Lev 18:1 YHVH said to Moshe, 2 “Speak to the people of Isra’el; tell them, ‘I am YHVH your God. 3 You are not to engage in the activities found in the land of Egypt, where you used to live; and you are not to engage in the activities found in the land of Kena‘an, where I am bringing you; nor are you to live by their laws. 4 You are to obey my rulings and laws and live accordingly; I am YHVH your God. 5 You are to observe my laws and rulings; if a person does them, he will have life through them; I am YHVH.
. . .
24 “‘Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, because all the nations which I am expelling ahead of you are defiled with them. 25 The land has become unclean, and this is why I am punishing it — the land itself will vomit out its inhabitants. 26 But you are to keep my laws and rulings and not engage in any of these disgusting practices, neither the citizen nor the foreigner living with you; 27 for the people of the land have committed all these abominations, and the land is now defiled. 28 If you make the land unclean, it will vomit you out too, just as it is vomiting out the nation that was there before you. 29 For those who engage in any of these disgusting practices, whoever they may be, will be cut off from their people. 30 So keep my charge not to follow any of these abominable customs that others before you have followed and thus defile yourselves by doing them. I am YHVH your God.’”
In Leviticus 19, being told what not to do shows us what the other nations were doing in those days that caused the land to become unclean and vomit them out. So, to take a page out of George Costanza's playbook, we'll consider the opposites to see what these nations considered "normal" and then see if it may apply to our lives today.
3 “‘Every one of you is to revere his father and mother, and you are to keep my Shabbats; I am YHVH your God.
They were ignoring their parents, ignoring Shabbat
4 “‘Do not turn to idols, and do not cast metal gods for yourselves; I am YHVH your God.
They were involved in idol worship
5 “‘When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to YHVH, offer it in a way that will make you accepted. 6 It is to be eaten the same day you offer it and the following day; but if any of it remains until the third day, it is to be burned up completely. 7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it will have become a disgusting thing and will not be accepted; 8 moreover, everyone who eats it will bear the consequences of profaning something holy meant for YHVH — that person will be cut off from his people.
They were eating meat sacrificed to idols
The meat from the peace offering is not meat sacrificed to idols.
Peace offerings: all of the fat belongs to Abba
This is the extra part
9 “‘When you harvest the ripe crops produced in your land, don’t harvest all the way to corners of your field, and don’t gather the ears of grain left by the harvesters. 10 Likewise, don’t gather the grapes left on the vine or fallen on the ground after harvest; leave them for the poor and the foreigner; I am YHVH your God.
They ignored the poor
The poor should have provision (democrats) and they still have a role to play by harvesting the food themselves (republicans)
Technically, it all belongs to me but I don’t need all of it
11 “‘Do not steal from, defraud or lie to each other.
They were stealing from others, lying and defrauding them
Especially, do not use His name to do it.
12 Do not swear by my name falsely, which would be profaning the name of your God; I am YHVH.
Their yes was not yes, and their no was not no
Matt 5:33 “Again, you have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not break your oath,’ and ‘Keep your vows to YHVH.’ 34 But I tell you not to swear at all — not ‘by heaven,’ because it is God’s throne; 35 not ‘by the earth,’ because it is his footstool; and not ‘by Yerushalayim,’ because it is the city of the Great King. 36 And don’t swear by your head, because you can’t make a single hair white or black. 37 Just let your ‘Yes’ be a simple ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ a simple ‘No’; anything more than this has its origin in evil.
13 Do not oppress or rob your neighbor; specifically, you are not to keep back the wages of a hired worker all night until morning.
They were taking neighbor’s stuff, taking time to pay people for their work (credit)
14 “‘Do not speak a curse against a deaf person or place an obstacle in the way of a blind person; rather, fear your God; I am YHVH.
They were mocking people with disabilities
15 “‘Do not be unjust in judging — show neither partiality to the poor nor deference to the mighty, but with justice judge your neighbor.
They esteemed the powerful and wealthy while ignoring the poor. Give the rich and powerful the benefit of the doubt while assuming the poor are guilty
16 “‘Do not go around spreading slander among your people, but also don’t stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is at stake; I am YHVH.
People were talking trash behind others’ backs. They just sat and watched while their neighbor perishes.
