23:3-6
The Ammonites and Moabites did not help the Israelites nor respond to any of their reasonable requests. Indeed, they hired Balaam to curse the Israelites, though this did not work out as expected! So they were to be excluded and Israel is instructed to have nothing to do with them. At the same time we should note that Ruth was a Moabitess, and is part of the human genealogy of Jesus (Matt 1:5).
23:7,8
While the Ammonites and Moabites were to be despised, the Edomites and Egyptians were not to be despised. The Edomites (who descended from Esau) were related to Israel, and so were not to be despised. They had lived in Egypt for a time, and so were not to despise them either. During the time of Joseph they were treated kindly by Egypt, though later they were enslaved. Children born of these people at the third generation were allowed to enter the assembly.
No comments:
Post a Comment