Leviticus 17-Leviticus 18 (Click Title For Audio Access)
"Worship And Sex" • 10.20.11 •
Thursday Night Bible Study, Calvary Christian Fellowship
Intro.
- The first 16
chapters of Leviticus have detailed the sacrificial system that the people of
God were to employ for the sake of communion with God culminating in the great
day of Atonement.
- What we have
before us then regards the moral and ethical code that the Hebrews needed to
have, in order to maintain a relationship with the Lord.
- Notice two
broad far reaching, foundational moral subjects:
I. The Sanctity Of Sacrifice (Chapter 17)
II. The Sanctity Of Sexuality (Chapter 18)
Text
I. The Sanctity Of Sacrifice (Chapter 17)
• Leviticus 17:1-7 :
"And the Lord spoke
to Moses, saying, 'Speak to Aaron, to his sons, and to all the
children of Israel, and say to them, ‘This is the thing which the Lord has
commanded, saying: 'Whatever man of the house of Israel who kills an
ox or lamb or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp, and does not
bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting to offer an offering to the Lord
before the tabernacle of the Lord, the guilt of bloodshed shall be imputed to
that man. He has shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his
people, to the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices which
they offer in the open field, that they may bring them to the Lord at the door
of the tabernacle of meeting, to the priest, and offer them as peace offerings
to the Lord. And the priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the Lord
at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and burn the fat for a sweet aroma to
the Lord. They shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons, after whom they
have played the harlot. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout
their generations.'" : There are some who believe that this is an
injunction against killing in general. The context of the verses that follow
indicate that this was killing related to their worship.
- The goat or the lamb that was killed for
sacrifice was not to be experienced alone, nor was it's location subject to the
whims of the worshipper. In or out of the camp, there was one place to go.
- If he sacrificed anywhere other than the
Tabernacle, he would simply be guilty of killing. It would not be recognized by
the Lord as a sacrifice unto Him. How sad? All that work for nothing!
- Remember that sacrifice was not for the
worshipper. This was done for the Lord!
- Your worship on Thursday or Sunday is not for
you. It's for God! It's an offering to God.
- For such a person, there was a severe
penalty. That man had merely shed blood and would therefore need to be cut off
from his people, which at the very least means disfellowship.
- Why? He did not want to participate in what
God's worship. He worshipped to please himself!
- God was re-orienting Israel's thinking. God
was to be the center of their worship.
- This is why the Tabernacle was literally set
in the center and their tribes set up equally around the perimeter. Every one
had equal access and could make an equidistant trip to worship.
- "But I just like being alone out in the
open where it's just me and God!" God prohibited this.
- Offering in an open field was what the other
nations did, ultimately, offering sacrifices to demons. God says that in order
to break them of this, they should be regulated.
- Sacrificing in an open field was the first
step toward open idolatry. "I don't need to go to the Tabernacle to
worship. I can do that right out here and just to make it clear, I'll build a
little statue..."
- "Sacrificing alone" might happen
out of necessity and might be an exception, in our day, but it should not be
the rule! Our rule should be that when the church is open, we are ready to
offer to God!
- I read a quote this week that spoke directly
to this issue. There is a book called "Habits of the heart" in which
a person named Sheila was interviewed regarding her religious experience.
˚
"I believe in God.
I’m not a religious fanatic. I can’t remember the last time I went to church.
My faith has carried me a long way. It is ‘Sheilaism.’ Just my own little
voice.' This instinct for an individualistic, set-your-own-rules religion is
given free reign in our modern world." Quoted by David Guzik[i]
- Such is the bane of modern evangelicalism:
Self-Centered, consumeristic idolators, whose practice of "religion"
is about as worthless to God as an offering offered in a field!
- In the New Testament, Hebrews 10:24,25 tells us we are not to forsake the gathering of
the brethren, but to join one another, to stir each other up toward love and
good works.
- Listen: Church is not just about you and what
you get out of it! It's about giving God what is His and caring for those that
are your brothers and sisters!
- God is saying, "Come and offer what
belongs to me. Let the Priest minister to you and both of you will enjoy the
fellowship that you have in me!"