17 “‘Do not hate your brother in your heart, but rebuke your neighbor frankly, so that you won’t carry sin because of him.
They sat in judgment and hate of their brother.
They would put on a smile while hating them in their hearts.
It is better to have an enemy tell you they hate you than someone who pretends to be your friend hating you secretly. (judgment)
18 Don’t take vengeance on or bear a grudge against any of your people; rather, love your neighbor as yourself; I am YHVH.
They sought justice on their own terms (revenge) and held a record of wrongs against their brother (grudge).
Let Abba be the judge of them and you forgive them.
Loving yourself = knowing Abba is your judge and recognizing you need forgiveness.
19 “‘Observe my regulations.
“‘Don’t let your livestock mate with those of another kind, don’t sow your field with two different kinds of grain, and don’t wear a garment of cloth made with two different kinds of thread.
They obviously ignored His regulations
They were blending everything and ignoring the differences between the things Abba has declared as distinct
This is man-made (false) echad
20 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman who is a slave intended for another man, and she has neither been redeemed nor given her freedom, there is to be an investigation. They are not to be put to death, because she was not free. 21 In reparation he is to bring a ram as a guilt offering for himself to the entrance of the tent of meeting. 22 The cohen will make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before YHVH for the sin he committed, and he will be forgiven for the sin he committed.
Borderline adultery (not technically married)
boyfriend/girlfriend
23 “‘When you enter the land and plant various kinds of fruit trees, you are to regard its fruit as forbidden — for three years it will be forbidden to you and not eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, for praising YHVH. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit, so that it will produce even more for you; I am YHVH your God.
They began their harvest before the appropriate time. No roots are established
They wanted short-term gain instead of long-term returns.
It was more important to have less now than more later. Learn to play the long game.
26 “‘Do not eat anything with blood. Do not practice divination or fortune-telling. 27 Don’t round your hair at the temples or mar the edges of your beard. 28 Don’t cut gashes in your flesh when someone dies or tattoo yourselves; I am YHVH.
They ate blood
They sought fortune-tellers (horoscopes, ouija boards, tarot, fortune cookies)
They got tattoos
29 “‘Do not debase your daughter by making her a prostitute, so that the land will not fall into prostitution and become full of shame.
They were pimping their daughters for profit
(hunting down a successful young man to “care” for their daughter)
30 “‘Keep my Shabbats, and revere my sanctuary; I am YHVH.
They did not keep Shabbat
They could care less about His sanctuary
31 “‘Do not turn to spirit-mediums or sorcerers; don’t seek them out, to be defiled by them; I am YHVH your God.
They sought out people with knowledge and became defiled by them
32 “‘Stand up in the presence of a person with gray hair, show respect for the old; you are to fear your God; I am YHVH.
They ignored the elderly (and therefore refused wisdom)
“Just put the old people in a home so they can be someone else’s burden. I have a life to live here.”
33 “‘If a foreigner stays with you in your land, do not do him wrong. 34 Rather, treat the foreigner staying with you like the native-born among you — you are to love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt; I am YHVH your God.
They treated foreigners as second-class citizens.
They were less than human in their eyes.
DO NOT forget from where you came. You don’t belong here either.
35 “‘Don’t be dishonest when measuring length, weight or capacity. 36 Rather, use an honest balance-scale, honest weights, an honest bushel dry-measure and an honest gallon liquid-measure; I am YHVH your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37 Observe all my regulations and rulings, and do them; I am YHVH.’”
They manipulated anything they could to turn a profit
Greedy corporations? Watching YouTube videos on your boss’s dime?
This is how to become set apart - a Holy people.
Moving on to Leviticus 20...
Lev 20:1 YHVH said to Moshe, 2 “Say to the people of Isra’el, ‘If someone from the people of Isra’el or one of the foreigners living in Isra’el sacrifices one of his children to Molekh, he must be put to death; the people of the land are to stone him to death. 3 I too will set myself against him and cut him off from his people, because he has sacrificed his child to Molekh, defiling my sanctuary and profaning my holy name.
They gave their children over to other gods. Of course, we don’t do this ourselves.
We are much too enlightened to give our children over to our own personal drive and desires, right?
Have you sacrificed your children in some way?
I did. “Sorry son, I have this homework I really need to do so I can’t throw the ball with you.”
