Leviticus Chapters 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 Commentary by Mark Dunagan

LEVITICUS CHAPTERS 18-27 Chapter 18 18:1-5 Five times in this chapter the grounds for proper sexual conduct and all morality is the character of God, “I am the Lord your God” (18:1). Spiritual life is conditioned upon obedience to God’s commands (18:4). God’s laws weren’t cultural. Whether they were in Egypt or Canaan, God expected His people to obey Him and not the cultural or political correct values of the Egyptians or Canaanites. “Israel’s sexual morality is here portrayed as something that marks it off from its neighbors as the Lord’s special people….This chapter insists that certain standards of sexual morality are equally decisive marks of religious allegiance” (Wenham p. 250). Or, we could say, marks of faithfulness, spirituality and goodness.

But many people in our modern society are trying to convince us that one can be moral, spiritual or a good person, and yet engage in what God calls immorality.

18:6-17 Here are a list of forbidden sexual relationships among relatives.

Several basic principles stand out in this section: 1. Martial intercourse made the man and wife as closely related as parents and children. This is the one flesh concept of Genesis 2:24. “Marriage thus creates both vertical blood relationships in the form of children and horizontal ‘blood’ relationships between spouses. The girl who marries into a family becomes an integral and permanent part of that family in the same way that children born into the family do….marriage made a girl not just a daughter-in-law, but a daughter of her husband’s parents (Ruth 1:11; 3:1)” (Wenham p. 255). 2. “it is your father’s nakedness”-(18:8), or we would say, “your own flesh and blood”. 3. Marriage made a girl not just a daughter-in-law, but a daughter of her husband’s parents and a sister to all his brothers. 4. A man could not marry any woman who had become a close relative through a previous marriage to one of his close relatives. 5. Incestuous relationships are still wrong in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 5:1ff). 6. Such laws were not only necessary because incest was tolerated in the surrounding cultures (18:24), but polygamous relationships could make family relationships extremely complex and complicated.

1

18:18 From the examples given in Scripture it is clear that polygamy, especially the form of marrying two sisters would inherently create many problems (Genesis 29:1ff; 1 Samuel 1:6-7).

Point to Note: But there are always people who think that they are the exception to the rule.

That they are so mature and enlightened that they can make such a relationship work. Note, no level of maturity, spirituality, a self-sacrifice can remove the bugs and problems from certain unions.

18:19 This and the following are great examples of laws which one is tempted to say, “does anyone even want to do the following?” Why would any man want to have sexual relations when his wife was on her period? One writer notes that this regulation appeared to have the side benefit of limiting the amount of uterine cancer among Jewish women compared to the women in the surrounding cultures (see Gispen p. 186).

18:20 Note that adultery defiled both parties and both were to be put to death (Lev. 20:10).

18:21 “Molech”-other passages make it clear that this involved child sacrifice, by throwing children into a raging fire (2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 32:35; especially compare 2 Kings 23:10 with Jeremiah 7:31). Such is abundantly verified among the Canaanites in both literary texts and artifactual evidence. The usual description of Molech is that of a hollow image made of brass, and having a human body with the head of an ox. The idol sat on a brazen throne with hands extended. “In sacrificing to it the image was heated to redness by a fire built within. The parents then placed their children in the heated arms, while the noise of the drums and cymbals drowned the cries of the little sufferers” (Manners and Customs, Freeman p. 92). Molech was the national god of the Ammonites. “The western Semitic god of the devouring sun” (Noordtzij p. 186).

2

18:22 Homosexuality is clearly condemned before the Law, during the Law and in the New Testament (Genesis 19; here and 1 Corinthians 6:9). Homosexuality and sexual relations with young children had a place in more than one ancient Near Eastern religion. “To be sure, such shameful deeds also form a sorry commentary on modern culture” (Noordtzji p. 188).

18:23 One sexual perversion is typically followed by another. That’s why some argue that if society truly accepts homosexuality as normal then sex with minors and even children is the next boundary which will be crossed. But if Evolution is true, then there should be nothing wrong with having sexual relations with animals. Note, not only were many of these practices found in Canaanite society, but they had the approval and backing of the Canaanite religious authorities. Just like a good number of denominations have given their approval to homosexual practices.

