Deut. 23: 12 - 14 > Uncleanness in the camp
| Deut 23: 12 - 14 ( King James Version ) |
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| Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad: |
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| verse 13 > And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thysof abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee: |
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| verse 14 > For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies efore thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy; that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee. |
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| Deut 23: 12 - 14 ( New International Version ) |
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| Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. |
| v. 13 > As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement. |
| v. 14 > 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. |
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| Text Quoted in Spirit of Prophecy |
| In order to be acceptable in God’s sight, the leaders of the people were to give strict heed to the sanitary condition of the armies of Israel, even when they went forth to battle. Every soul, from the commander-in-chief to the lowest soldier in the army, was sacredly charged to preserve cleanliness in his person and surroundings; for the Israelites were chosen by God as His peculiar people. They were sacredly bound to be holy in body and spirit. They were not to be careless or neglectful of their personal duties. In every respect they were to preserve cleanliness. They were to allow nothing untidy or unwholesome in their surroundings, nothing which would taint the purity of the atmosphere. Inwardly and outwardly they were to be pure [Deuteronomy 23:14 quoted] (Letter 35, 1901). { 1BC 1119.4 } |
| “The Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy.” Deuteronomy 23:14. { MH 280.1} |
| Thoroughgoing sanitary regulations were enforced. These were enjoined on the people, not only as necessary to health, but as the condition of retaining among them the presence of the Holy One. By divine authority Moses declared to them, “The Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee; ... therefore shall thy camp be holy.” Deuteronomy 23:14. { Ed 38.1} |
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| Strict order and thorough sanitary regulations were enforced, measures indispensable to the preservation of health among so vast a multitude. It was necessary also that perfect order and purity be maintained. God declared: “The Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy.” Deuteronomy 23:14. { EP 262.4 } { BOE 183.4 } |
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| During the sojourn in the wilderness the Israelites were almost continually in the open air, where impurities would have less harmful effects than in close houses. But the strictest regard to cleanliness was required both within and without their tents. No refuse was allowed to remain within or about the encampment. The Lord said: “‘The Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you; therefore your camp shall be holy.’” Deuteronomy 23:14. { MHH 156.5 } |
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