LEVITICUS 20

 

I.   Introduction (v. 22-26) - Again the introduction is at the end of  the chapter.

A.     The death penalty proclaimed in this chapter for "religious  sins".

1.       400 A. D. - The first Roman Catholic who said it was  proper to kill those people who didn't agree with their  religion.

2.       Augustine - The Bishop of Hippo.  (The town is later  called Carthage.)

3.       3.      Since then, there have been many religious wars.  (Now  in Ireland between Catholics and Protestants).  In U.  S.  during the first 200 years before the constitution.      Catholics killed Puritans and the Puritans killed the  Catholics.

4.       Augustine reached back into the Old Testament and  applied the theory of the Universal Visible Church to  those scriptures.  They said the church was in the Old  Testament, therefore, they perverted the meaning and  said the church had the right to kill unbelievers.

5.       The Universal Invisible Church Theory (which belongs to  the Protestants) does the same things and if carried to  its full conclusion will cause them to feel justified  in killing unbelievers.

B.     This chapter is concerning the judgments of God that will  come on all that disobey His commands.  (See the word  "therefore".)

C.     There is a vary important and interesting thing to be noted  here as concerning the "keeping of the law".

1.       There are many people today that teach that we are  under grace, and not under the law, therefore we don't  have to do the things contained in the law.

2.       2.      See verse 23 - The nations that lived in the land of  Canaan did those things spoken of in chapters 17-20.      They did not have the law of God nor did they know who  God was, yet God still held them accountable for the  law and hated (abhorred) them because they disobeyed  the law and didn't recognize Him as God.

3.       We know these nations didn't have the law of God  because it is just now being given to Moses and Israel.

4.       Romans 2:14,15 - Even though they didn't have the  written law of God, they knew what God expected, for in  their conscience they knew right from wrong.  God is  judging them on that basis.

5.       Those people today that do not believe in keeping the  laws of God have forgotten some things.  Mainly that  God is an unchangeable God.  The things He required of  others, He will also require of us.  God did not desire  that Israel keep only the letter of the law.  He  desired them to keep the law in the Spirit.  This is  what the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is all  about.  He desires the same things of us today.  Not  the dull keeping of the letter, but the bountiful  keeping of the Spirit of the law, because of the love  of God which abounds in our hearts.

D.     V. 22 - Spue them out - vomit them out because of their  sickness in sin.

E.      E.            V. 24 - They are a separated people - Therefore, they should  keep themselves separated from the wickedness of the world.            So it is with us.  God has saved us from sin and the  wickedness of this world and we ought to be holy for He is  holy.

F.      V. 25 - There are some things the people of God ought not to  do.

G.     V. 26 - We ought to do some things because we have been  separated to be the people of God.

 

II.   The details of the judgments of God. (V. 1 - This is the Word of  God.)

A.     Verse 1-5 - Again - See 18:21 (v. 27, An Israelite that is  demon-possessed should die.)

1.       Either a stranger or a true Israelite.

2.       Put to death with stones - the common form of capital  punishment.

3.       Set face against - the person's sin shows that he does  not belong to God, but will spend his eternity in  hell.

4.       "cut off from the people" - means two things.

a.      A public expulsion from the camp of Israel.

b.      An expulsion from the presence of God in eternity.

c.      c.            Compare verse 1 & 3, 4 & 5 - If Israel judges  people correctly, God also judges them correctly.            If Israel fails to judge righteously, God still  judges correctly.  We need to do on earth what God  does in heaven.

5.       Reason:

a.      He has turned his children over to the devil.

b.      He has defiled the worship of God, both in the  sanctuary and His authority.

c.      Note:  There is to be no mixing of traditions of  religion. Today this is a common goal of most  religions.  Only the true religion will remain  true to god.

6.       Verse 4,5 - Those that protect the people involved in  this sin reveal that they do not belong to God and He  will turn against them (even though there is no  punishment on them from Israel) and eventually they  will wind up in hell.

B.     Verse 6- 8 - Those that seek to worship demons and the ways  of Satan will be rejected of God and cut off from the  people.  If Israel doesn't judge these evil people, God  will.

C.     Verse 9 - The mother and father may put up with the child  that curses them (doesn't listen to their advice and acts  like they are dumb), but God says they ought to die that  others may fear.  His blood or guilt shall be upon him, not  upon those that kill him.

D.     Verse 10-21 - Various forms of sexual sins.

1.       Verse 10 - Adultery is punishable by death, both the  man and the woman.

a.      David lived after he committed adultery with  Bathsheba because of the grace of God.  But he had  much trouble with friend, family, and foe.

b.      John 8 - The woman taken in adultery was forgiven  by the grace of God.  Jesus taught the men that  they were also guilty of adultery, if not in  action, then in thought.  Are we not all guilty??

2.       Verse 11 - Adultery with his father's wife is  punishable by death.

a.      I Cor. 5:1 - The man in the Corinthian Church that  had his father's wife.

b.      b.            He was excluded from the church.  A punishment  equal to death if the person is a child of God.            See the severity of church exclusion.

c.      Note:  Even a saved person can do things that make  us think they are lost.  Let us judge no man's  salvation, only their works.

3.       Verse 12 - Adultery with a daughter in law is  punishable by death.

a.      Gen. 38 - Judah unknowingly lay with his daughter  in law, Tamar.

b.      Gen. 38:24 - Judah was going to have her burnt  with fire when she was found with child.

c.      Gen. 38:25,26 - When it was discovered that Judah  was the father - all was forgiven and Judah "knew  her no more".

d.      According to the letter of the law, both Judah and  Tamar would have been killed.  But grace prevailed  and the twin boys born by Tamar were faithful to  god and Phares was counted in the genealogy of  Christ. (Matt. 1:3).

4.       Verse 13 - Homosexuality is punishable by death.  It  ought to be so today.  In Nevada, the homosexuals are  trying to establish a city solely for homosexuals.  This is a modern day Sodom, which God will judge.      (Note, this plan failed to materialize because of a  lack of funds.)

5.       Verse 14 - Taking (perhaps not in adultery, but in  marriage) a mother and daughter.  They shall all be  killed first, then burnt with fire to the death.  (See  Joshua 7:25 - the death of Achan.)

6.       Verse 15,16 - Beastology condemned by death of the  people and the animals.

7.       Verse 17 - Adultery or fornication with a sister, half sister, or step sister is punishable by death.  (See  notes on 18:9.)

8.       Verse 18 - Lying with a woman (even a wife) during the  monthly cycle results not in death, but a cutting off  from the people.  This is something that would not be  known publicly, but it would be known to God.  This  sex act would reveal unbridled passions, which might  reflect a lost soul.

9.       Verse 19,20 - No sex relations with an aunt.

a.      Their iniquity shall be upon their own head.

b.      They shall be childless.

1)      She shall bear no children.

2)      The children will not inherit God's  promises.

3)      The children will die before reaching child  bearing age.     

10.   Verse 21 - Brothers wife.

a.      They shall bear their own iniquity.

b.      They shall be childless.  (See point #9 above.) eventually they  will wind up in hell.