• Leviticus
17:8-12 : "Also you shall say to them: ‘Whatever man of
the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell among you, who offers a
burnt offering or sacrifice, and does not bring it to the door of the
tabernacle of meeting, to offer it to the Lord, that man shall be cut off from
among his people. ‘And whatever man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers
who dwell among you, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person
who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the
flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make
atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the
soul.’ Therefore I said to the
children of Israel, ‘No one among you shall eat blood, nor shall any stranger
who dwells among you eat blood.’" : How important was it to bring their offering to the
Tabernacle? It was the difference between God being for you and God being
against you!
- If killing something anywhere other than the
Tabernacle was simple bloodshed, then that person consuming the offering would
be eating blood from something not properly bled.
- That was an offense to God and a cheapening
of the purity and purpose of the blood.
- Their offense would cut them off from
fellowship from their people and the Lord would set his face against those that
did this. God would turn against that person!
- Now, there are a few people in this world
that I don't want to anger. There is one person that I never want to anger!
- The covenant people of God who withhold from
the Lord have made a prickly bed for themselves!
-
The Lord strictly prohibits the use of blood for any other purpose. Blood
represents life! It's blood that will make atonement for souls!
- Any degradation of the blood would be unholy
and offensive to the Lord.
• Leviticus
17:13-16 : "Whatever man of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who
dwell among you, who hunts and catches any animal or bird that may be eaten, he
shall pour out its blood and cover it with dust; for it is the life of all
flesh. Its blood sustains its life. Therefore I said to the children of Israel,
‘You shall not eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its
blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off.’ And every person who eats what died
naturally or what was torn by beasts, whether he is a native of your own
country or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes and bathe in water, and
be unclean until evening. Then he shall be clean. But if he does not wash them
or bathe his body, then he shall bear his guilt.'" : When the
members of this community went hunting, they were to cover the blood from the
animal that they caught, reverencing even that blood.
- It's life was in that blood! Cover it and
keep it pure in your mind. The people of God were to respect it because it was
the vehicle that God used for atonement.
- How much more are we to respect the blood of
Christ that has not covered, but has taken away our sins forever!?
II. The Sanctity Of Sexuality (Chapter 18)
• Leviticus
18:1-5 : "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the
children of Israel, and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God. According to the
doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according
to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do;
nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe My judgments and keep
My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore
keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them:
I am the Lord.'" : This is a
reminder that is given several times in the wilderness and frankly, one that
bears repeating in our lives. God says to you and I: "I am the Lord your
God."
- Sometimes, we need to hear that afresh. Who
is our God? Who is the one who makes decisions, saying yes and no? Who has the
authority to command us to do His bidding?
- If the answer is God in your life, then
everything that He says should be instantly and joyfully obeyed! Is He your
Master?
- God oriented their worship around Him so that
they would have a new way of approaching life. They had lived for hundreds of
years in Egypt. They witnessed their idolatry.
- Now, they would soon live in Canaan, where
they would witness even greater filth. They were not to act or live according
to their ways. They were not to walk in their ways!
- You and I are called to be different because
He is different! We represent Him!
- This is why God gives us His law: So that we
will live! God is not prohibiting our worship for the sake of killing our joy.
He is doing so because right worship leads to a right life!
• Leviticus
18:6-18 : "None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to
uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord. The nakedness of your father or the
nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall
not uncover her nakedness. The nakedness of your father’s wife you shall not
uncover; it is your father’s nakedness. The nakedness of your sister, the
daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home
or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover. The nakedness of your
son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not
uncover; for theirs is your own nakedness. The nakedness of your father’s
wife’s daughter, begotten by your father—she is your sister—you shall not
uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s
sister; she is near of kin to your father. You shall not uncover the nakedness
of your mother’s sister, for she is near of kin to your mother. You shall not
uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not approach his
wife; she is your aunt. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your
daughter-in-law—she is your son’s wife—you shall not uncover her nakedness. You
shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s
nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, nor
shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her
nakedness. They are near of kin to her. It is wickedness. Nor shall you take a
woman as a rival to her sister, to uncover her nakedness while the other is
alive." : This
is a very straightforward section to say the least. They were prohibited to
engage in sexual relationships with people from their own family.
