Penalties For Breaking God’s Law (Leviticus 20:1-27)
Have you ever received a speeding ticket? I have. It's been a while since I had one. Apparently, I am going too slow these days as other driver seems to whiz past me all the time. But the law of the speed limit applies on our road. As a rule it is for us, but when we speed it becomes something that is prosecuted against us.
In the Old Testament, that's what God was seen to do was lay down a whole raft of laws and the consequences of breaking them. As, we've been inching our way through the book of Leviticus, and we've seen a number of these laws. But now, we come to Leviticus chapter 20 and although it repeats a lot of what he's already said. The difference is he's now going to add the consequences of violating those laws that he's already previously been established. So, I guess our question is, what all can we learn from this passage that doesn't primarily apply to us? Things most of us wouldn't dream of doing this today. But what can we learn from it?
Well, before we look at the passage itself, let me just point out that in the preceding chapters, he has laid down the law, so to speak. Now, in this chapter, he gives the punishment for disobeying those laws, which, I guess, in part helps the reader realize how serious God considers these particular sins. In fact, prior to this, he rarely indicated the consequences of the punishment, but now he lays out the punishment.
There are basically three types of sins laid out in this chapter. In the first part of the chapter, he deals with various things pertaining to idolatry. Then there's an interesting little verse that has to do with the violation of children can come in. The rest of the chapter that deals with sin deals with various forms of sexual immorality, virtually all of which we've seen before. And he concludes the chapter with a warning and an exhortation that has to do with the people.
That's sort of the outline we're going to follow as we move through these verses. First, we're going to look at idolatry.
The Lord said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites: “Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death. The members of the community are to stone him. I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people; for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death, I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.
(Leviticus 20: 1-5)
This passage is clearly addressing idolatry, particularly the practices associated with Molech. What's particularly interesting is that the passage mentions giving any of your descendants to Molech. So, what this passage is addressing is the offering of children or infants to an idol, a practice that was evidently common among the Canaanites at that time.The severity of this sin is emphasized in the consequences outlined. The penalty for such a practice is explicitly stated: 'you shall surely be put to death.' The means of execution, as noted in the text, is stoning. verse 27 reiterates this, adding the mention of burning also, which we'll discuss shortly. Some argue that the severity isn't just in the death penalty, but also in post mortem being 'cut off from the people.' This implies a separation even after death, underscoring the heinousness of the act in God's eyes.
Verse 3 reinforces this gravity by stating that such actions defile God's sanctuary and profane His holy name. Practicing this form of idolatry carries the death penalty. The passage also mentions the consequence for not executing the individual involved in child sacrifice. God asserts that if the people fail to carry out the penalty, He will take it upon Himself, extending it to the wider family. The involvement of the family is implied as they are offering a descendant for this horrific act.
Verses 6 to 20 then list a series of prohibitions one after the other Another form of idolatry addressed is seeking mediums and familiar spirits, a practice akin to consulting fortune-tellers. God warns against this, promising to set His face against such individuals and cut them off from the community. The severity of the consequences is clear."
It's astonishing to me how, even in our supposedly civilized society, we can easily find fortunetellers on our streets. The reason God vehemently opposes this practice is clear: seeking information about the future or guidance for how to live from what essentially amounts to evil spirits.
God wants us to seek guidance from Him in all matters concerning our lives. When facing a mechanical issue, we consult a mechanic; when dealing with a heart problem, we consult a cardiologist. However, when it comes to how we live our lives and what we can expect in the future, God insists that we consult Him. He directs our paths and desires that we do not seek alternative sources for such crucial guidance.
God instructs us to consecrate ourselves and be holy because He is the Lord our God. In other words, He wants us to be set apart for Him. The Hebrew word for 'consecrate' means to dedicate, to separate. The idea is that God desires our separation from idols and consecration unto Him. Refraining from consulting fortune-tellers is only part of the equation; instead, we are to turn to God. God emphasizes the need for holiness and separation because He wants to be the one who guides how we live. He directs us along the path we should walk.
As we transition in the text from idolatry to addressing personal behaviour, we encounter the scenario of a child cursing their father or mother. Remarkably, this verse is the only one in the passage that tackles this issue. The phrase 'his blood shall be upon him' emphasizes that the individual brings the consequences upon themselves.
