“For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you(Deut. 23:14).”
Israel was a holy people belonging to the “Assembly of the Lord.” In the very heart of their camp stood the Sanctuary and the Ark of the Covenant, symbols of God’s constant presence. Therefore, every aspect of their lives had to be a continuous struggle to maintain holiness. This was the only way for a people called to walk in the midst of a Holy God.
Through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have all been called into this glorious assembly. However, it seems that not many live a life worthy of that calling. Though we are justified by faith, we often lose sight of holiness in our daily lives. Some may even enter the assembly but drift away from that place of grace because they fail to keep their hearts pure.
This is why today’s passage issues a solemn warning: “Your camp must be holy, so that He will not see anything indecent and turn away from you.” Having entered this assembly through the blood of Jesus, my task today is to fight, even to the point of shedding blood, to protect the holiness within me. I must examine whether there are any seeds of impurity hidden within the camp of my soul and daily seek His mercy and grace before the cross.
I desire for my life to be the “life worthy of the calling” that Paul spoke of. My earnest prayer is to be one who abides every single day in the Assembly of the Lord in the very heart of the presence of the God I love.