Leviticus 20 - A People Removed

Leviticus 20 starts out by re-emphasizing the prohibitions laid out in Leviticus 18. All unnatural lusts are condemned; and what was most striking to me was the attention given to abominable relations between humans and animals. This was obviously an issue that needed to be dealt with, for this is its second mention in the Bible. It's one of the most gruesome and dark practices that people are capable of, and it shows quite blatantly the nefarious tendencies of a Godless society. Herodotus, the famous Greek historian of the 5th century BC, who is in no way associated with the Bible, also described this abominable practice among the pagan peoples. So we have much evidence that it went on (and still does in many cultures today). Some of the Greek myths point to the practice as well, such as Leda and the swan (pictured above). When one really starts to realize what the Godless pagan societies were like, it becomes so clear that the Judeo-Christian Law is the Law, perfectly aligned with the Natural Law, and meant to pave the way to a more God-like society. Without this perfect Law, we are left with floundering philosophies of nothingness. To give an example, the "celebrated" philosopher Peter Singer, who is famous for his work on animal rights, has actually gone so far as to demonstrate the conditions under which sexual relations with animals is not wrong! That's where we're headed, folks. If we continue down a Godless path as a society, we're only going to come full circle, and we'll be right back to where we started: a lustful, worldly, hedonistic people, much in need of a Law to set us straight.

Leviticus 20 ends with some profound verses explaining the reasons behind the Law, and what God wants from His people. These are verses initially directed toward the Jewish people, but they resound with a timelessness that transcends specificity. The following verses refer to all of God's people, which as we know, with the coming of Christ, include people of all nations and ethnicities. These are eternal words that all of Christendom should hear:

"Keep my laws, and my judgments, and do them; lest the land, into which you are to enter to dwell therein, vomit you also out." (Leviticus 20:22) [The "land" of course being heaven.]

"Walk not after the laws of the nations, which I will cast out before you; for they have done all these things, and therefore I abhorred them." (Leviticus 20:23)

"You shall be holy unto me, because I the Lord am holy, and I have separated you from other people, that you should be mine." (Leviticus 20:26)

I love that last verse, "I have separated you from other people, that you should be mine." What a clear statement of God's Divine Plan. All the rules and regulations are important, because they are outward indicators of our separation from other people (the "other people" being those not wanting anything to do with God). We belong to God; He claims us as His own. Yet He has given us a choice: do we remain with Him, or do we flee? I think a scene from the New Testament (John 6:68-69) illustrates this beautifully. After many of Jesus's disciples decide to follow Him no more, He says to the twelve Apostles, "Will you also go away?" And in response, Peter says something every Christian has probably thought at one time or another: "Lord, to whom shall we go?" What sincere words! For if we don't go with God, our only other option is nothingness. And that nothingness leads to hopelessness. Nietzsche, that famous philosopher of nothingness, literally went mad at the end of his life. No thanks.

Leviticus 19 - Judging and Loving

This was an all-encompassing type of chapter. At times it seemed to mirror the Ten Commandments. Other laws were repeated as well, such as the procedure for a proper sin-offering. But what struck me were a couple of passages that seemed to foreshadow the New Law given us by Jesus. For one, Leviticus 19:18 tells us to "love thy friend as thyself," which of course sounds nearly identical to Christ's words. Further along, Leviticus 19:33-34 says, "If a stranger dwell in your land, and abide among you, do not upbraid him: But let him be among you as one of the same country: and you shall love him as yourselves." It is not hard to see, then, that the Bible truly has only one Author.

I also noticed in Leviticus 19:15 that God says, "judge thy neighbor according to justice." This instantly made me think of the all-too-common situation in which a person will be criticized for a certain wrongful action and the criticized will respond with, "you can't judge me!" or "stop judging me!" Many people (almost always non-Christians) hear Christ's famous words "Judge not, that you may not be judged" (Matthew 7:1) and mistakenly apply it to all situations. The Church is clear about this, and tells us to "admonish the sinner," for we are obligated to help our fellow brothers and sisters to enlightenment in Christ. We cannot falsely judge, or vainly judge, or judge out of spite, or make eternal judgments. But, according to God Himself, we must "judge... according to justice."

Lastly, another interesting passage in this chapter of Leviticus reads: "Thou shalt not sow thy field with different seeds. Thou shalt not wear a garment that is woven of two sorts" (Leviticus 19:19). Without denying the literal meaning of these laws, it seems pretty clear that there are higher moral meanings embedded in these words (as most commentators have mentioned). This seems to be God calling us to avoid schisms and heresies. As my commentary notes, "The sowing of different seeds tends to impoverish the soil." God desires unity among His people, and the more "sects" or "branches" of His followers there are, the more "impoverished" is His Church. There is no doubt that a unified fold would not only be more pleasing to God, but it would be more awe-inspiring to the worldly nations, and more inviting.