Explore the timeless veracity and unwavering authority of the Bible with Pastor John Kyle in today’s episode. Delve into the lore of the Ammonites and Moabites and their historical conflict with Israel. Understand how Nehemiah’s readings from Deuteronomy became a spiritual bulwark, protecting Israel from corruption and idolatry. Through narratives of Balaam’s misleading prophecies, learn how seeking personal gain over divine guidance can lead to disastrous outcomes and discover why remaining devoted to God’s Word remains our steadfast counsel today.
Welcome to Expository Truths, where we exalt Christ by bringing clarity of truth through the scriptures with Dr. John Kyle, pastor of Faith Community Church in Vacaville. As Christians, we are called to know the truth and be able to proclaim it. We can know the truth when we know the word of God, which is precise, without error, powerful, and effective for both salvation and spiritual growth. Let’s join Pastor Kyle as he takes us verse by verse through the book of Nehemiah, an incredible book showing us how God sovereignly used the faithfulness of Nehemiah to lead the people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in the midst of many mighty and powerful enemies.
SPEAKER 01 :
Please turn with me in your Bibles to Nehemiah chapter 13, verses 1 through 3. Nehemiah 13, 1 through 3. Now remember, God led Nehemiah to go to Jerusalem and rebuild the ruined walls of the city, which was an absolutely remarkable task, but even more, God led Nehemiah, along with Ezra, to be the catalyst in bringing the people back to repent in faith in the living God. At this point, the wall around Jerusalem has now been finished, and it’s been an amazing month since then. as a people have been celebrating corporately at both the Feast of Trumpets and then at the Feast of Tabernacles, and then as they gathered together to observe a national day of repentance, followed by the signing of a covenant, where together they committed themselves to honoring and obeying God once again out of their great love for Him. They then made the necessary plan to move 10% of the people into the city of Jerusalem, which was needed. And then, as we saw last time, they had a corporate worship service where they dedicated the month-old rebuilt wall around the city. The wall was truly a miracle, if you remember. It was completed in 52 days, and God’s good hand was clearly with the people. And they recognized that fact, and they celebrated that fact. Now what? Let’s look, verse 1. On that day, they read from the book of Moses in the hearing of the people. And in it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God, because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. So it was when they had heard the law that they separated all the mixed multitude from Israel. Now here, as we look at this passage, the first thing to note is the fact, which is this, that the people read from the law of God, which is very, very, very good. Verse 1, on that day, on what day? Probably the day that they held the formal service to dedicate the wall. That special day was marked by many things and the reading of the Word of God would have certainly been a very high priority. That said, the phrase on that day is the same phrase used in verse 44 that says at the same time. So it could have been referring to a more general period of time. But Whatever the specific case, it’s clear that the people are together and what are they doing? They’re reading from the book of Moses, the first five books of the Bible, the Word of God. And how wise is that? Right? I mean, that’s true wisdom. And the good news is that we today have the completed and fully sufficient Word of God contained in one divine book, the Bible. And not just the first five books of the Bible or even the whole of the Old Testament. No, we have all of it. Both the new and the old. And the blessings of having the full revelation of God in our hands is massive. The people in Nehemiah’s day are certainly doing the best thing that they can do for themselves because the Word of God is truth in a world filled with deceit, in a world filled with lies. Psalm 119, 7-11 extols the wonders of the Word of God by telling us a few important facts about it. First, the Word of God is perfect. Perfect means complete, comprehensive, without defect or blemish, undefiled, of utmost integrity, sound and wholesome, the Word of God. In other words, the Word of God lacks nothing in order that it might be what it should be. It is complete as a revelation of divine truth and it is complete as a rule of conduct. See, the Word of God covers every aspect of life. The Word of God isn’t deficient in any way. No, it’s an all-sufficient revelation. And how much more us today who have… All of it in our hands. Therefore, as one says, no matter what our sins may have been or our problems are, the Bible is able to turn us from our sins, lead us through our problems, and both feed and enrich us so that we are able to enjoy the full benefits of spiritual life. And that’s absolutely right. And so we have everything that we need in the written Word of God. It’s perfect. It’s complete. It lacks nothing. It is fully sufficient for us. It’s flawless. It’s reliable. It tells us everything that God wants us to know about Him, life, salvation, sin, and everything else, the Word of God. We have it in our hands. Second, it’s sure. See, it’s certain. It’s firm. It’s dependable. This shows us that in a world filled of lies and uncertainty, we can stake our present and our future on God’s testimony or witness concerning Himself because His Word is truth and therefore God’s testimony is worthy of our trust. That means that anything that doesn’t agree with God’s Word is a lie. That means