20 Leviticus – Penalties for Breaking the Law
Notes
Transcript
20 Leviticus – Penalties for Breaking the Law
God, through Moses, is again addressing everyone, even those who might be considered foreigners. God did not want false gods and false worship taking place within the tribes of Israel.
Again, the primary topic is PURITY within the Nation of Israel.
Egypt is not mentioned in Chapter 20, only the Canaanites and their religion, therefore some Scholars suggest chapter 20 was written at a later time in Jewish history.
First 16 verses are capitol offense while 17-21 have a penalty of being cut off from Israel.
Leviticus 20:1-27
V.1-5
V.2 is a reference Molech and child sacrifices. God has already spoken again this: “And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 18:21.
There must be a deep rooted, born into, kind of wickedness in a person that could just randomly participate in the stoning to death of another person. Nonetheless, in the eyes of God the depth of the wickedness of a person that could sacrifice his/her own child in such a manner as to throw them into a pit of fire requires such a punishment as death.
To insist that the children of Israel participate in the killing is to take the seriousness of the mater in the eyes of God to a whole new level. HE wanted them to own their own holiness and to view themselves much in the same manner as He does, holy.
Perhaps it’s safe to believe as well that God never intended these actions to need to be acted upon. The punishment was meant to be a determent. Thousands of years later, we see that still isn’t working.
V.4 The responsibility is place upon the people. They must govern themselves – much in the same manner as we are to bring our own bodies under subjection. (1 Corinthians 9:27).
V.6 -8 Familiar spirit and wizards
19:31 Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.
Repeated in 20:27 A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.
Seeking divine wisdom or knowledge from any other spirit than God shall result in death. You are betraying God when you do that. This is a form of idolatry. God is serious about this.
V.9 The 5thcommandment comes to mind. This verse is unique in that it points back to the previous verses and lays the groundwork for the following verses.
V.10-21 jumps back into sexual immorality and the punishment similar to Chapter 19, but the list begins with V.9 and failing to honour the parents and thereby the family.
Milgram suggest “The reason why this list of prohibited sexual relationships that get the death penalty begins with the dishonoring of your father and mother is because all of these are perceived as efforts to destroy the family. And when you destroy the family, you destroy the whole society.” (Heizer paraphrasing Milgram)
If these types of sins are allowed, they will become acceptable and if acceptable then the family unit will be destroyed. We see this today… everywhere. That which is evil is called good and that which is good is called evil, and the family unit suffers.
What is it, that through hindsight, we can see as being a threat to the unity of the family?
· Legalization of alcohol
· The promotion of sexual promiscuity – remember the sexual revolution, 60/70’s
o The destruction of the wedding vow
o Tolerance and promotion of pornography
o The legalization and tolerance of abortion
§ Increase in divorce and suicides
o Homosexuality
o Feminism
· Welfare
All of which work together to destroy the family.
What are we doing about it? Participating, if only through our silence.
At a minimum, we should be teaching our children how to live in a Godly manner rather than to suggest to them, through our own actions, that to do other wise is okay. We should be showing them what a strong family unit looks like. One Father, one mother, pursuing God as they rear children in a godly manner.
God had created a nation of people unto Himself, and they were to be a pure people, holy unto Him. Anything that set-in motion the destruction of that people group was to be dealt with swiftly and severely, and in most cases by death.
V.22-27 – Commandment and warning from God. The “ye shall” portion. READ and Expound v by v.
· Keep statues
· Follow not after the nation of Canaan
· God, big on inheritance
· God’s provisions abound
· BE different, be separate
· Be Holy
Should we think or believe that God would have us to be any less pure and holy than He expected the Children of Israel to be? At the end of the day, we are still called to be imagers of God.
· Matthew 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
o Are we not His sheep?
· 2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
o The list of unclean things in our world are many. Drugs, alcohol, and fornication are just a few.
· Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
· 2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
· 2 Peter 2:1-2 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
Now these do not mean that we are not to live in the world, but our association must be limited up to the point of compromising how the word of God teaches us to live. We can minister to the world without accepting the practices of the world. (Abortion, homosexuality, murder…) We are to be holy! People diligently keeping His commandments.