When reading this verse, one might be tempted to question what the parents did to deserve such a cursing. However, the concluding phrase reminds us that the responsibility lies solely with the individual. Sometimes, even good parents can have a child who goes astray, indicating that the child's choices are ultimately their own. This verse sheds light on a harsh reality, some children indeed curse their parents. It's a disturbing reality, and it serves as a reminder that we live in a fallen world. However, the phrase 'his blood shall be upon him' clarifies that the individual is responsible for their actions. It's a sobering thought."
Moving on to verse 10, we see a shift where God begins addressing various sexual sins. While we've encountered these concepts before, the emphasis here is on the penalties and consequences of these sexual sins. In verse 10, he addresses adultery.
In verse 11, God talks about a man involved with his father's wife, essentially speaking of relations with one's stepmother. While this might seem uncommon, it's interesting to note that such a scenario is mentioned in the New Testament as well, in 1 Corinthians 5. Paul expressed his unease at such behaviour, even calling it out as an example of wrong behaviour when seen among the Gentiles.
Verse 12 continues to describe various forms of adultery involving relationships with neighbours, your father's wife, and daughter-in-law. These are all classified as adultery. An observation from verse 12 is that the Hebrew word used for 'perversion' can also be translated as 'confusion,' emphasizing the violation of divine order and nature in such relationships.
In verse 13, God addresses homosexuality explicitly, describing it as an abomination and a sin contrary to nature. The phrase used emphasizes their guilt and accountability for their actions. It's important to understand that while homosexuality is highlighted here as a sin and described as a perversion and an abomination, the Bible categorizes other sins in similar terms. My intention is not to minimize homosexuality here, but to emphasize that, according to the Bible, it is indeed a sin, much like various other sins.
In summary, the Bible addresses homosexuality as a sin, however, it also uses similar terminology for other sins, underlining that all sin is against the divine order set by God."
Alright, now we're going to talk about various sexual sins. We've discussed adultery and homosexuality. In verse 14, he addresses polygamy. If a man marries a woman and her mother, it is considered wicked. While previous verses refer to particular sexual offense as an abomination. The use of the term 'wickedness' further signifies its evil nature. What's interesting here is the mention of being 'burned with fire.' While some interpret this as being burned at the stake, others suggest it’s more likely it meant burning the bodies after their execution, highlighting the gravity of the wickedness in God's eyes.
We're still addressing sexual sins, covering adultery, homosexuality, and polygamy. Next on the list is bestiality it strongly states that engaging in such acts is punishable by death for both the individual and the animal involved. There's repetition here, emphasizing their guilt and the certainty of their punishment.
Verse 17 tackles incest. Whether it's a man taking his sister, father's daughter, or mother's daughter, it is all considered incest and is condemned as wickedness. The penalty is being 'cut off from the sight of their people,' emphasizing the severity of the guilt and consequences for their actions. Verse 19 forbids engaging in sexual relations with specific family members—your mother's sister or your father's sister. This, too, is condemned, and they bear their guilt for such actions. Verse 21 discusses relations with a brother's wife, which is deemed unclean and also leads to being childless. It's important to note the exception in Deuteronomy 25, where if a brother dies, a man is commanded to have a child with his brother's wife to carry on the family line.
In summary, this chapter identifies and condemns various sexual sins, emphasizing the penalties associated with each offense. There are a total of 15 offenses mentioned here that are considered capital crimes. The gravity of the offenses and the severity of their consequences are highlighted throughout the chapter."
He says in verse 22.
Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out.
(Leviticus 20: 22)
So, the Lord is saying, 'You are to be different. You are to keep my statutes and judgments.' This is the condition for dwelling in peace in the land that I'm about to give you. To possess the promised land, they had to maintain God's holiness. They were to embody God's character in their choices of food, in sickness and health, in family life, and in their honest and upright dealings with each other. Their love for their neighbour was to show the world what God was like. To highlight this, he says in verse 23,
You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.