that the Bible is to be our one and only standard for life. That means that the Bible is our one authority. And the wise soul is the one who submits to that authority. Look, because God is a maker of all of us, then He has authority over all of us. And because God is the author of the Scriptures, then His Scriptures have inherent authority. The implication for our lives then is that we are to receive the words of the Bible as God’s words for us and we are to respond accordingly. See, Scripture is the original authority of God. That means that it doesn’t change with the times, the culture, the nation, or the ethnic background. No, instead, Scripture is the unalterable authority of God, the permanent authority of God, the ultimate authority of God, and the binding authority of God. Why do I stress that? Because people don’t live like they believe it. Even in many churches today. People have become their own authority. And so they fashion God and their doctrine and their practice to their own liking. But what will they do in the end when they have to answer to the God who created them? Look, God makes the rules, we don’t. God sets the standards, we don’t. God tells us what’s true and He tells us what’s false, we don’t. God tells us how He wants us to live. We don’t. God tells us what sin is and what sin is not. We don’t. What does God say is the issue, see? And it doesn’t matter if your Christian faith goes against the currents of society. It doesn’t matter if your Christian faith goes against the currents of the culture. Our standard is the Word of God. His Word alone is truth. And our call is to believe it, to submit to it, and to obey it. Third, God’s Word is right. Right means righteous, straight, upright, just, and correct. This means that the Scriptures give us the right path to walk on in contrast to the way that leads to death and to misery. Fourth, God’s Word is pure, which means that it’s without hypocrisy. It’s without blemish. Unlike the other sacred books of so many other false religions, God’s Word alone is pure, clean, radiant, and without fault. You say, no, John, God’s Word is filled with contradictions. No, it’s not. And while there are tensions that are hard for our human minds to comprehend, and while there are indeed some difficult passages, there are no contradictions in the Bible. And God’s Word is indeed coherent, it’s consistent, and it’s true. Think about this. Even though the Bible was written by approximately 40 different authors over a period of 1,500 years, and even though each writer wrote with a different style, from a different perspective, to a different audience, and for a different purpose, look… God’s Word is indeed pure and true because God is the one who wrote it through His divine inspiration. So you don’t have to be afraid to ask the hard questions of the Bible. No, go ahead and ask the hard questions. We have nothing to fear if it’s true. And guess what? It’s true. So ask the hard questions and watch as God’s Word passes every test because, again, it’s true. Fifth, His word is clean. Clean means pure, genuine, flawless, and free from impurity. And then sixth, God’s word is true and righteous. True refers to faithfulness, reliability, and trustworthiness, while righteousness suggests conformity to a moral standard. See, there’s nothing impure, false, or unrighteous in the word of God. Instead, God has given us a book. He’s given us a perfect book that gives us everything that we need to know for life and for salvation forever. And woe to us if we overlook this gift from God for us. People in Nehemiah’s day. They had been overlooking God’s Word for many years, but lately, especially this past month, they’ve woken up and they’ve seen their need for God’s truth. And here again, we find them diving into the Word of God, the truth of God, that alone will light their path to heaven and lead their way until they get there. Can you picture them? We want to hear from God. We don’t care about your lame opinions. We want to know what God says. So bring out the book and let’s find out. Oh, that we would all have that same attitude today towards the Word of God because we love the God of the Word. The Word is true. It’s living. It’s active. It’s powerful. It’s effectual. It lights our way. It equips us for life and for eternal glory. It penetrates into the heart. It converts souls. It makes you truly wise. It brings joy to your heart and life. It enlightens your eyes. It’s enduring. And guess what? It’s incredibly relevant. The Word of God. Do you love it? Now, do you really love it? Does it show? Do you even read it? Do you study it? And then, do you live it out? Spurgeon said there’s enough dust on some of your Bibles to write the word condemnation and dust on the cover. I pray that’s not the case with anyone here. Our call as those who are truly wise is to love the Word of God, to know it, and to read it, and to treasure it, and to put it into practice, for in that there is great reward. In that there is eternal reward. Lord, help us to not forget that. Well, those in Nehemiah’s day were reading from the Word of God, and that’s when they discovered something. That God’s Word said that no Ammonite or Moabite should come into the assembly of God. Say what? I mean, what is that talking about? That’s referring to Deuteronomy 23, three through six. And you can go ahead and turn there if you want to. Deuteronomy chapter 23, verses three through six. Deuteronomy 23, verse three. An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord, even to the tenth generation, which is a way of saying an infinite amount of time, indefinite amount of time. None of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord forever. Why? Because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam, the