Leviticus 20 Study - "Penalties for Breaking the Law" ...

Penalties for Breaking the Law

20 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Again, you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘Whoever of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who [a]dwell in Israel, who gives any of his descendants to Molech, he shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3 I will set My face against that man, and will [b]cut him off from his people, because he has given some of his descendants to Molech, to defile My sanctuary and profane My holy name. 4 And if the people of the land should in any way [c]hide their eyes from the man, when he gives some of his descendants to Molech, and they do not kill him, 5 then I will set My face against that man and against his family; and I will cut him off from his people, and all who prostitute themselves with him to commit harlotry with Molech.

6 ‘And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people. 7 Consecrate[d] yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the Lord who [e]sanctifies you.

9 ‘For everyone who curses his father, or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him.

10 ‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer, and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death. 11 The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. 12 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death. They have committed perversion. Their blood shall be upon them. 13 If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. 14 If a man marries a woman and her mother, it is wickedness. They shall be burned with fire, both he and they, that there may be no wickedness among you. 15 If a man mates with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. 16 If a woman approaches any animal and mates with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them.

17 ‘If a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a wicked thing. And they shall be [f]cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness. He shall bear his [g]guilt. 18 If a man lies with a woman during her [h]sickness and uncovers her nakedness, he has [i]exposed her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood. Both of them shall be [j]cut off from their people.

19 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister nor of your father’s sister, for that would uncover his near of kin. They shall bear their guilt. 20 If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness. They shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 21 If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is an [k]unclean thing. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless.

22 ‘You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out. 23 And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and therefore I abhor them. 24 But I have said to you, “You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples. 25 You shall therefore distinguish between clean animals and unclean, between unclean birds and clean, and you shall not make yourselves [l]abominable by beast or by bird, or by any kind of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as [m]unclean. 26 And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.

27 ‘A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.’”

Notes Leviticus 20 Study – (vv. 1-27)

20:1, 23: The material covered in this Chapter deals with penalties for sins approved by the Canaanites, but which God considered abominable – human sacrifice, psychic practices, cursing parents, unlawful sexual relationships, as well as other matters … (V. 23) gives a key understanding o this: YOU SHALL NOT WALK IN THE ORDINANCES OF THE NATIONS I AM CASTING OUT BEFORE YOU; FOR THEY COMMIT ALL THESE THINGS, AND THEREFORE I ABHOR THEM …

20:2-5: Idolatry was the single greatest danger to the people of God … The first of the Ten Commandments is, “You shall have no other gods before Me …” Idolatry was often the downfall of Israel …

20:3, 7: God’s holy things must not be profaned, for this profanes His name … With this in mind, we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Hallowed by thy name …” St. Cyprian writes, “After this, we say: ‘Hallowed be thy name’, not that we wish for God to be hallowed by our prayers, but to beseech Him that His name be hallowed in us … But by whom is God sanctified, since He Himself sanctifies??? We, because He says: ‘Be ye holy, even as I am holy’, we ask and entreat, that we who were sanctified in baptism may continue in that which we have begun to be …”

20:9, 11, 12, 16, 17, 19, 27: The Law of Moses taught that man is only guilty before God by free choice, but not by nature … For man is good by nature; otherwise, we would ne imputing guilt to God – (Genesis 1:31) … Thus, man does not possess a sinful nature, for all sins are committed by personal choice … No one can claim he sins out of necessity … All sins therefore are contrary both to God and to nature … The Law is also refuted the false notion that man is guilty before God because of Adam’s sin … Adam was guilty of his own transgression, as is true of anyone else …

20:24: The heart of the issue in all these laws was the sanctification of the people of God, in distinction to those around them … Why??? Because God is the Lord their God, their King … Israel was to be a theocratic kingdom – one ruled over by a gracious and loving God who knew perfectly what was best for His subject … Therefore, Israel was to be separate from all the kingdoms around her and why idolatry was punishable by death, for it was high treason against the kingdom of God …

20:25, 26: The violations of God’s law here were (a): AGAINST GOD, (b): AGAINST THE NATION – THE THEOCRACY, and (c): AGAINST THE UNITS THAT MADE UP THE THEOCRACY, NAMELY THE FAMILY, WHICH INCLUDED MARRIAGE … The nation and the family were God-Given, for the people to live by and in … If they should turn from God’s ways, the inhabitants would suffer greatly … These laws are contrary to the current direction of ideas and legislation regarding the family …

This version used Molech, my version my Orthodox Study Bible had Molech omitted - here is a link explaining Molech ...

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Semite