18:24 Seeing that God could condemn such people for the above sins, it is clear that these people were accountable to God’s laws, including His laws governing morality, sexuality and marriage. “if marriage makes a man one flesh with his wife, he may not later desert her and take another” (Wenham p. 261). Secular documents agree with the assertion that the Canaanites had been guilty of practicing such things (18:27).

18:28 Even in the OT, God didn’t accept the concept of once saved, always saved. Sin is still sin, even when it is practiced by a child of God. “Disobedient Israelites would suffer the same punishment as their predecessors” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 201). The word “spewed” or vomited out (18:25), graphically demonstrates how detestable such things are in the sight of God, or in reality. Remember, God deliberately used such strong language, because these sins are disgusting.

18:30 God calls us such things “abominable customs”. Please note, these practices were socially acceptable among the Canaanites, but God doesn’t base truth, morality, or right and wrong on what man thinks (Romans 12:1-2). If something is sinful, God doesn’t care if it is part of your “heritage” or not.

Certain “customs” and certain cultures do not deserve to survive.

Chapter 19 “The diversity of material in this chapter reflects the differentiation of life. All aspects of human affairs are subject to God’s laws” (Wenham p. 264).

19:2 This chapter isn’t addressed to a few ascetics or the elite in Israel, rather it is addressed to the whole nation. God expects holiness and moral purity from every Israelite and not just the priests. “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy”:

3

Points To Note: 1.

“This statements weds ethics to theology forever. Human morality must ultimately rest on the unchanging nature of God. Every biblical statement about God carries with it an implied demand upon men to imitate Him in daily living” (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 201). 2. The same demand is placed upon Christians (Matthew 5:48; Eph. 5:1). 3. This is why biblical morality and truth doesn’t change, because biblical ethics aren’t rooted in culture, but in the nature of God Himself! 4. This is also the reason why various things are wrong---they are inherently impure, they violate holiness because they violate the nature of God.

19:3 Holiness begins in the home, the first lesson in holiness is to respect your father and mother. The foundation for all future respect of those in authority begins with respecting the very first authority figures in your life, i.e. your parents.

19:5 In like manner, the motive behind our worship should be the desire to obey God’s instructions, so that our worship is also accepted.

19:9-10 God’s welfare system. But note the wisdom. The poor still were given the opportunity to work, food wasn’t wasted, and the poor were provided for without depriving them of their self-respect. Similar laws are found in Lev. 23:22; Deut. 24:19-22.

19:13 In light of the fact that many workers were paid on a daily basis and lived a hand-to-mouth existence, such a person’s wages were to be paid immediately.

19:14 Long before recent legislation concerning the handicapped, God make it clear that they weren’t less than human. God takes careful note of how we treat the less fortunate and the defenseless.

19:15 There is always the temptation to consider the social standing of those on trial when hearing their case. But neither the poverty or wealth of the accused or the victim was to sway justice in Israel. God is no respector of persons and neither should we (Acts 10:34-35).

19:17 Loving your brother may include rebuking him. In fact, allowing a person to head towards ruin without warning him, is a form of hating him (Ezekiel 3:1821; Proverbs 27:5; Matthew 18:15-17; Romans 13:8-10).

19:18 “love your neighbor as yourself”-Note this even applied to non-Israelites (19:34).

Point To Note: 4

“Developing the idea of holiness as order, not confusion, this list upholds rectitude and straight-dealing as holy, and contradiction and double-dealing as against holiness. Theft, lying, false witness, cheating in weights and measures, all kinds of dissembling such as speaking ill of the deaf (and presumably smiling to their face), hating your brother in your heart (while presumably speaking kindly to him), these are clearly contradictions between what seems and what is…Holiness is thus not so much an abstract or a mystic idea, as a regulative principle in the everyday lives of men and women….Holiness is thus attained not by flight from the world, nor by monk-like renunciation of human relationships of family or station, but by the spirit in which we fulfill the obligations of life in its simplest and commonest details: in this way---by doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God—is everyday life transfigured” (Wenham p. 265).

Note that loving your neighbor in the OT included loving him in your heart, for even a “grudge” is forbidden (19:18).

19:19 The idea seems to be that such physical separations were to be reminders that man was not be combine what God has separated. “Thus in major and minor decisions of life, Israel was constantly reminded that she was different” (Wenham p. 270). Therefore, God never views any of His laws as being unimportant. Faithfulness in little things isn’t necessarily legalism (Luke 16:10). Many people claim that God isn’t concerned about our obedience to the details of His word, rather, He simply wants us to generally follow the overall principles of His word. But God doesn’t believe that you can separate the two!

