LEVITICUS—NOTE ON LEVITICUS 18:1 The Call to Holiness. This section applies the principle of holiness (Leviticus 19:1) to various aspects of Israelite life. Chapter Leviticus 18:1 considers sexual behavior and how Israel is to act differently from the pagan nations. Chapters Leviticus 19:1 apply the... [ Continue Reading ]
LEVITICUS—NOTE ON LEVITICUS 18:5 IF A PERSON DOES THEM, HE SHALL LIVE BY THEM. The person who responds rightly to God’s grace (“does”) will enjoy life under God’s pleasure (“shall live”). Compare Deuteronomy 4:1; Deuteronomy 8:1; Nehemiah 9:29; Ezekiel 20:11; John 15:10.... [ Continue Reading ]
LEVITICUS—NOTE ON LEVITICUS 18:6 These laws prohibit sexual relations (APPROACH... TO UNCOVER NAKEDNESS), and therefore marriage, between people who are too closely related, either by blood (mother, sister, granddaughter, aunt) or by marriage (stepmother, stepsister, stepdaughter, stepgranddaughter,... [ Continue Reading ]
LEVITICUS—NOTE ON LEVITICUS 18:18 YOU SHALL NOT TAKE A WOMAN AS A RIVAL WIFE TO HER SISTER. Polygamy violates the creation ideal (Genesis 2:24), and polygamous marriages in the Bible are generally unhappy ones (e.g., Genesis 29:30; 1 Samuel 1:2). ⇐ ⇔... [ Continue Reading ]
LEVITICUS—NOTE ON LEVITICUS 18:19 Leviticus 1:1 offers no explanation for this law. Unlike most of the other sexual laws of this chapter, such as those concerning adultery and homosexuality, this law is not repeated in the NT. In view of Leviticus 15:19, the concern is probably the man’s ceremonial... [ Continue Reading ]
LEVITICUS—NOTE ON LEVITICUS 18:20 This prohibition follows from the seventh commandment (Exodus 20:14) and is universally applicable. MAKE YOURSELF UNCLEAN WITH HER. Although not all uncleanness is sin, all sin makes a person unclean. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (va... [ Continue Reading ]
LEVITICUS—NOTE ON LEVITICUS 18:21 This refers to the cult of MOLECH (2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 32:35). The precise nature of the offering of CHILDREN to this pagan god is uncertain. It may be that they are being given to the cult of Molech to train to be temple prostitutes, and that is why this passag... [ Continue Reading ]
LEVITICUS—NOTE ON LEVITICUS 18:22 YOU SHALL NOT LIE WITH A MALE AS WITH A WOMAN. This prohibits all male homosexual activity (compare Leviticus 20:13; also note on Romans 1:26). Such activity is utterly at odds with the creation ideal (see note on Gen. 2:23–24). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒... [ Continue Reading ]
LEVITICUS—NOTE ON LEVITICUS 18:24 All the listed offenses are declared to be an outrage to the Lord. They defile the offender and the LAND. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]