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When we conduct Bible study, we must always consider the following:
- To whom was the passage written, what was the setting
- How does the passage apply universally today
- How does it reveal Christ
- Is it to be taken literally-why or why not
- How does it compare with other teachings - the Bible never contradicts
itself
We must also ensure that we take the Word
as a whole while examining its individual parts. The failure to follow
these steps will invariably lead to a misunderstanding of the Bible.
As we consider what is stated in Leviticus we need to be aware of the fact
that this
Old
Testament
book has rules regarding what was to be eaten, the type of clothing that was to
be worn, as well as sexual restrictions. Leviticus means
Law.
It was the law of the Jews at the time of the Old Testament. We (who are
saved by grace from Jesus Christ) are not bound under the law.
Romans 6:14 "for you are not under the law, but
under grace." It does not mean that we are lawless
it simply means that the Law is complete and fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
(Note: almost all of Leviticus is ignored by
present day Christians who correctly understand they are saved by grace.
Strangely, they make an exception for the passages used in their attempt to
condemn homosexuality).
If you have a Bible, read the entire verses of the 18th, 19th, and 20th
chapters of Leviticus. This will set for you the stage whereby the
overall meaning of these passages are written.
To whom was it written? What was the setting?
This book is written from a priestly point to the priests of that time and deals
almost exclusively with Jewish worship practices.
Remember that the Old Testament was written for a time and a people who did not
have the full revelation of God's Word in Jesus Christ.
Who was the author? Why was it written?
The author of this book was Moses. He wrote the book as a direction for how the
priests of that time were to conduct ceremonies and what restrictions should be
placed on worshipers. Many aspects of life we take for granted were addressed
in Leviticus.
Take people who have glasses or contact lenses
Lev. 21:16-23 "The Lord said to Moses ' Say to
Aaron: For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect
may come near to offer the food of his God. No person who has any defect may
come near: no one who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; no one who has a
crippled foot or hand, or who is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or who has any eye
defect or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles."
Thus, Leviticus states that for all generations to come those who are physically
handicapped were to be banned from attending church services and from being part
of the religious community. We as Christians hardly practice this today -
nor should we.
How about a tattoo, no beard, or short hair.
Lev. 27-28 "You shall not round off the hair on
your temples or mar the edges of your beard. You shall not make any cuttings in
your flesh on account of the dead or tattoo any marks on you."
Thus all those people today who have tattoos, short hair, or who shave would be
in violation of the Law.
How about eating rabbit or pig (sausage, bacon, ham)
Lev 11:6-8 "The rabbit, though it chews the cud,
does not have a split hoof it is unclean for you. And the pig, though it has a
split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cut it is unclean to you."
There goes a pepperoni pizza, bacon and eggs, or even the traditional
Easter ham.
To continue: Every woman is to have a blood sacrifice offered up after
the birth of a child. Women are not to wear red clothing nor are people
to wear clothing of mixed materials, you are not to have sex during the
menstrual period of your wife, one cannot eat shellfish (crab, lobster,
shrimp), one should be put to death for committing adultery! Do we enforce
these? Should we enforce these? No!!
How about punishment as outlined in Lev.24:18-20
"Anyone who kills an animal shall make restitution for it, life for life.
Anyone who maims another shall suffer the same injury in return: fracture for
fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth." Do we or should we require
an eye for an eye justice? Let's look at what Jesus Himself said in
Matthew 5:38-39 "you have heard that it was said
'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth' But I say to you, do not resist one
who is evil. But if anyone strikes you on the cheek turn to him the other also"
In this portion, Jesus refutes the priestly teaching recorded in Leviticus - why?
Jesus recognized that the Levitical teachings were for a specific time, people,
and cultural setting, but not binding upon believers during His time or our time.
As one continues through the remainder of Leviticus and other Old Testament
books there are more rules that we no longer follow. The following lists
only some of the actions that were to be punished by death:
| Eating animal fat-Leviticus 7:25 | Adultery-Leviticus 20:10 |
| Incest-Leviticus
18:6-18 and 20:11-21 please note that father-daughter incest is NOT specified
as an offensee1 (see below) | Eating sacrificial meat while in a state of uncleanness-Leviticus
7:20 |
| Blasphemy-Leviticus 24:10-16 | Ingesting animal blood-Leviticus
3:17 and 7:26-27 and 17:10-14 |
| Touching Mt. Sinai-Exodus 19:12-13 | Brides found to be not virgins-Deuteronomy |
| Persons with leprosy or gonorrhea eating holy things-Leviticus 22:4 | Eating sacrificial meat on the third day-Leviticus
7:18 and 19:5-8 |
Is to be taken literally? How does it compare to other scriptures?
From a historical point of view when one examines the rules laid out
in Leviticus they fall into two categories. The first set is designed to have
the Jews behave differently from the
surrounding pagans - thus the rules regarding dress, food, behavior.
