Deuteronomy 23: not mixing pagan worship with the worship of the LORD

The seeming prohibition against emasculated men and illegitimate children in God’s “assembly” in this chapter have been used widely to discredit His word. Explore whether God is being capricious and cruel with such proclamations, or whether He wants His people to avoid the pitfall of mixing evil worship practices with worship of the LORD.

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Food for thought from the audio discussion

Is Deut. 23:1 referring to someone emasculated by accident or warfare? How does this often-ridiculed example of Torah irrelevance change with the consideration that the emasculation referred to in this passage was part of a pagan religious rite? How does the meaning of this passage also change considering Hebrew Bibles make Deut. 22:30 as the first verse of this chapter? (Read Deut. 22:30 and Deut. 23:1 as one thought.)

What is meant by “enter the assembly of the LORD” (Deut. 23:1-3)?

What is the root meaning of the Hebrew word mamzer, translated as “one of a illegitimate birth” (NASB) or “born of a forbidden marriage” (NIV)?

How are the prohibitions in this chapter related to those in Leviticus 18, especially Lev. 18:24? What is meant by “uncover the nakedness” in the King James and New American Standard versions of Leviticus 18? How is all that is discussed in these two chapters connected to the mixing of the practices of pagan religions with the worship of the LORD?

Why is God tough against generations that weren’t part of the initial offense (Deut. 23:3)?

What does God have against “shrine prostitutes” (Deut. 23:17)? Where in ancient Israel has archaeology found such practices taking place? What does the Bible say about this (Eze. 8:13-18)?

If you’re not to charge interest to fellow Israelites (Deut. 23:19), when can you charge interest? How is faith in God related to this question?

How is Deut. 23:21 related to the Third Commandment (Ex. 20:7) and Messiah Yeshua’s teaching on vows (Matt. 5:33-37)? How is Yeshua’s clarification related to living “on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4)?