(Leviticus 20: 23)
This is a very important verse explaining why God expelled the Canaanites and gave the land to the Israelites. It was because the Canaanites committed all the sins mentioned in this chapter, mainly in the area of various forms of sexual immorality and the practice of child sacrifice as described in this chapter was prevalent among the Canaanites, and that's why God expelled them from the land.
So, he says in verse 24,
But I said to you, ‘You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations.
In other words, when you were living in Egypt, I took you out and separated you from these pagan practices. So, I don't want you to be like them again, I separated you from them and they were to be holy because he was holy.
First 25 states,
You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground – those that I have set apart as unclean for you.
(Leviticus 20: 25)
As I've mentioned before, God has used all kinds of things to emphasize that there are clean and unclean things in the world. It's interesting that he revisits this concept when discussing these sins, highlighting that he wants them to be separated from all these practices he considers unclean.
You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.
(Leviticus
Once again, he underscores the idea of separation, not just separation from but separation unto the Lord. Both aspects are emphasized in the conclusion of this chapter. 'I want you separated from these pagan practices, but I want you separated to me. You should be mine.' Verse 26 underscores this desire for separation.
Finally, the last verse of the chapter, verse 27, highlights the consequences:
A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.
(Leviticus 20: 27)
We start the chapter discussing a form of adultery, and he brings us back to it, reinforcing that separation from such practices and a separation to God is the ultimate goal.
What's the point of this chapter? Simply, the Lord wanted his children to follow him and be different from other nations. Now, I acknowledge this all may seem rather harsh to the modern reader, but for me, as someone familiar with the Bible, it's not as shocking. However, I think most people who encounter this are a little surprised. What's going on here is that God is trying to prevent sin from infecting the community life of his people. The public sins mentioned here pertain to life, religion, and family, encompassing the entire Torah. Some of these sins carried a maximum penalty, those like kidnapping, idolatry, blasphemy, and persistent disobedience against authority. While this might strike us as harsh and not something we would practice today, it's important to remember that we don't have to apply these laws now, and we've evolved beyond such penalties in our society."
So, my question is, what does this have to do with us? What do we take away from this passage that's so hard and harsh and rigid? Well, I want to make a couple of points and I'm not done. The passage ends with 'you should be separated to me,' and I think you cannot look at this passage without concluding that that is a big issue. 'I don't want you to be like those nations. I took you out of those nations. I'm kicking those nations out of the land. I want you to be set apart to me and I want you to be a holy people.' I think that really communicates what's going on here.
John Brown, a 19th-century Scottish theologian, said, 'Holiness does not consist of mystic speculation, enthusiastic fervours, or uncommented restrictions. It consists in thinking as God thinks and willing as God wills.'
I like the way he said it: it's thinking as God thinks and it's willing as God wills. It's thinking and doing the will of God. So, all the nations around Israel, the whole ancient world, was permeated with adultery and sexual immorality. Simply by abstaining from those things and doing the will of God, these Israelites would stand out. And they could see that there was a God reflected in the conduct of the Israelites. He said, 'It will make a deep impression. Lighthouses do not blow horns; they just shine. You're different from them by not doing what they do. You do what God says, and you will shine with your works.'
Just one final observation: in the middle of the passage, there's this command about children. At the end of the passage, there's the whole emphasis on holiness. But throughout the passage, there's one great phrase I've said over and over again, especially as compared to the other chapters in the book, because the issue here is the consequences of sin. And the consequence of sin is death.
I think you could stamp on this chapter: 'the wages of sin is death.' Now, in the Old Testament, that was literal, I mean, they took stones and they stoned them. The word 'death' means separation, though death. And there are different kinds of death in the Bible. I've done a little bit of a study on that, and it's really interesting because it's not just physical death, spiritual death, eternal death. Ephesians 2:1 says, 'And you, He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.' In New Testament teaching, the judgment of God is now centered end of life death followed by eternal separation from him. Romans 6:23 says, 'For the wages of sin is death.' So, what is the wages showing? The seriousness..."
The wage of sin today is still death. When the sin is adultery, it may well be the death of a marriage. When the sin is a lie, it is the death of trust ans when the sin is not respecting you mother and father the wages of sin may well be the death of a family inheritance.
Sin is never the highway to happiness, it a road to destruction and separation.