in some cultures has a long history.)

In verse 2, God commanded that no one who is a bastard (or who is illegitimate) be allowed into the 'assembly' and that went for any of his next ten generations. Again, Guzik adds here:

"It is difficult to define exactly what is meant by the term of illegitimate birth. Some later Jewish writers defined this as someone who was born of an incestuous relationship between Jews; others said it refers to those born of mixed marriages between the people of Israel and their pagan neighbors (as in Nehemiah 13:23)."

Verses 3-6, God prohibits Ammonites and Moabites from being part of the 'assembly' and provides the reasons. Guzik adds one more thing:

"Moab and Ammon were the two sons born to the daughters of Lot through their incest with their father (Genesis 19:30-38)." God wanted no part of that family in His "assembly".

One thing we know is that God has an excellent memory. What we do for Him or His people, will be rewarded; what we do against Him or His people, will require accountability.

Then verses 7-8 take an interesting twist -- Edomites (the descendents of Esau and thus "your brothers") and Egyptians (in whose land the Israelites were aliens) are not to be detested and three generations down the road, they qualify to be part of the 'assembly'. As for the Edomites, Guzik adds this interesting tidbit: 

"Interestingly, one of the most famous Edomites in history was abhorred by Israel - Herod the Great. Many of his spectacular building projects in Judea were intended to not only glorify his own name, but to win the favor of the Jews who despised him as an Edomite."

And then Guzike says this about the Egyptians:

"The Egyptians were also to receive more favor than the Moabites or Ammonites, because Israel was a guest in Egypt for almost 400 years. Though the years Israel spent in Egypt were hard, God had a great purpose for them. Egypt was like a mother's womb for Israel; they went in as a large family, and came out as a distinct nation."

So, what's the bottom line for us? I attend a local church where only 'members' are allowed to lead from the pulpit (prayer, preaching, singing, etc.) or to teach a class or small group on a regular basis. I think that is right. Becoming a member requires not only commitment but also taking a course to make sure you and the rest of the church are on the same page theologically. That's a good thing. That is how the church can preserve it's doctrine and practices. So much more so for the new state of Israel at the time of the Old Testament. God knew how rebellious the Israelites would be time and time again going forward. Can you imagine how much worse things would have been if the groups banned here were allowed to run the "assembly"? I can. And I'm glad that God took this position.

However, we are not talking about entry to the 'church or family of God' here. We know that through Jesus Christ, all can be saved -- eunuchs and bastards are no exception, nor are the descendants of the Moabites and the Ammonites.

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