Nathan E. Lewis

“The Covenant: Clean Camp, Clean Relationships” Deuteronomy 23: 9-25
We are accustomed to thinking of the holiness of God in lofty terms. When we think of our holiness, we most likely think of virtuous living. We think that our holiness is defined by moral purity. But God’s law found in Deuteronomy 23 defines our holiness in part to be hygienic, to be environmental purity! One of the main points of our entire study of Deuteronomy is that God’s law is good for us, addressing every area of our lives. Now it must be said that God’s holiness informs all areas of our lives. God’s holiness is not merely about our spirits or our minds. It is also about our bodies and the environment. God’s holiness informs our basest and most regular bodily functions.
In light of this comprehensive holiness, the Church not only proclaims the gospel to developing nations, but she also relieves the needs of the poor. Some of this relief ministry is education towards clean water. In many impoverished communities worldwide, a stream, river or lake is the sewage system. The Mennonite Church of Canada is one of hundreds of missions involved in teaching communities in developing nations how to dispose of sewage so that their water sources might be pure. U2 fans have collected $80k this year for Bono’s Birthday Fundraiser to provide clean water in African communities. The project in Zimbabwe includes this goal: To improve sanitation facilities and school attendance through provisions of block grants to two schools for construction of improved ventilation pit latrines. When my grandparents moved to Ethiopia in the early 1930’s to serve with Sudan Interior Mission, their first project was to open a health clinic. People ask me, “Was your grandfather a doctor?� When I tell them that he was an ordained minister, they are perplexed. Why would a minister open a health clinic? At first the clinic only offered basic treatment and education, including the teaching of villagers to bury their excrement instead of dumping it into bodies of water. Of course, we publish about mass conversions, miraculous healings, and encounters with witch doctors. But part of the story of God’s holiness informing our lives includes the stories of providing clean water by properly disposing of bodily waste. With our flush toilets and honey buckets at every public event, we may take for granted the cleanliness commanded in the Law of God.
Once again, the Law of God prohibits slavery. The people of God are commanded to harbor escaping slaves, hosting them, catering to their wishes, instead of returning them to their masters. We are not to play party to oppression. The human being has been made in the image of God and we, who have received true freedom from God through Jesus Christ, should be the first to promote human liberty. Promoting human liberty, then, is part of our personal and corporate holiness.
The next laws against prostitution are related to this slavery law. Prostitution, though many claim it to be a profession, is truly oppression. Cult prostitution is oppression sponsored by religion, masquerading as spiritual ritual. God’s law is not anti-sex. Rather it is anti-slavery. The related law prohibits prostitutes and pimps from contributing their profits to the temple treasury. God’s law is certainly not anti-giving. But God’s law is against the worshipping community profiting from the oppression of women and children. (By the way, the dog, mentioned in (18) is Hebrew slang for a young male prostitute or a pimp.) Slavery in any form, including prostitution, is an abomination to the Lord. An abomination is an object of intense dislike or disapproval. In other words, not only does God view slavery to be harmful to us, but also, because of this harm to us, he hates it.
Andrew Cockburn’s groundbreaking article in National Geographic recently focused worldwide attention on the enslaving of women for prostitution. His article begins with these words, “There are more slaves today than were seized from Africa in four centuries of trans-Atlantic slave trade.� Kevin Bales of Free the Slaves estimates that 27 million people are enslaved in the world today. 10% to 15% of these slaves are kidnapped women and girls trafficked from one country to another for prostitution. OPB recently aired a documentary on the Turkish/Ukrainian connection, the kidnapping of Ukrainian women trafficking them to Istanbul and enslaving them as prostitutes. The United Nations has published a report in 2005 titled, “Have You Seen My Mother?� It alerts nations to this Turkish/Ukrainian connection, estimating that 765k is collected on each prostitute annually, for a total of $360 million profits annually for the Turkish mafia ring. BBC News has reported that Amnesty International has published this past Thursday an alarming report titled: “So Does That Mean I Have Rights? Protecting the Human Rights of Women and Girls Trafficked for Forced Prostitution in Kosovo.� Amnesty International reports that the 40,000 UN troops in Kosovo keeping peace since the late 1990’s have fueled the sex trade. If these troops were removed, the prostitution ring in Kosovo would collapse, losing most of its client base.
God’s Law prohibits this kind of oppression. God’s Law protects the woman and the young girl from being trafficked in this way. God’s Law prevents gangs of men from giving money to the Church to silence the Church, stopping her from speaking out on these issues. If we are truly a holy people of God, should we not oppose such slavery?
Another form of slavery develops through usury. As sisters and brothers we should not charge interest for loaning money , food, or anthing. We may charge interest on loans made to foreigners, that is, to anyone who is not a member of the worshipping community. It is not a crime to charge a reasonable interest on money loaned. Notice that you are not required to loan money to a fellow member of the worshipping community. But if you choose to do so, you should offer the money interest free. In this way, no one is enslaved to a brother or sister. What if a brother comes to you and says, “Freud’s Bank will lend me $30k at 10% interest. Would you consider lending me the same amount at the same interest or lower? I would rather pay you the interest.� I don’t see how such a proposal would break this law since it is an offer coming from the one who is qualified to receive a loan.
The next issue of holiness addressed in these miscellaneous laws is that of holy speech. As Jesus said in summarizing these laws, “Let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes,’ and your ‘no,’ be ‘no.’� Some religious people believe that making a vow displays their superior spirituality. Some person might think, “I am capable to make a vow and keep it.� But God’s Law reminds us that if we break a vow made before God, we are guilty of sin and so, it would be better for us not to make a vow in the first place. Making a vow to the Lord is voluntary and so there is no pressure on us to do so. But the breaking of a vow is a serious matter. Personal holiness, then, includes our speech, especially our promises made to God.
The two final laws of this section concern the eating of your neighbor’s grapes and grain. If you are in your neighbor’s vineyard, you can only eat so many of his grapes. You may pluck a few heads of grain and sample your neighbor’s bounty, but you can’t stuff your gunnysack full of his grapes or harvest a quantity of his grain. Your neighbor’s livelihood depends upon his crops. Personal holiness includes our respecting of our neighbors’ property.
God’s law shows us how to maintain a clean camp and clean relationships. A clean environment is important to God and commanded of us. A world free of all forms of slavery is important to God and commanded of us. Faithful speech is important to God and commanded of us. Good neighborly relationships are important to God and commanded of us. I now have a clearer understanding about how to live a holy life. I agree with all of these laws governing a life of holiness. Now, Lord Jesus Christ, spiritually empower me to live such a life. Without your empowerment, I am unable to do so. Jesus, in your grace, strengthen me.
Dear friends, if you have broken any of these laws as I have done many a time, receive with gladness this good news: We have an advocate in God’s courtroom. The apostle John wrote these comforting words: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours only but for the sins of the whole world.� Jesus, the propitiation for our sins means that his death has satisfied God’s justice. United to Christ Jesus we are no longer targets for God’s wrath.