son of Beor from Pthor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. Nevertheless, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam, but the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the Lord your God loves you. I love the way he says the Lord your God, your God, your God. He’s my God. He’s our God. You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days forever. And there you have it. The event referred to here with Ammon and Moab are found in Numbers 22 through 24, right before Israel entered into the Promised Land after wandering around in the desert in the wilderness for 40 years. What happened? These two nations opposed Israel when they should have welcomed them. So who are the Ammonites and the Moabites? Genesis 19 tells us that. Right after Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, Lot was able to escape Sodom with his wife and his two daughters. His wife disobeyed God, you remember that? And she looked back at Sodom as it was being destroyed when she wasn’t supposed to, and she turned into a pillar of salt. Don’t look back when God says don’t look back. But Lot and his two daughters were able to escape. They settled just east of Israel, right near the Dead Sea, where Jordan is located today. Well, after a period of time, Lot got drunk with the encouragement of his two daughters, who then had relations with their dad in order to preserve their lineage. Real sick stuff going on. They both became pregnant. The son of the first daughter was named Moab, the father of the Moabites. And the son of the second daughter was named Ben-Ammi, the father of the people of Ammon. The descendants of these two sons went on to become nations and great enemies and great obstacles for Israel. As one states, Moab and Ammon were destined to provide the worst carnal seduction in the history of Israel. That of Baal Peor and the cruelest religious perversion, that of Molech. Well, the highlight or the low light of the conflict between Israel and these two nations is what happened just before Israel entered the Promised Land. Again, they’d been wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, and now finally, they’re able to enter into Canaan, and it’s not going to be easy to do that. I mean, not at all, but even before they enter in, they faced opposition. Now, just so you know, I got stuck on the term Ammonite. Why? Because in Numbers chapter 22 is when the Amorites, not the Ammonites, the Amorites refused to help Israel. Israel said, let us pass through your land. We won’t eat any of your food and we won’t even drink any of your water. We just want to peacefully pass through your territory to get to Canaan. The Amorites said no, and then they attacked Israel. They lost. Israel won. And then, in Numbers 22, Israel came to the plains of Moab, who also opposed them, but the Ammonites aren’t even mentioned there. So, why then does Deuteronomy 23, as referenced in Nehemiah 13, come so strongly against the Ammonites and the Moabites? Why not just the Moabites? Here’s why. Because the Ammonites were with the Moabites in their opposition. See, Ammon and Moab were right next to each other geographically, and together they didn’t meet the children of Israel with bread and water, and together they hired Balaam to curse them. So they were together in what they did to Israel. Remember that? Balaam? Numbers 22 through 24. Israel had to have been tired from their wanderings in the wilderness for 40 years, and also from the recent battles that they had just fought with the Amorites. How great would it have been for someone to just be kind to them? They were certainly exhausted and they could use some food. They could use some water from a friend. But at the very least, just let them pass through the land without opposition. No. No. In fact, the king of Moab hired a prophet to curse Israel. Balaam. Balaam is an interesting character. He’s interesting because he wasn’t a false prophet, no. He was just a wicked prophet. See, Balaam heard from God, and God even gave him some true prophecies to speak. However, Balaam’s heart wasn’t right with God, and he eventually showed his true colors by betraying Israel and leading them astray. How so? Balak was the king of Moab, and as Balak opposed Israel, he wanted to weaken them as they came into his territory. And so he sent for Balaam, who he knew to be a prophet for hire. And he asked Balaam to curse Israel in exchange for money, in exchange for a reward. Balaam was willing to do that at first, but he then said that he first needed God’s permission. In response, God told Balaam, you must not put a curse on these people because they are blessed. Balak heard the news and so he promised a better reward for Balaam. God then said, Balaam, go ahead and go with them, but do and say only what I tell you. And so Balaam saddled his donkey and left for Moab some 400 miles away. God then sent an angel to oppose Balaam on the way. If you remember, the donkey that Balaam was riding on could see the angel, but Balaam couldn’t. And when the donkey moved three different times to avoid the angel, Balaam got angry and he began to beat his poor little donkey. The Lord then opened the donkey’s mouth and the donkey spoke. Fun stuff. What have I done to you? donkey speaking, that you struck me these three times. You think Balaam was surprised? I mean, it’s a talking donkey. Balaam then had a conversation with his donkey. You’ve abused me, and if I had a sore donkey, I would kill you. The donkey says, am I not your donkey that you’ve ridden since I became yours to this day? And was I ever disposed to do this to you or talk? Balaam, no. It’s an amazing conversation. The Lord then opened Balaam’s eyes. He then saw the angel of the Lord, who