19:20-22 Fornication with slave girls, was still a sin.

19:23-25 Note again how God is interweaving what some might call the little things with the big things. We go from fornication to placing orchards. “Holiness involves the total consecration of a man’s life and labor to God’s service…By dedicating the first of everything to God, the man of the Old Covenant publicly acknowledged that all he had was from God” (Wenham p. 271). Waiting five years to eat from your fruit trees was also an act of faith, that God would provide during the first four years. See Proverbs 3:9-10.

Point To Note: Once gain, be impressed that God choose the order the text. It was God Who decided that “love your neighbor” will be placed right next to a law forbidding the intermixing of crops in a field (19:18-19). God is telling us that when He speaks, when He gives a law, He expects complete obedience to all His laws, even those that might to the human mind seem unnecessary or optional.

19:26 “divination”-a word which includes every practice which attempts to circumvent Divine revelation, and the need to be dependent upon God’s word for our guidance. Divination includes such practices as astrology, attempting to contact the dead, mediums, psychics, palm reading, tarot cards, etc…”The 5

motion of the clouds, the flight of birds, and various natural phenomena (e.g., the positions of the stars) played a large role in such attempts at augury, which assumed an important position in pagan cultures. Deuteronomy 18:10-11 presents a list of such occult practices” (Noordtzij p. 204).

19:27-28 Such forbidden practices were mourning customs in pagan cultures (Deut. 14:1). “the cutting of one’s body was originally connected with the thought that disease and death were caused by demonic powers. The mourners offered their own blood to such beings in order to appease them and thus stop them from further tormenting the dead person” (Noordtzij p. 204). See 1 Kings 18:28. Even in the OT we seem to have the principle that the body of the believer needs to be treated with respect, and that what we do with our bodies does manifest the condition of our heart (1 Cor. 6:20).

19:28 “tattoo marks”-“Worshippers of certain gods had the custom of inscribing such a token on some portion of their bodies” (Noordtzij p. 205). In addition, like today, such markings demonstrated membership in a group, and were also believed to protect a person from the spirits of the dead.

19:29 Temple or religious prostitutes were far from being “holy girls”. Notice the language of the “slippery slope”, “and the land become full of lewdness”. Man has this naïve idea that he can cross various moral boundaries and then suddenly exercise the self-control that will say, “no further”. Or that, people engaging in immorality can somehow be very moral and trustworthy in the rest of their lives.

19:31 Notice how one immoral practice tends to attract another. This verse outlaws any resort to those who claim to be in contact with the spirits of the dead. “Literally the word means “knower” and refers either to the knowledgeable practitioners of black magic or the knowing spirits they (supposedly) call up” (Wenham p. 273). “do not seek them out”-Note that often we fall prey to temptation, not because it took us by surprise, but because we were doing our best to find it, or create a situation in which we could be tempted. “The entire ancient Near Eastern world, and the Greeks and Romans as well, believed that the passage of deceased persons into the invisible world gave them access to increased knowledge and that it was possible for the living, especially women, to compel them to disclose this knowledge” (Noordtzij p. 206).

19:32 “According to Isaiah 3:5 a society which fails to honor the old is on the brink of destruction” (Wenham p. 273). Respect for the aged is also a way of showing respect for God, compare with Proverbs 16:31; 20:29.

19:33-34 The Israelites were without excuse for taking advantage of strangers among them, they knew by experience what it meant to live in a foreign land.

The alien wasn’t to be made a victim of harassment, they weren’t to take advantage of his ignorance or vulnerability. In comparison to this, it may be noted that the Romans used a single word for both enemy and alien.

6

Point To Note: Every non-Jewish person wasn’t an enemy, only those cultures which were beyond hope were to be shunned and exterminated. In reference to all others, they were to treat such people as they would treat themselves. Here we also learn that being one of God’s people, being separate from the word, doesn’t mean being prejudiced or a racist at the same time.

19:35-36 A ‘hin’ was a sixth of an ephah. The exact modern equivalents are uncertain. An ephah may have been roughly 4 gallons and a hin around 6 pints.

Dishonest measurements were a common problem (Amos 8:5; Micah 6:10ff).

