Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

Deuteronomy chapter 23 verse 9 says,

When you are encamped against your enemies,

then you shall keep yourself from every evil thing.

So this is in the middle of a variety of laws in Deuteronomy chapter 23 about

cleanliness and about holiness.

And specifically here, you can tell from the context,

this is talking about when, when God's people would be going into battle,

and they're encamped against their enemies in those moments.

In particular, keep yourself, God says, from every evil thing,

knowing that our greatest need before God is purity, right?

Think about Jesus' words.

Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.

And knowing the context here in the Old Testament,

that when God's people would go into foreign lands,

they would be tempted to worship foreign gods,

to adopt foreign customs, to leave behind God's word,

and God's worship for idols and practices and immorality in those places.

And God is saying, be pure in heart, be pure in every way.

And if God was calling his people to keep themselves from every evil thing then,

is he not calling us to do the exact same thing today?

And so we pray, God, keep us from evil.

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