Faith Outside of Understanding

Scripture: An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord forever. Deuteronomy 23:3

Observation: As Moses again defines how to interact with the neighbors of the promised land - the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, and Egyptians - he gives this very clear instruction. These two people are outside of the promised land and thus will not be driven off, so instead it is clarified that they will be outside of "assembly" forever. None of their decedents will be part of Israel, ever. This is clear and definitive.

However, Ruth was a Moabite. She is the great-grandmother of David, and thus also part of the lineage of Jesus. So this very clear and definitive statement ... cannot be clear and definitive. There are ways of reconciling this that I can think for ... off the top of my head, three come to mind:

1) This refers to pure-blood Ammonites and Moabites only.
2) The 'his' refers to descendants of male, not female, Ammonites and Moabites.
3) The 'his' refers to Lot, the father of the Ammonites and Moabites, and thus this decree ends 10 generations after him (which would seem to be ... about this same time as Moses).

That said, I'm just making that up and guessing. I have no idea the right way to reconcile this clear message about the foreign nations, and the future seeming contradictions.

Application: I am reminded again today how complicated God's word can be. Sometimes it is VERY simple, yet other times it is not.

Does this instruction about Ammonites and Moabites have ANY implications for me? Probably not since there are no such people groups anymore. Thought maybe it informs my reading of scriptures, to understand how different instructions may be applied both within the context of ancient Israel, and outside that context to us Christians today. To that latter point ... it is beyond me. I am not trained to understand.

And finally, perhaps that is the point. There are aspects of God I cannot understand. I am not trained, not intelligent enough, or not inspired by the Holy Spirit in this matter at this time. And that is perfectly okay. It is the end of understanding where faith can truly grow.

Prayer: Lord, I do not understand most things about you and your world, and I am okay with that. My faith is in you. I do not understand the current pandemic, but my faith is in your control of the outcomes. I do not understand my career path, but my faith is in your care of me and my family. I do not understand the hearts of others, but my faith is that you love everyone. May my faith grow all the more from my lack of understanding. Amen.