“Practical Holiness” • 2.14.13 • Calvary
Christian Fellowship, Thursday Night Bible Study
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Intro.
Text
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Deuteronomy 22:13-19 : "If any
man takes a wife, and goes in to her, and detests her, and charges her with shameful
conduct, and brings a bad name on her, and says, ‘I took this woman, and when I
came to her I found she was not a virgin,' then the father and mother of the
young woman shall take and bring out the evidence of the young woman’s
virginity to the elders of the city at the gate. And the young woman’s father shall
say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man as wife, and he detests her.
Now he has charged her with
shameful conduct, saying, 'I found your daughter was not a virgin,' and yet
these are the evidences of my daughter’s virginity.’ And they shall spread the
cloth before the elders of the city. Then the elders of that city shall take that man and punish him;
and they
shall fine him one hundred shekels of silver and give them to the father of the
young woman, because he has brought a bad name on a virgin of Israel. And she
shall be his wife; he cannot divorce her all his days." : It is easier to be single and want to be married, than for a
person to be married and want to be single!
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The scenario here speaks toward a man who is looking for an excuse to get out
of his marriage. The marriage did not carry the magic of the wedding night!
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He destests or as the AV puts it, he hates her. When a man only has eyes for a
physical lust, when that lust is fulfilled, it will not translate to love!
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II Samuel 13 tells the story of a
young Prince named Amnon, who had a beautiful half sister named Tamar. He had
intense feelings for her, but could not rightly do anything about it.
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His cousin put an idea in his mind, and Amnon played sick, asked Tamar to come
care for him, and then forced himself on her. What did he think after that
occasion? Did it spring into love?
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II Samuel 13:15a (NLT) : "Then suddenly Amnon's love turned
to hate, and he hated her even more than he had loved her."
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Lust never produces love. In the case of our man here, he invents this story
with the hope of escaping a bad decision on his part to marry.
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He's so selfish, he's willing to wreck a woman's heart and ruin her reputation
for life!
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A lack of virginity would have said much about the character of the woman and
would have given question to any children that would come through their union.
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This would have been a legitimate claim in that part of the world. In essence,
he had received something that had been advertised differently.
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Enter in Dad and Mom, who have kept the proof of their daughter's virginity, in
this case a cloth with blood spotting on it from the wedding night, proving her
chastity.
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All they had to do was bring this out to the officials and the man would then
be beaten and fined for disgracing a virgin in Israel. On top of that, he had
to honor his marriage vow for life!
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In all of this, God protects the young woman, who otherwise, in other
countries, would simply have been cast aside, left for the poor house and a
life of hopelessness.
•
Deuteronomy 22:20,21 : "But if
the thing is true, and evidences of virginity are not found for the young
woman, then they
shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men
of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done a
disgraceful thing in Israel, to play the harlot in her father’s house. So you
shall put away the evil from among you." :
Living in sexual sin brought the penalty of death upon a woman in her Father's
house.
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This was a disgraceful thing and the evil was to be put away from them. A
message was to be sent throughout the land.
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In our way of thinking today, actions that are taken in this life reflect
mostly upon us. When it comes to the people of God, what happens to one is a
reflection upon all.
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In this case, this type of behavior brings nothing good to any of the people
involved.
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They were to be holy. They were to be different. Their sexual ethics were to
proclaim their God's value on sexual expression.
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Deuteronomy 22:22-24 : "If a man
is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall
die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the
evil from Israel. If
a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in
the city and lies with her, then you shall
bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death
with stones, the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the
man because he humbled his neighbor’s wife; so you shall put away the evil from
among you." : In the case of adultery, both the
man and woman were to be executed and a woman who was engaged, betrothed, was
to cry out for help.
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This referred both to a married woman, as well as a woman who was betrothed. In
God's law, both women were in the same kind of situation. They were considered
spoken for, married.
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She is to fight with all her might, screaming and kicking, allowing somebody to
potentially have the time to come and help her.
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If this woman was discovered in the arms of another man, not calling out for
help, then she was consenting to this action, an action that was wicked in the
sight of God.
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This seems to suggest that God wants to be sure that the ladies are always in a
place where they can call out. Don't be in a place where you are vulnerable to
attack!