God wanted the Jews not to adopt any of the paganistic acts of the surrounding
tribes so that they could be clearly identified as Jews and so they would not fall
back into the trappings of their surroundings and past actions. Secondly, many
of the rules are of a health concern and God gave them to the Jews to make sure
that they remained healthy, their land remained fertile, their herds did not
contract diseases from neighboring herds, etc. I certainly do not condone
bestiality, pedophilia, human sacrifice, etc. - many of these practices were common among the neighboring
pagan societies as part of their pagan worship services. To distinguish His
children from the pagans, God commanded that they not adopt any of the local customs from sex, to food, to dress,
and certainly worship.
We need to remember that the tribe of Judea was a band of people being led by
Moses through the wilderness on their way to the promised land. This caused them
to contact a variety of cultures. The Bible records that these other pagan
cultures previously inhabited the same area of land that the Jews found themselves.
If we examine 1 Kings 14:24 we read "For they also
built for themselves high places, and pillars, and Asherim6 (see below) on every hill and under
every tree, and there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They
did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord DROVE
OUT before the people of Israel." Note the past tense
usage of the words 'drove out'. In using the word 'they' The Lord is speaking of
the pagan people living in that land whom He cast (or drove out) out of the
promised land prior to leading Moses and his people there.
Let's compare this to Leviticus 18:24
"Do not defile yourselves by any of these things for by all these the nations
I AM GOING TO DRIVE OUT before you become defiled." Here the Lord
speaks of the same pagan people as in Kings that He is going to drive out of the
promised land. He is commanding Moses not to mimic the behaviors, sexual rituals,
idolatrous worship services. This passage follows directly after the verse used to
condemn same sex activities (Lev 18:22-23), because He is linking these actions
to the actions of the neighboring pagan societies.
Then why do people insist on saying that Leviticus in 18:22 states
that "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman"
1 (see below)
means that all homosexuality is wrong. They are not reading and quoting enough of
the Bible, they are picking and choosing key words for their use, not God's use.
In addition to not recognizing the passages following the mention of same-sex acts,
they ignore the preceding passages. Let's back up the passage- start at
Lev 18:21 "You shall not give any of your children
to devote them by fire to Molech and so profane the name of your God: I am the
Lord. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
You shall not lie with any beast and defile yourself and neither shall any woman
give herself to a beast. Do not defile yourselves by
any of these things for by all these the nations I am going to drive out before you
become defiled " There it is in all of its worth and glory.
These sentences are again addressing paganistic people, rituals that do not worship God, but the creature and
are turning themselves over to lust in a religious setting
9 (See Below).
It does not address the loving, committed, monogamous relationship of two people.
So the verse is taken out of context by those attempting to condemn homosexuality
outright. The verses prior to the prohibition of same sex activities are
concerning pagan religions and practices. The verses following the prohibition
of same sex activities are concerning pagan religions and people. The
entire section of Leviticus is addressing paganistic religious practices,
not homosexuality within the confines of a monogamous relationship between
two people.
How does it apply universally today? How does it reveal Christ?
Another important point that we should address in terms of The Law is
how does it apply to you and me, as Christians. We know through our discussion
of salvation
that we are saved through the grace of Jesus Christ and not through our
works, not through our adherence to the prohibitions listed in Leviticus.2,3,4,5(see below)
Would it make sense to believe that Christ, in His Almighty glory, was
limited in providing salvation from some of Levitical law, but not other
parts. Do we believe that He is limited in His power? No. So since He has
provided salvation through His grace and not our works then not just parts
of Leviticus have been lifted - but everything.
Consider this: what does the term "New Testament mean? The word testament
means "a spiritual agreement." The Old Testament or spiritual agreement
was replaced with the New spiritual agreement or Testament, therefore we
are not bound by Levitical law7,8 (see below), because we have been cleansed
through His sacrifice. Galatians 2:21 says "...if righteousness comes
by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." We can deduce from this then
that if Christ is dead in vain, then God had no purpose or plan for Christ's
death and that He died just because. This violates everything we know about
our loving God Who has a plan for each and everyone of us.
Paul understood that the Law was removed with Christ. He writes in Romans 10:4
"For Christ is the end of the law, that everyone who has FAITH may be
justified."Galatians gives a very stern warning for those who want
to assert the law on others 3:10 "For all who rely on works of the law
are under a curse; for it is written 'Cursed be every one who does not
abide by all things in the book of the and do them. Now it is evident that
no man is justified before God by the law." This is reiterated from
what Christ said, Matt 7:1-3 "Judge not that you
be not judged, For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged,
and the measure you give will be the measure you get." Thus
no man can live up to the expectations of the law and those that insist
on measuring others by the law will find themselves judged accordingly,
that is the bad news.
The good news is that Christ did come for us, Gal 3:13-14 "Christ
redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us - for
it is written 'Cursed be every one who hangs on a tree - that in Christ
Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles" We should
remember that because of Abraham's faith God made the original covenant
with man and it is that covenant that Christ came to fulfill. Gal 3:15
"To give a human example, brethren: no one annuls even a man's will
[or covenant] or adds to it once it has been ratified. Now the promises
were made to Abraham and his offspring. It does not say 'And to offsprings'
referring to many; but referring to one, 'And to your offspring' which
is Christ. This is what I mean: the law which came four hundred and thirty
years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by
God, so as to make the promise void. For if the inheritance is by the law
it is no longer a promise; but God gave it Abraham by a promise.
Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the
offspring should come to whom the promise had been made." The Word
of God states that the law does not revoke the promise made to Abraham,
which was made 430 years prior to the writing of the Levitical law, but
that the law was in place during the interim until Christ came and fulfilled
the promise of salvation. Gal 3:23-29 "Now before faith came, we were
confined under the law, kept under the restraint until faith should be
revealed. So that the law was our custodian until Christ came. But now
that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian. For in Christ
Jesus you are all sons of God through faith."
Praise God that He has sacrificed His one and only Son for you and your
sins and thank Him for letting Him into your heart.
Footnotes
1. Women were second class citizens in the Hebrew culture (and as we have seen in cultures like the Taliban) and were generally
treated as property. He could kill her if necessary in order keep respect for himself (note: Lot's daughters being offered for rape and death in the story of Sodom). If a man were penetrated in sexual intercourse, he was
being treated like a woman and so was degraded to the level of a woman in the Hebrew mind. The
offense was not that this was a homosexual act, the offense was that a
MAN was treated like a WOMAN. This line of thinking seems supported be the fact that there is no prohibition against female homosexual
acts in the Old Testament. Women could not be degraded by such an act as
they were already (degraded) not held in high esteem.
2. Colossians 2:16-17 "Therefore let no one judge you in food or
in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, which are
a shadow of things to come, but the substance is Christ."
3. Hebrews 8:18 "For on the one hand there is an annulling
of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness,
for the law made nothing perfect."
4. Hebrews 8:13 "In that Christ says 'a new covenant,' Christ has
made the first obsolete."
5. Hebrews 9:9-10 The Old Covenant "was SYMBOLIC...concerned
only with foods and drink, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed
until the time of reformation."
6. Asherim comes form the Semitic fertility goddess Asherah. The asherim
was the goddess' cult object, a sacred tree, which was normally substituted
with a pillar or large phallic symbol (representation of a penis).  These
asherim (idols) were worshipped in honor of the fertility goddess. Thus,
these pillars, asherim, and high places (temples) were erected to worship
a god other than the Lord. These admonishments were made against idolatry,
the worshipping of something other than the One True God.
7. Levitical Law comprises not just Leviticus, but all of the Torah
or Pentateuch. In Deut. We find prohibitions to cross-dressing or transvestites,
Deut 22:5 "A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor
shall a man put on a woman's garment; for whoever does these things is
an abomination to Lord your God." This appears to be in contradiction
to the statements in Galatians where it is stated that there is no man
or woman in Christ. Be examining the historical context of the prohibition
we understand the reason for the statements in Deuteronomy. The temple
devotees (primarily men) to the cult deities would dress as women in order
to more closely resemble their deity. Thus, the context for cross dressing
was one of condemning pagan rituals and not of rules for fashion design
or condemnation of transgendered people. Some of the temple priests would
go beyond just dressing the part and would actually cut off or crush their
testicles (and sometimes their penis) in order to even more closely mimic
their deity. This is why the prohibition against eunuchs in Leviticus.
(A
more detailed discussion of eunuchs is further in the site.)
8. In the December 1993 edition of "Bible Review" a prominent Jewish
religious leader published an article on Levitical law and homosexuality.
Rabbi Jacob Milgrim stated in his paper "Does the Bible Prohibit Homosexuality"
that the prohibition of homosexuality was geared to the people of Israel
only. The people of Israel at the time of Moses were a stubborn group of
people that God continually found disobeying His commandments. In
the first couple chapters of Deuteronomy the Lord recaps the history of
the people of Israel, most paragraphs begin with words like "You ignored
the commands of the Lord" and "You rose yourselves up over the Word".
He was compelled to provide a strict set of laws to keep these people from
incorporating pagan rituals and beliefs.
9. The word "abomination" used in Leviticus comes from the Hebrew
word "to'evah". In our use and symantics of the word "abomination" we envision
horrible and sinful acts that are an afront to God. The word "to'ebah" did
not carry the same conotations. It was used almost exclusively through out the
Old Testament to convey the notion of RITUALLY forbidden or taboo practices associated
with idolatry. The Hebrew word "zimah" could have been used and does
mean that which is sinful in the eyes of God - that is not the word used in Leviticus.
The word "to'evah" which is used more closely resembles our definition of
being unprocedural or with poor etiquette. To further expand on this, early Greek translations
(the Septuagint) does not convey the notion of sin. In the Septuagint, "to'evah"
is translated as "bdelygma" which means unlcean. Had the intent been to
convey a notion of sin, the Greek word "anomia" would have been used.
[ref: Greensboro]
References
Boyarin, Daniel (1995). "Are There Any Jews in 'The History of Sexuality'?", Journal of the History of Sexuality, Volume 5, pages 333-355
Hilton, Bruce (1992). "Can Homophobia be Cured?, Abingdon Press
Olyan, Saul M. (1994). "'And with a Male You Shall Not Lie the Lying Down of a Woman': On the Meaning and Significance of Levitics 18:22 and 20:13" Journal of the History of Sexuality, Volume 5, pages 179-206>br>
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