was Jesus before his incarnation, and he held a sword in his hand, and the sword was drawn. It’s a side note. When you see the title, the angel of the Lord, in the Old Testament, it’s a title for Jesus before his incarnation. It’s pretty cool. He then told Balaam that he certainly would have killed him had not the donkey spared his life. And so a donkey had more wisdom than a prophet. Now question, why did the angel of the Lord stand against Balaam, even though God told him he could go to Moab? Here’s why. Because God knew what was really going on in Balaam’s heart. See, God first told him not to go, but then Balaam was offered more money, and so he went back to God for permission to go. But God already told him not to go. God then let him go, but God warned him only to say what God told him to say. And so Balaam went. But look, Balaam went not to honor the Lord. No, he went for the money. And God knew that. And the angel of the Lord’s purpose was to present a forceful reminder that Balaam, again, was to speak only what the Lord would tell him to speak. And so that’s what he did. He better do that. And so instead of cursing Israel, Balaam blessed Israel. And so according to Deuteronomy 23.5 and Nehemiah 13.2, God turned what was supposed to be a curse against Israel into a blessing. It seems that Balak thought that Balaam was some kind of diviner, some kind of soothsayer, some kind of sorcerer who had the power to put curses on people and even to put curses on nations. And Balak wanted to do that to Israel, but God made sure that that didn’t happen. Instead, as Balaam was clear to only say what God told him to say or else, Balaam blessed Israel with seven blessings. And it was Israel’s enemies who were cursed. Well, Balak was furious with Balaam, so he refused to pay him. However, later on, Balaam figured out a way to get his reward from Balak. How? He advised the Moabites on how to entice the people of Israel with prostitutes and with idolatry. And even though he couldn’t curse Israel directly, he did come up with a plan for Israel to basically bring a curse upon themselves by disobeying God’s clear commands, which did indeed happen. Balaam was really a bad guy. He’s referred to several times in the New Testament. Peter compares false teachers to Balaam who loved the wages of wickedness, 2 Peter 2.15. Jude echoes this sentiment and he associates Balaam with the selling of one’s soul for financial gain, Jude 1.11. And then Jesus speaks of Balaam when he warns the church in Pergamum of their sin. There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin, so that they ate food, sacrificed to idols, and committed sexual idolatry. Revelation 2.14 So Balaam was hired to curse Israel. And who hired him? Balak hired him. But also, it was the Moabites along with the Ammonites who were behind all of that. The consequences of that were serious. No Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God. What does that mean? That sounds like it means that no Moabite or Ammonite could be saved or join with the people of God in any way. But if that was true, then it would contradict other clear passages of Scripture. And so this can’t mean that these people had no opportunity whatsoever to believe in the Lord and to be saved. See? Why? Because other passages in the Old Testament make it clear that Gentiles, non-Jews, could indeed turn to God, even Moabites and Ammonites. Also, Ruth was a Moabite. And Ruth was not only admitted in the assembly of God, but she was one of King David’s ancestors. So what does this prohibition mean? This prohibition was a wall of protection for God’s people because generally speaking, the Ammonites and the Moabites were evil people who could easily influence God’s people towards wicked and rebellious behavior, especially since they lived so very close to Israel. Hey, please remember that the best earthly decision isn’t always the best eternal decision. The best decision for your pocketbook isn’t always the best decision for your soul. As we said before, it’s much easier for the world to rub off on us than for us to rub off on the world. And the natural tendency is to go down, not up. So please, take heed to yourself. That means that we must be careful that we don’t settle in too much so that the world and its ways work into our hearts so that we don’t fit in too well in this wicked place so that we don’t forget where our real home is so that we mistakenly live like this world is our real home. It’s not. So be careful. Take heed to yourself. Are you taking heed? God gave this command that’s reiterated in Nehemiah 13 for a reason. And we do well to remember that. Application. Be careful who you’re friends with. Be careful who you listen to. Be careful about the things that influence you. Be careful who you date. Certainly no Christian should date a non-Christian. And take heed to your spiritual life. And make your walk with the Lord and your spiritual life your top priority. Because guess what? Nothing is more important than that. Nothing. And those who choose to ignore what the Bible says here always suffer for it. So do yourself an eternal favor and examine yourself and take heed to yourself. That was true for Israel as a whole and it’s true for the church today and it’s also true for us as individual believers today. Don’t let the Ammonites or Moabites in. Don’t. Don’t do it. Some of you are. Today, you’ve been warned. Take heed.
SPEAKER 02 :
Pastor John is… Community Church of Vacaville, a seminary professor and a trainer of preaching pastors overseas. Join for services at Faith Community Church Sundays at 9 and 1045 a.m. 192 Bella Vista Road, Suite A. To learn more, visit vacavillefaith.org or call 707-451-2026. That’s 707-451-2026. Or visit vacavillefaith.org.