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This reminds us of the story found in John
8, where a woman was caught in the act of adultery, but the man was nowhere
to be found. Justice required both parties to be executed.
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The men who were brought the lady out were more interested in trapping Jesus
than justice.
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Deuteronomy 22:25-29 : "But if a
man finds a betrothed young woman in the countryside, and the man forces her
and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. But you shall do nothing to the
young woman; there is in the young woman no sin deserving of death, for just as
when a man rises against his neighbor and kills him, even so is this matter. For he found her in the
countryside, and the betrothed young woman cried out, but there was no one to
save her. If a man finds a young woman who is
a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they
are found out, then the man who lay with her shall give to the young woman’s
father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife because he has
humbled her; he shall not be permitted to divorce her all his days." : Rape was not to be tolerated by God's people. A man forcing
himself on a woman apart from any help would surrender his life and rightfully
so.
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God's laws are so clear and by their very presence add weight to the
prohibition. Imagine if this were in effect today? Rapists would rightly beware
judgment.
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The young, victimized woman was free to go. She had committed no sin worthy of
death. In many cases, the women were workers out in the field.
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In this final example, a man who seduces an unmarried, unattached woman, then
he was to pay the bride price for her and not divorce all the days of his life.
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In God's economy, if you have the desire for sex, then you are ready to be
married.
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Deuteronomy 22:30 : "A man shall not take his father’s
wife, nor uncover his father’s bed." : Sexual
relations with a step mother was prohibited. Uncovering the Father's bed speaks
of the modesty that must be maintained.
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Part of the entire reason that Israel was now coming into Canaan resulted from
a sin in this area by Noah's son Ham who uncovered his Father's nakedness.
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From the context, it seems clear that he reveled in his Father's lapse into
drunkeness and sought to expose it, while his brother sought to cover it.
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When Noah awoke from the wine, he cursed Ham's son Canaan and thus, here the
Israelis are. The Canaanites are to be subject to the Shemites, the Hebrews.
•
Deuteronomy 23:1,2 : "He who is
emasculated by crushing or mutilation shall not enter the assembly of the Lord. One
of illegitimate birth shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation none
of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord." : This would likely refer to a person who allowed themselves to
become a eunuch for the sake of some cultic practice, for a god of the
Canaanites.
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The illegitimate birth would refer to one who was born from a cult prostitute
ceremony. That was to last to the 10th generation, a euphemistic way to
describe forever as we'll see.
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That line was not to be recognized in God's assembly. In God's covenant, none
were to appear before the Lord who were not whole, either physically or as
regarding family.
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Today, remember that Jesus has fulfilled the law. Because of Christ, God has
adopted us into His Family, so that all that come before His presence are no
longer Fatherless.
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Deuteronomy 23:3-8 : "An
Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation none
of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord forever, because they did not meet you with
bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired
against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. Nevertheless the Lord your God would not listen to
Balaam, but the Lord your God turned the curse into a
blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your
days forever. You
shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not abhor an
Egyptian, because you were an alien in his land. The children of the third generation born to them may enter
the assembly of the Lord." : The people of Ammon and Moab were cousins via the daughters
of Lot. They were the product of an incestuous relationship.
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For those who believe in social alcohol consumption, consider in our passage
tonight, that both Noah's drunkenness and Lot's drunkenness play a big part of
the backstory here!
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Lot's incestuous intercourse aside, the Ammonites and Moabites were banned because
did not come out to help the people of Israel after their captivity.
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Instead, they sought to destroy Israel when they hired Balaam the prophet, but
God turned it around because of His love for them.
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For their parts, they were not to see to bless those people. They were not to
hate the Edomites though, as they were brothers, the Edomites coming through
Esau.
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Even for the Egyptians, there was to be some loyalty, as they were guests in
their land. At the beginning of their relationship, remember that Egypt was
generous toward them. God remembers!
•
Deuteronomy 23:9-14 : "When the
army goes out against your enemies, then keep yourself from every wicked thing.
