Leviticus
chapter 18 provides a very specific list of God’s commandments
regarding sexual relations. Please note these are not guidelines, or
suggestions, God says empathically, “You
must obey My laws and be careful to follow My decrees“.
And He gives only one reason, “I
am the Lord“.
God gives us a great picture we can all relate to, He says, “You
must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must
not do as they do in Canaan, where I am sending you“.
Most of us came from “Egypt” before we accepted Christ as
our Savior. We were living in the world and we were living like the
world. The moment we accept the gift of salvation, God shows His
acceptance by pouring out His Holy Spirit to live in us, He brings us
out of Egypt. Spiritually we are citizens of heaven, but we have a
period of time that God allows us to minister to others before He
calls us home. Just as Jesus ate with the sinners and tax
collectors, we must live in Canaan so the lost can come to see God’s
grace in us. God is so patient, how many times did I hear Him
calling me before I accepted His truth. We are to live our lives in
a way that honors God, so that others can see what God can do with
sinner like us.
God
declares very directly, “No
one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations“.
And because God knows our tendency to say, “Yes, but…” He
gives us a list of close relatives, “your
mother, your father’s wife, father’s daughter, father’s son, father’s
sister, mother’s sister, father’s brother, brother’s wife, wife’s
sister…“.
God also says, “Do
not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife“.
The next verse seems oddly out of place at first, “Do
not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech“.
Pastor David Guzik explains, “The pagan god (or, demon,
more accurately) Molech was “worshipped” by heating a metal
statue representing the god until it was red hot, then by placing a
living infant on the outstretched hands of the statue, while beating
drums drowned out the screams of the child until it burned to death.”
As horrible as this seams, millions of pre-born, illegitimate babies
have been “sacrificed” for convenience, or to cover the sin
of sexual immorality. But God shows His endless mercy to us by
lifting us out of Egypt and cleansing us completely. Romans 5:8
declares, “God
demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinner
Christ died for us“.
And we can accept this by faith, “If
you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe with your
heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved”
(Rom 10:9).
Leviticus
18 continues with additional sexual sins, “Do
not lie with a man as one lies with a women, it is detestable“.
But some would argue, how can love be wrong? Simply put, love and
sex are not the same. ! Corinthians chapter 6 explains that sexual
sin is particularly grieves God because “Your
body is the temple of the Holy Spirit… your bodies are members with
Christ“.
And the apostle adds, “Flee
sexual immorality. Every other sin a man commits is outside the
body”
(6:18). The only place sexual relations are ordained is between one
man and one woman bound in the intimacy of marriage. “For
it is better to marry than to burn”
(7:9). Leviticus continues, “do
not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself“.
The chapter concludes with a reference to the nation, society and
land. “Anyone
who does any of these detestable things… must be cut off from their
people“.
Please understand, when people living in the world sin, we are not
to cut them off, Jesus died for them. It is the one that claims to
follow Christ, yet continues in a pattern of sin that cannot be
tolerated. May you know the fullness of the God’s forgiveness and be
lifted out of “Egypt” today.