Deuteronomy 23:9-14--Uncleanness in the Camp

Deuteronomy 23:9-14
English Standard Version

Uncleanness in the Camp
9 “When you are encamped against your enemies, then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing.

10 “If any man among you becomes unclean because of a nocturnal emission, then he shall go outside the camp. He shall not come inside the camp, 11 but when evening comes, he shall bathe himself in water, and as the sun sets, he may come inside the camp.

​12 “You shall have a place outside the camp, and you shall go out to it. 13 And you shall have a trowel with your tools, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig a hole with it and turn back and cover up your excrement. 14 Because the LORD your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must be holy, so that he may not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.

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So, we just talked about the Tabernacle and Temple not being defiled by letting certain kinds of people approach the LORD's altar (certain people were excluded from "the congregation" or "the assembly" of people that were to come together to gather in the place and manner prescribed by the LORD).  Now the LORD is warning the people to avoid every kind of unclean and detestable practice when they go away to go to war.  Many times the pagan men found this to be a time to get drunk and have their way with women that did not live near them (they imagined their wives would never know any better and they would be gone soon enough, so no one would be able to hold them accountable).  There was also much opportunity to pray to and worship false gods during these times--it showed if people truly believed in the LORD and would depend on His guidance and if they would worship Him even as they would go into battle.

Any man who became unclean because of what we might call a "wet dream" today (an involuntary ejaculation in one's sleep), that man would be unclean and would have to leave the camp for the day and not approach anyone.  He must wait until sunset of the next day and bathe himself with water and he may come back into the camp at sunset.

There was to be a designated places for a latrine outside the camp and every person that each person was to dig a hole for themselves when they needed to defecate and they would cover it up when they were done.  If the people would defecate in the camp, the whole camp would become unclean and the LORD says their uncleanliness during battle would make HIs blessing be removed from them and their enemies would have victory over them.

While these rules were specifically for when the men went to war and their encampment that they made there, they also had the same kinds of rules when they were home too.  They were to be the same kinds of people when they were away from home that they were to be when they were at home.  A lot of men today need to learn this principle that the LORD is taking note of our behavior and our witness wherever we go and we cannot hope for success against our "enemies" if we are not being obedient to the LORD.