- To uncover one's nakedness is both a euphemistic
way of referring to sexual contact, as well as covering the concept of
adultery.
- Moses speaks this way about a Mother's
nakedness belonging to the Father, referring to the marital union, where God
has designed unity through sexuality.
- You may wonder how it Canaan got this way. Genesis 8 tells us when Ham, Noah's
son, uncovered his Father's nakedness and Canaan, Ham's son was cursed.
- Ham and Canaan were then the Father's of this
race of nations that occupied the land that God was giving to the descendants
of Abraham.
- Each one of us is repulsed upon thinking,
even momentarily of the things listed. That is the presence of God in you.
However, in Canaan, none of these things were prohibited.
- These behaviors were publically celebrated and
a part of the worship of the false idols of Canaan! God tells Israel that they
were to be different in how they approached their sex lives.
- God had to be specific because these were
specific relationships that they would see happening all around them. Sadly,
God had to keep going.
• Leviticus
18:19-21 : "Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness as
long as she is in her customary impurity. Moreover you shall not lie carnally
with your neighbor’s wife, to defile yourself with her. And you shall not let
any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane
the name of your God: I am the Lord." : Sex was
prohibited during menstruation, as well as with a neighbor's wife. Both were
related to each other as a defilement.
- People who engage in adultery think that they
are involved in something pleasurable and potentially wonderful. God says,
"You defile yourself when you do these things!"
- You might think it's pleasurable, but God
sees it as pollution! Those are His perfect eyes!
- In those days, such a thing would certainly
cause unwanted pregnancies. Since abortion technology did not exist, there was
always the potential of worshipping Molech.
- In those days, babies were discarded post partum
in a sacrifice to Molech. The fires of Molech received these innocent children.
- The statues of Molech were made of bronze and
were heated with fire. Babies were offered to this statue for the promise of
fertilization of the crops.
- That was profane in the eyes of the Lord.
Abortion, like the sacrifice to Molech, is murder!
• Leviticus
18:22-30 : "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an
abomination. Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it.
Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion. Do
not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations
are defiled, which I am casting out before you. For the land is defiled;
therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits
out its inhabitants. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and
shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any
stranger who dwells among you (for all these abominations the men of the land
have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), lest the land
vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were
before you. For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who
commit them shall be cut off from among their people. Therefore you shall keep
My ordinance, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which
were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: I am
the Lord your God.’"
: When a society gives an
open door to sexual perversion, homosexuality and bestiality are right around
the corner!
- It's the law of diminishing returns: A person
trapped in such a sin needs more an more. What's left is the breaking of taboos,
which is exactly what had happened in Canaan.
- In what is an incredibly relevant topic, God
addresses homosexuality. Notice that He calls it an abomination, something that
is detestable to Him. Those are His words.
- Today, the church is incredibly confused
about this topic, so it's best to address it when it comes to our attention.
God calls engaging in that lifestyle as an abomination.
- What about same-sex attraction or homosexual
tendencies? It cannot be argued that these do not exist.
- Where they come from usually result from
sinful actions against the person or exposure to that lifestyle that makes it
normative to that person.
- God does not condemn a person for having a
desire or struggling personally with a sin. However, whoever would engage or
practice such a thing, is condemned by God.
- The same thing is said of those who would
practice heterosexual, extramarital sex. God says that both of those sins
practiced by human beings are condemned and cause for exclusion of life.
- God does not hate homosexuals. He hates sin.
He hates my sin. At the same time, those who would believe in Christ and
repent, either homosexual or heterosexual, will find the same pardon!
- Today, you will hear the argument that
homosexuals are born that way and it is thus unfair of God to require them to
change. Guess what? Heterosexuals are born THAT way and need to repent!
- Notice what God says: It's because of these
sins that the land vomited the people from the earth and the reason that God
was sending the Hebrews to inhabit the land.
- But He warns them: Don't be guilty of the
same thing, or you will also be spewed out!
Conclusion
- A sure cure
for this defilement in our lives is to live closely to the Lord. God is not
calling you to Himself because He is needy.
- Like a
Father, He calls you to Himself because that is the safest place to be! Don't
miss that invitation to the life that He offers you!
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