31. Punishment for serious crimes (Lev 20:1-27)

The preceding two chapters specified correct behaviors. Now, this chapter sets forth the punishments for disobedience.


πŸ‘‰ Read Leviticus 20:1-27

Find the expression that shows God’s anger against the person who worships Molech. (it is found in three verses)


The Lord commanded three kinds of punishments for the sins of adultery in verses 10-21. The adulters will be put to death (verses    ~     ), be excommunicated from society (verses      ~    ), or be punished in other ways (verses       ~     ).


Why should they follow God’s statutes, not walk in the ways of the Canaanites, and distinguish clean and unclean animals? (22, 26)

 

Answers and Meditation

I myself set my face against that man (verses 3, 5, 6)

The townsmen should kill the man of idolatry. Or, the Lord will cut them off from the Israelites. The whole town will be punished.

God shows his wrath for the sin of idolatry. There is no expression of wrath for the sins of adultery. 


10 ~ 16, 17 ~ 18, 19 ~ 21

The Lord commanded different levels of punishments according to the seriousness of the adultery.

 

The land lest not vomit them.

The Lord has set them apart from other people to be His possession.

Verses 22-23 warn them not to follow the Canaanite ways that incur God’s wrath.

Verses 24-26 give another reason to follow God’s statutes. They should be holy, for the Holy God chose them. ‘Being holy’ and ‘setting apart’ is the same Hebrew word.


Verses 7 - 8 explain how the sin of adultery is related to the sin of idolatry.

Holy life was required for us in all areas of our lives, not only for the sin of adultery. Sexual sins addressed here represent all kinds of unholy lifestyles. And such unholy (not set apart) life came from idolatry. Note that the sin of idolatry is addressed again in verse 27, after the sins of adultery. The passage about idolatry (1-6, 27) encloses the passage of adultery (9-26).

Idolatry and adultery share one root of sin: following own desire. They worship idols or follow pagan ways of worship out of their obsession for their own benefit rather than trusting God.

The Lord set them apart as a holy nation. If they commit such sins, they deconsecrate themselves. Then, the community became defiled. The Lord re-sanctifies them by removing the deconsecrated part. The death penalty, ex-communication, and childlessness work for the re-sanctification of the whole community.

God chose us as holy people, but the option of rejecting the sanctification and going out to the world is open to us. Do not choose to go back to the world once after being enlightened of the gospel of the cross.

 

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