What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 23:4? For they did not meet you with food and water • Israel expected basic hospitality as they passed by (Deuteronomy 2:28–29). • Moab and Ammon refused, breaking a widely recognized duty toward travelers—a duty Abraham himself modeled when he offered “curds and milk” to strangers (Genesis 18:1-8). • Their neglect was calculated, not accidental; they knew Israel’s need (Numbers 20:17-21). • God remembers acts of mercy and acts of cruelty; Proverbs 25:21-22 highlights the blessing that could have been theirs had they shown kindness. On your way out of Egypt • The setting is the Exodus journey—God leading His people from slavery toward promise (Exodus 13:17-18; Deuteronomy 1:19). • Lack of outside help magnified the Lord’s faithful provision: manna (Exodus 16:4-5) and water from the rock (Exodus 17:6). • By refusing aid, Moab and Ammon set themselves against the saving work God was performing. And they hired Balaam son of Beor • Balak of Moab “sent messengers to Balaam… to curse Jacob” (Numbers 22:5-6). • Payment for spiritual harm reveals deep-seated hostility (2 Peter 2:15). • God overruled every attempt: “The LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you” (Deuteronomy 23:5; Numbers 24:9-10). From Pethor in Aram-naharaim • Pethor lay far to the northeast (Genesis 24:10 notes the same region). • Moab spared no expense or distance—proof of deliberate, organized opposition. • Their action echoed earlier enemies who gathered from “Mesopotamia” against Israel (Judges 3:8-10). To curse you • The goal was not mere harassment but spiritual destruction; curses were believed to summon divine wrath. • Yet God’s covenant promise stood: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse” (Genesis 12:3). • Balaam himself was forced to admit, “How can I curse whom God has not cursed?” (Numbers 23:8). summary Deuteronomy 23:4 recounts two deliberate sins of Moab and Ammon—denying Israel life-sustaining aid and hiring Balaam to unleash a curse. Both actions sprang from calculated enmity toward a people freshly redeemed by God. The verse explains why these nations were excluded from Israel’s assembly: they opposed the Lord’s saving purposes and violated basic moral law. At the same time, the account magnifies God’s faithfulness; human hostility could not starve His people or nullify His blessing. His covenant stands secure, and those who align themselves with it share in the protection and favor He guarantees. |
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