Chapter 20 This chapter deals with many capital offenses. We might call it “Capital and other serious crimes”. Once again, the instructions were to be given to the entire nation (20:1-2). Such laws also applied to any aliens which were living among them, which infers that God held non-Israelites accountable to the same basic moral standard. This chapter gives the physical penalty or consequences for many of the sins mentioned in chapters 18-19.

Chapter 21 This chapter deals with various rules governing the priests. Priests were forbidden to take part in funeral ceremonies or the customary mourning for anyone who was not a very close relative. Once again, defacement of the human body is incompatible with holiness (21:5-6). The wives of the priests must also be godly in their behavior (21:7-8). The ordinary priests could marry a widow (7), but not the high priest (14). In both cases, neither could marry a divorced women, even if the divorce wasn’t her fault or idea. The children of priests also had to be holy. If the daughter of a priest was sexually immoral, she was to be burned with fire (21:9).

21:10-15 These verses mention the rules that governed the high priest. He couldn’t even mourn in any public manner the death of those closest to him.

Compare with Lev. 10:3-7. “He is forbidden even to exhibit the normal marks of grief, disheveling the hair and tearing his clothes” (Wenham p. 291). He could only marry a virgin.

21:16-24 Physical handicaps disqualified priests from actively serving, even though they still were allowed to eat of the sacrifices. “Although a blemished priest may not offer sacrifice himself, he may still enjoy the priestly perquisites, those parts of the sacrifices reserved for the priests (see 2:3,10; 6:10-11)” (Wenham p. 292).

7

Point To Note: In reference to such laws, be impressed that human feelings had to take a back seat to Divine revelation. Human wisdom may reason that handicapped priests should have been allowed to serve and that such would have been a really spiritual and noble goal, but God doesn’t agree. These passages should teach us never to trust in our own feelings (Proverbs 3:5).

Chapter 22 22:1-9 This section describes situations in which the priest could neither serve or eat of the sacrifices offered.

22:10-16 This section deals relatives of the priests and their rights or non-rights in eating of the priestly food. “The parts of the sacrifices assigned to them and the tithes constituted the income of the priests, who had no land of their own to work. As a matter of course, the priest’s families also eat the holy things. But who counted as belonging to the priest’s family?” (Wenham p. 295). A priests daughter was entitled to eat, until she married (22:12).

22:17-30 Here is a list of the defects that would make an animal unblemished and hence unfit to be sacrificed to God. 22:26-30 God is concerned about the humane treatment of even sacrificial animals. “It is in conformity with other laws such as that forbidding to take a bird and its eggs (Deut. 22:6-7), or to cook a kid in its mother’s milk (Exo. 23:19), or wantonly destroy trees (Deut. 20:19-20)….Every Israelite was expected to do his part in conservation by avoiding wanton destruction of the God-given creation” (Wenham p. 296).

Chapter 23 This chapter deals with God’s religious festivals. 23:2 “holy convocations”-this phrase occurs eleven times in this chapter. The word “convocation” literally means a “call, summons, or reading”. Putting all these verses together, it appears that a “holy convocation” was a national gathering for public worship.

23:3-4 The Weekly Sabbath 23:5-8 Passover 23:9-14 On the first day of the new week following Passover, a barley sheaf was waved before the Lord to express gratitude for the spring harvest.

8

23:15-22 The Feast of Weeks or Pentecost. Fifty days or seven weeks after the first sheaf had been offered, a feast to mark the end of the grain harvest was held. It is also called the feast of harvest (Exodus 23:16). Its NT name, Pentecost (Acts 2:1), comes from the Greek word meaning “fiftieth”. Note, Passover and Pentecost were feasts that were held in the Spring.

23:23-43 The Fall Festivals. The seventh month marked the end of the agricultural year. The grapes and olives had been picked, farm work was at a minimum and there was time to take stock spiritually and materially. In the fall we have the Feast of Trumpets (23:23-25), the Day of Atonement (23:26-32) and the Feast of Tabernacles, also called Feast of Ingathering (23:33-43). Following the very solemn Day of Atonement, which included fasting, we find the Feast of Booths, where every family camped out in man-made booths (23:40). “This was to remind them how they once had to live in tents when they came out of Egypt and make them appreciate the good housing they now enjoyed (Deut. 6:10-11).

It is only when we are deprived of our daily blessings, health, food, clothes, or housing, that we realize just how much we ought to be thankful for” (Wenham p.

305).

