Getting through another hump day, thank you for joining me. Today we read Leviticus chapters 20-22.
Jesus gives repentance
Whenever I read through the books of the Law, I become so grateful to Jesus, who fulfilled all these for me. There are so many transgressions and regulations that I would not have survived to the point I am in my life.
In those times, the punishment wasn’t shame; it was death!
Because of Jesus, we now can repent and seek forgiveness, and He not only took the punishment for those sins, He removes any desire for them.
When someone claims I am homophobic, they are missing the point. I am not afraid of them; I am afraid for them.
Because I love the person who practices these sins, I want them to repent. I know their flesh is weak and that they can’t do it on their own.
For them to make such a radical shift would require them to give control to Jesus. He can, and will, remove that from them.
We will get back to that in a moment.
Idolatry
First, I want to talk about Molek. This was the idol who looks like a bull with outstretched arms. Many compare it to the Minotaur. The name itself means sacrifice, and this wasn’t limited to child sacrifice. It included passing a child through a fire, and if not killing the child, would leave them scarred and disfigured.
There are so many ordinances against disfigured and disabled individuals serving as priests because of this. It was a sign that the people were practicing the Canaanite rituals and serving their gods.
Knowing of these offenses and failing to report them brands you as guilty, deserving of death.
There are so many sins for which a person would deserve death, because to God, the wages of any sin is death. He demands complete obedience.
I would say this is impossible for man, except one man proved it was not. Jesus had no sin and was a man.
Only God’s help
But, as with Jesus, with the help of God, through the Holy Spirit, it is possible for man to live without sin. Only God can remove the curse of sin.
God will set His face against anyone who tries to intervene and provide a way that is not through Jesus. God condemned mediums and spiritists for this reason.
They are calling God a liar when someone says there is any other way to be forgiven.
For this, they have cast their own fate.
Therefore, God says in Lev 20:8, “I am the Lord, who makes you holy.”
We can not make ourselves holy. Works will not be enough. Only God can make us holy.
For this reason, He tells them not to live by the customs of the people He was going to drive out.
This is a warning for us as well. Yes, I know the part of the country I live in was once part of Mexico. But they were driven out.
Before them, it was Incas, or Mayan, or Aztecs, depending on where you are looking. Those were driven out. When God allows this to happen in history, it is for His reasons.
He was creating for us a land based on Christian values. When we allow major cultural influences to move in, we are shifting away from that ideal that God has for us.
In verse 20:23, we read God abhorred them.
We are to strive to be what God intended for us to be. He will not force it, but He is clear that it is a sin to be anything else.
Can faith in Jesus forgive someone with these sins? Absolutely. If they place their faith in Jesus, they will repent. This is a gift of the Spirit. If they refuse and deny Jesus to bring about the repentance, they are not trusting in Him.
In love, we have to help them see that remaining in their sins has eternal consequences.
