Leviticus chapter 18-20

God’s message to me: Be fair in your dealings with others. Treat others well even if you don’t know them or they have disabilities. Your not so perfect yourself and the next time you get the impression “everybody knows you, try getting out of the rut your in and going somewhere new.

Promises: God has given us the opportunity to be an example to the world. By living up to that responsibility we can become an example of the blessings he gives to the faithful. for those who think all those blessings are in heaven, name for me one major bible hero we have studied up until now that God didn’t make rich. In point of fact everyone so far has been seen as among the most wealthy people in the land if not in the world.

Commands: more laws. See below

Timeless principles: Sexual immorality, homosexuality, perversion I don’t even care to discuss and all the fantasy scenarios you heard as a teenager have been around for thousands of years and their not going away. The bible didn’t change to suit the times then and it won’t change now. Those things are still sin and should still be treated as perversion.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: Have you ever been cut off in traffic and looked down to see a bumper sticker with a Christian message on the car that did it? don’t be “That Guy”. Live your life as though you were wearing a big sign that said “Christian” on it. Then do your best to be the best example of Christianity you know how to be.

more to learn for in-depth study: Up until this point it was not uncommon to marry a cousin or even a sister. Abraham was married to his sister Sarah. It is at this point that God set rules regarding what we now call incest. Science tells us this is the way to ensure stronger genetics.

Lot’s daughters had children with their father. Nimrod(mentioned in Genesis as building Babylon) married his mother. Both activities became incest with this part of the law. Reuben didn’t sleep with his mother but he did sleep with his fathers wife which is also a no-no. You can’t have that relation ship with your sister, your grand daughter, your aunt or uncle, your son in law or daughter in law, your sister or brother in law(widowed is a different story on that front), and, obviously, your not allowed to have a woman and her daughter or her grand daughter and the fact that the scripture repeats that idea tells me it was not unheard of. Yes that rule applies even if you aren’t a blood relative of any of them and I say that because I have known people who consider the idea and would look for a loophole.

Adultery, is next and for those who don’t understand the reference to the fires of Molech, that is child sacrifice. Molech was a popular false god of the time. Worship of Molech involve sacrificing your children. In case someone missed it, Leviticus 18:23 is a clear and unambiguous prohibition of homosexual relations followed immediately by a prohibition of bestiality. For those offended by the term pervert when applied to those who engage in one or more of those acts I suggest you look at verse 23. God calls it perversion.

The bible says these sins defiled the land and that the land itself was rejecting the previous inhabitants for such acts. God set these rules, not only to keep us from sin and perversion but to set us apart from the crowd. Hate the sin and love the sinner doesn’t mean accepting those who live in unrepentant defiance of God. He wants us to stand out in a crowd and be an example of doing right. We cannot be that example when we continue to stand in acceptance of what God calls perversion and abomination.

We also see laws for charity. Leaving the gleanings(part of the harvest that got missed or fell of the wagon) and not harvesting to the corners of the field so that part of the crop is left for the needy to gather for themselves. Disabilities, the blind and the deaf are not cursed by God, acting against them can bring a curse on the person who does it though. Obviously, God seems to think they should be treated well.

After reiterating a number of laws we should all be familiar with by now God goes on to list more. Rules regarding the fruit of the land have little bearing today, or do they. How many food borne illnesses have we suffered through in recent years because of the unhealthy farming practices in some parts of the world. Perhaps it makes some sense to give the ground a few years to recuperate from such mishandling before we trust the food it produces.

Vampirism and fortune telling are definitely bad ideas. So is going to fortune tellers and seeking familiar spirits(trying to talk to the spirit world/spirit guides) Self mutilation, tattoos and some of the other strange cosmetic customs of the pagans may seem harmless but it’s hard to stand out in the crowd if you look like everyone in it. Prostitution is known as harlotry in the bible and prostituting someone is known today as being a pimp. One is sin, the other promotes a sin and is easily as bad.

Honoring and revering the elderly and treating strangers like family is not only good manners it’s God’s law. So is honest business dealings. I’m fascinated by people who use the term “Jewed them down on the price”. The Jewish law requires honest measures. It commands you pay an honest price and charge an honest price. There is nothing wrong with pursuing a fair price but to imply that you bargained to pay less than the reasonable price by saying you “Jewed them down” is to show complete ignorance of the rules Jews live by. The same rules Christians should live by. For the record. I consider the comments in quotes to be racist and prejudicial and anti-Semitic. Hence my fascination with people who use such an absurd line.

tomorrow: Leviticus chapter 21-23