I am impressed that the OT Law contained many opportunities for the Israelites to see their brethren and rejoice! Far from being a “cruel” or “harsh” Law, be impressed with all the “time-off” and festivals that God gave to His people.

Chapter 24 24:1-4 The daily care of the lampstand in the tabernacle. “Clear oil from beaten olives” was purer and of better quality than boiled olive oil.

24:5-9 The weekly care of the table of showbread. The actual recipe is given in verse 5. According to such figures each loaf probably contained 3 ½ pounds of flour.

24:10-16 An actual case of blasphemy is punished during this time. “The story of Naboth shows that the death penalty for blasphemy was no dead letter in OT times (1 Kings 21:10,13). Blasphemy was one of the charges for which our Lord and Stephen were condemn to death (Matt. 26:65-66; Acts 6:11ff) (Wenham p.

311). Carefully note that foreigners in Israel were expected to demonstrate reverence for God (16,22).

Point To Note: In light of such statues, it isn’t unreasonable for Christians to expect nonChristians in the assembly, in bible classes, or in their own homes to monitor their speech, and demonstrate a respect for God.

Chapter 25

9

This chapter deals with the Sabbatical Year (25:1-7) and the Year of Jubliee (25:8ff). Every seventh year the land was to be given rest. Crops were not to be planted, and that which grew of itself was not to be harvested (in an organized fashion). Compliance to such a law required faith on the part of the people, “Would there be enough to eat this year?” (25:19-22) “The children of Israel are to behave like the nomads they were before the conquest. Anyone can pick and gather whatever he finds, wherever it is. This should be of special benefit to slaves and other landless persons (25:6; Exodus 23:11)” (Wenham p. 318).

25:8-16 These laws assisted in trying to prevent the utter ruin of debtors. Since the year of Jubliee happened every fifty years, at least once in your lifetime the entire slate was wiped clean. Everyone had the chance to make a fresh start.

These laws also were designed to ensure that each tribe and family was able to live on the land which had been given to it by Divine decree (23-38).

25:23 The land could never be sold permanently, because God was the true owner of the land.

25:25 Family members should look out for one another.

25:29 A house in a walled city could be sold permanently, but the seller had a 12 month period in which to cancel the sale.

25:36 Interest free loans were to be given to the poor. The Israelites weren’t to profit from the hardships of their own brethren. No attempt was to be made to profit from the misery of this brother.

25:39 These laws enabled hope, even the poorest Israelite knew that in the future he could eventually start over, his family didn’t have to remain in poverty all their lives.

Point To Note: Here is one of those sections in the Law that our modern society looks every backward, greedy, merciless, pagan, unloving and cruel in contrast.

Chapter 26 This chapter gives the blessings of obedience and the curses that will follow disobedience. Note, God is very up front and honest. The main section of Deuteronomy ends with a similar series of blessings and curses (Deut. 28).

Even after the curses, there is a promise of restoration, if only the people repent (26:40-46).

10

Chapter 27 This chapter deals with laws which govern vows. “Facing death, even hardened atheists are known to pray. Throughout human history, when men have found themselves in dire straits they have prayed for deliverance and made vows to God, promising to do something for God if he rescued them…Vows are made in the heat of the moment. In retrospect, when the crisis is over, they may well seem foolish and unnecessary, and the person who made the vow may be tempted to forget it or only fulfill it partially. Scripture includes a number of warnings about such an attitude (Ecc. 5:3-5; Prov. 20:25)” (Wenham p. 337).

27:2 “a difficult vow”-a person might dedicate themselves to the service of God. To free oneself from such a vow, a payment had to be made. A person between the ages of 20-50 had to pay 50 shekels of silver. This was quite a fine, seeing that the average worker in biblical times made about one shekel per month.

27:28-29 “Banning or devoting was a more solemn and irreversible vow than ordinary dedication. Anyone or anything that was devoted to the Lord could not be ransomed. It was usual to invoke the ban in wars against the native inhabitants of Canaan (Num. 21:2; Deut. 7:2; 1 Samuel 15). It seems unlikely that ordinary Israelites could pronounce such vows; only the recognized leaders had authority to declare a death sentence” (Wenham p. 341). “The devotion spoken of in this verse was judicial rather than priestly, since every Israelite would have otherwise been enabled to rid himself of a fellow human being…by devoting him to the Lord, something that obviously could never have been allowed” (Noordtzij p. 279).

11