BROKEN BARRIERS

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord.
No one born of a forbidden marriage nor any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, even down to the tenth generation.
No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the Lord, even down to the tenth generation. For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to pronounce a curse on you. However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you. Do not seek a treaty of friendship with them as long as you live.
Do not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother. Do not abhor an Egyptian, because you lived as an alien in his country. The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the Lord.
Deuteronomy 23:1-8

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What would it be like today if the church…”the assembly of the Lord”…were exclusionary? What if we had to meet certain qualifiers to be a part of the Lord’s team? What if we had certain things about us that would disqualify us…like our ethnicity? Well…if the church today were like this, then it would have been much like the “assembly of the Lord” we read about in our passage today.

For as Deuteronomy, Chapter 23 opens, we see guidance given to Israel as to who was not permitted to “enter the assembly of the Lord”. Included were the eunuchs (castrated males), those born from “forbidden marriages” (their descendants were excluded as well), and any Ammonite, Moabite or their descendants. Conversely, we see where Edomites and Egyptians and the “third generation of children born to them” were allowed to enter the assembly.

These guidelines would remain in play until the time of Isaiah where we see a change. For the Lord states:

Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.
Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil."
Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the Lord say, "The Lord will surely exclude me from his people."
And let not any eunuch complain, "I am only a dry tree." For this is what the Lord says:
"To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant - to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off.
And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant - these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." Isaiah 56:1-7
Note now where eunuchs and foreigners are invited into the “assembly of the Lord” as long as they keep the Lord’s Sabbaths, hold fast to His covenant and choose to do what pleases Him (to include binding themselves to Him, loving His name and worshipping Him). In other words, as long as they did what was expected of anyone else (i.e. the Israelites). This more inclusive attitude was a pre-cursor for what was about to come in Jesus…the One who came for ALL sinners to pay the price for them and offer everyone the possibility of eternal life.
For in Christ, we all receive good news…the gospel message…that whoever believes and trusts in Him as Savior…no matter who a person is or where they come from…that person will find their way to eternal life. (John 3:16) This assurance from God’s word comes with no special qualifiers. You either believe in Jesus or you don’t...and this includes living the life He commanded us to live…the life He lived Himself to show us what He expected. There’s no room for compromise. This is why Jesus would go on to say, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is the gateway through which we all pass through to be with the Father…the One who went through first paved the way for us to follow.
Friends, is this not reason to smile and give thanks today? For we have a Savior who has broken down any exclusionary barriers to the “assembly of the Lord” in exchange for pure inclusion. All can now access the Father through His Son…the Son He willing gave as a living sacrifice for His children who He so dearly loved and still loves. This is the message that the Lord wants for us to spread…this is the message we should be dedicating our lives to tell. For this is the message that saves anyone and everyone who will receive it and accept it…both now and forever. Amen.
In Christ,

Mark

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