4 If the people of the land look the other way when that man sacrifices his child to Molekh and fail to put him to death, 5 then I will set myself against him, his family and everyone who follows him to go fornicating after Molekh, and cut them off from their people.
But we DO look the other way
Molekh ~= Melek (king)
6 “‘The person who turns to spirit-mediums and sorcerers to go fornicating after them — I will set myself against him and cut him off from his people. 7 Therefore consecrate yourselves — you people must be holy, because I am YHVH your God. 8 Observe my regulations, and obey them; I am YHVH, who sets you apart to be holy.
You may not die but you will be separated -- which is relational death
9 “‘A person who curses his father or mother must be put to death; having cursed his father or his mother, his blood is on him.
Curse - qalal
Light: Something light in weight or stature.
Honor - kabad
Heavy: To be heavy of weight, wealth or importance.
If you consider your parents as having no real weight in your life, you must be put to death
10 “‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife, that is, with the wife of a fellow countryman, both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.
Adultery = death
11 The man who goes to bed with his father’s wife has disgraced his father sexually, and both of them must be put to death; their blood is on them.
Mother/step-mother = death
Reuben
12 If a man goes to bed with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death; they have committed a perversion, and their blood is on them.
Daughter-in-law = death
Judah
13 If a man goes to bed with a man as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they must be put to death; their blood is on them.
Homosexuality = death
14 If a man marries a woman and her mother, it is depravity; they are to be put to death by fire, both he and they, so that there will not be depravity among you.
Mother/daughter = death
15 If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death, and you are to kill the animal.
Man with animals = death
16 If a woman approaches an animal and has sexual relations with it, you are to kill the woman and the animal; their blood will be on them.
Woman with animals = death
17 If a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and has sexual relations with her, and she consents, it is a shameful thing; they are to be cut off publicly — he has had sexual relations with his sister, and he will bear the consequences of their wrongdoing.
Sister = cut off publicly
18 If a man goes to bed with a woman in her menstrual period and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her blood, and she has exposed the source of her blood; both of them are to be cut off from their people.
Menstrual period = cut off
19 You are not to have sexual relations with your mother’s sister or your father’s sister; a person who does this has had sexual relations with his close relative; they will bear the consequences of their wrongdoing.
Aunt by blood = bear the consequences
20 If a man goes to bed with his uncle’s wife, he has disgraced his uncle sexually; they will bear the consequences of their sin and die childless.
Aunt by marriage = bear the consequences (die childless)
21 If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is uncleanness; he has disgraced his brother sexually; they will be childless.
Sister-in-law = childless
22 “‘You are to observe all my regulations and rulings and act on them, so that the land to which I am bringing you will not vomit you out. 23 Do not live by the regulations of the nation which I am expelling ahead of you; because they did all these things, which is why I detested them. 24 But to you I have said, “You will inherit their land; I will give it to you as a possession, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am YHVH your God, who has set you apart from other peoples.
These other nations did all of this stuff and we are to be set apart
25 Therefore you are to distinguish between clean and unclean animals and between clean and unclean birds; do not make yourselves detestable with an animal, bird or reptile that I have set apart for you to regard as unclean. 26 Rather, you people are to be holy for me; because I, YHVH, am holy; and I have set you apart from the other peoples, so that you can belong to me.
Learn to distinguish between clean and unclean
27 “‘A man or woman who is a spirit-medium or sorcerer must be put to death; they are to stone them to death; their blood will be on them.’”
Sorcerers and mediums must be put to death
Issues
Your iniquity will not be allowed to pervert future generations.
Your family line will terminate.
All of the generational blessings will end with you.
You must be removed eventually to prevent your influence from perverting future generations.
Issues
You must be sent away so others will not be corrupted.
But your offense is not to the point that you must be removed from the face of the earth.
You must be removed immediately to prevent your influence from perverting the community.
Issues
You must be terminated immediately to prevent your influence from perverting the world.
So...
You have seen the detestable things the Egyptians have done and you will see other detestable things the Canannites are doing. THIS IS NOT NORMAL!
You are to be different than all of these nations. You are a holy nation that is supposed to be set apart.
How much does your life resemble the Egyptians and Canannites?
How much does your life resemble Americans?