Deuteronomy 23:9 - Meaning and Application

Israel was now camped in the wilderness, and this large army was about to begin a long period of action. So it was fitting to give them special directions for keeping the camp in good order. The command comes down to one word, clean. They were to keep their camp free from moral, ceremonial, and physical uncleanness.

First, they had to guard against moral uncleanness, as verse 9 says. When the army went out against its enemies, each person was to think of himself as called in a special way to avoid every evil thing. The soldiers themselves had to watch against sin, because sin weakens courage. Guilt makes people fearful. Those who put their lives on the line should work to make and keep peace with God, and keep a clear conscience. Then they can face death without panic.

Soldiers, while carrying out their duty, also had to resist the sins of anger, greed, and sexual impurity, because these are wicked things. They had to stay away from idols, or cursed things, found in the camps they conquered. Even the people who stayed at home, the whole nation, and each individual person, had to be careful to avoid evil at that time. If they sinned, they might provoke God to withdraw his presence from the army and allow the enemy to win, to correct his own people. Times of war should also be times of renewed obedience and reform. Otherwise, how can we expect God to hear and answer our prayers for victory? (Psalm 66:18) See also (1 Samuel 7:3).

Second, they had to guard against ceremonial uncleanness, which could happen without a person even knowing it. When that happened, the law required him to wash his body in water and remain unclean until evening (Leviticus 15:16). A soldier, even with constant duties in the camp, was not free from this rule. In fact, he had to be even more careful than at other times. If he had been at home, he only needed to wash. But in the army, he had to go outside the camp, show concern for keeping it pure, and feel shame over his own impurity, and he could not return until sunset (Deuteronomy 23:10, Deuteronomy 23:11). This trouble and shame, which even accidental uncleanness brought on, was meant to teach people to have a deep dislike for fleshly lusts. It would be good if soldiers and military men would think seriously about this.

Third, they had to avoid physical uncleanness. The camp of the Lord was to have nothing offensive in it (Deuteronomy 23:12-14). It may seem strange that God’s law, or at least Moses’ solemn command, would reach into something so ordinary. But the purpose was to teach them several things. It taught modesty and proper behavior, because even nature shows that people should be different from animals, which have no shame. It taught cleanliness, and not mere fussiness, but real neatness even in the camp. Filth is unpleasant to the senses God has given us, bad for health, harmful to human comfort, and a sign of lazy carelessness.

It also taught purity from sin’s uncleanness. If they had to be so careful to keep the body clean and fresh, how much more should we care about keeping the mind clean. And it taught respect for God’s greatness. That is why the law says, “For the Lord your God walks among your camp,” by his ark, the special sign of his presence. Because God’s visible sign was in their camp, outward purity was required. Though this specific rule is not pressed in the same way now, it teaches us to keep our inner lives pure because God always sees us. By showing respect for God’s presence among them, they were taught both to resist sin and to take courage against their enemies, knowing God was with them.

This law also taught them to consider one another. One person’s filth can bother many people. So this rule about cleanliness was also a lesson not to do what would fairly offend our neighbors or cause them grief. It is, in effect, a law against nuisances.