Ep 986 – Deuteronomy 23:1-8

The worship of God is serious business. And not everyone is worthy to enter into His presence. When God set apart the nation of Israel as His chosen possession, he also provided them with His law. Those decrees and commandments were intended to regulate their behavior, so that they could remain unstained by sin and capable of worshiping alongside the rest of the assembly. And the sacrificial system was the God-ordained means by which those who committed sins could receive atonement and cleansing – once again, making it possible for them to worship God in the manner He deserved. But in Deuteronomy 23:1-8, Moses provides the people of Israel with additional rules designed to restrict the access of some from the God-ordained times of corporate worship. This has less to do with the unworthiness of those who were restricted and more to do with the holiness and worthiness of God.