If there
is any man among you who becomes unclean by some occurrence in the night, then
he shall go outside the camp; he shall not come inside the camp. But it shall be, when evening
comes, that he shall wash with water; and when the sun sets, he may come into
the camp. Also
you shall have a place outside the camp, where you may go out; and you shall have an implement among
your equipment, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and turn
and cover your refuse. For
the Lord your
God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over
to you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He may see no unclean thing
among you, and turn away from you." : God was
going to have fellowship with His people. They were to remain ceremonially
clean even when out in battle.
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The rules did not change when they were in a foreign place. They were to keep
themselves from every wicked thing.
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That is a good motto for us as well: Lord, help me to keep myself from every wicked
thing!
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Everything within the camp was to be strictly regulated, including where waste
material was to be place. All of that sort of business was to be handled
outside of the camp.
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Why? Becuase God was in their midst to bless them with victory over their
enemies!
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It's vital for us to maintain a purity in our lives. In the days of
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Deuteronomy 23:15,16 : "You shall
not give back to his master the slave who has escaped from his master to you. He may dwell with you in your
midst, in the place which he chooses within one of your gates, where it seems
best to him; you shall not oppress him." :
In this world, a runaway slave from another nation to enter into Israel's
borders and receive protection.
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They were not to turn him in. They were to receive him and let him live
wherever he chose. God wants all to have His freedom!
•
Deuteronomy 23:17,18 : "There
shall be no ritual harlot of the daughters of Israel, or a perverted
one of the sons of Israel. You shall not bring the wages of a harlot or the price of a dog
to the house of the Lord your God for any vowed offering, for both of these are an
abomination to the Lord your God." : Prostitution was rampant in the land of Canaan. The indigenous
people celebrated or worshipped with sexual activity.
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A female was called a prostitute of course, but a male prostitute was called a
dog, thus the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog.
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Money earned from godless employment is a great insult to God. There are
certain jobs that are completely inappropriate for a Christian.
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He may have called you while you were, fill in the blank, but over time, you'll
understand that staying there in that sort of life is not conducive to a holy
life.
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Deuteronomy 23:19,20 : "You shall
not charge interest to your brother—interest on money or food or anything that
is lent out at interest. To a foreigner you may charge interest, but to your brother you
shall not charge interest, that the Lord your God may bless you in all to which you set your hand in the
land which you are entering to possess." :
Earlier in this sermon, Moses had instructed the people to actively help those
who were in financial need.
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There would always be poor among them and they were to be sure not to turn
their eyes away. Apply that same principle here.
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A brother, a sister, a fellow countrymen asks for a loan. Don't exploit him and
charge him interest on anything that you have loaned him.
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A foreigner could be charged interest. God is not trying to cut off their
revenue streams, but don't expoit your brother for that purpose.
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You are to loan to him because he is your brother and so that God would bless
you in all that you attempt to do!
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Deuteronomy 23:21-23 : "When you
make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to
pay it; for the Lord your God will surely require it of
you, and it would be sin to you. But if you abstain from vowing, it shall not be sin to you. That which has gone from your lips
you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised
with your mouth." : The point that Moses is
making is exceedingly simple.
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Measure your words carefully. Let your "yes" be "yes" and
your "no" be "no." Fulfill what you have vowed to the Lord.
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Moses is not prohibiting vows, but he is not promoting them either. Our mouths
often get us in trouble and a Christian's word should be his bond!
•
Deuteronomy 23:24,25 : "When you
come into your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes at your
pleasure, but you shall not put any in your container. When you come into your neighbor’s
standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not use a
sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain." : Since
there were no mini-marts as people traveled. The Lord gave this wonderful and
thoughtful law. You can have what you can carry in your hand.
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Enjoy that orange as you walk through the field. Maybe you'd like a little
grain to rub together as well. Whatever you can consume in that time that you
walk.
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You have that right, but don't exploit their kindness toward you by bringing in
a dump truck to collect all your oranges and wheat!
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God has called His people to be kind, generous, loving, considerate toward
those in need. Don't exploit that by taking more than you need. Be a gracious
receiver.
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Trust the Lord to give you what you need. Don't use your need to feed your
greed!
Conclusion
- Let's pray!
- Let's pray!
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