Okay, it's been more than a week since I posted, been having some computer issues. But we are back!
For Leviticus 19:20-22 we’re
going to use the NASB translation, because it is a little clearer in its
rendering of this passage. “’20 Now if a man lies
carnally with a woman who is a slave acquired for another man, but who has in
no way been redeemed nor given her freedom, there shall be punishment; they
shall not, however, be put to death, because she was not free. 21 He shall
bring his guilt offering to the LORD to the doorway of the tent of meeting, a
ram for a guilt offering. 22 The priest shall also make atonement for him with
the ram of the guilt offering before the LORD for his sin which he has
committed, and the sin which he has committed will be forgiven him.’” The woman in question
here is one who is owned as a slave but promised as a wife to another slave.
Let’s think back to Exodus 21:4-6—“4 If his
master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife
and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself. 5 But
if the servant plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I
will not go out free,' 6 then his master shall bring him to the judges. He
shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall
pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.” This is the
man and his promised wife referred to in Leviticus 19:20.
Now, if the woman was free, she would
be put to death, along with the man who laid with her, Deuteronomy 22:22-24—“22 If a man is found lying with a woman married to a
husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the
woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel. 23 If a young woman who is a
virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with
her, 24 then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you
shall stone them to death with stones.” But, since this woman was the
property of another, so that her owner might not be deprived of her service,
she was to be investigated, punished, along with the man who laid with her—but
neither were to be put to death.
Leviticus 19:23-25—“‘23
When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then
you shall count their fruit as uncircumcised. Three years it shall be as
uncircumcised to you. It shall not be eaten. 24 But in the fourth year all its
fruit shall be holy, a praise to the LORD. 25 And in the fifth year you may eat
its fruit, that it may yield to you its increase: I am the LORD your God.’”
We have seen that the people were instructed, by God, to treat each other (as
well as the stranger among them) respectfully, every man being created in the
similitude of God (James 3:9). But the command to treat with respect
extended not only to human beings, but also to the land that God had given
them. We will see, in just a few chapters, that God commanded the people to
rest not their own bodies, and their servants on the seventh day of the week,
but to also allow the land itself to rest from its labor of providing
sustenance for them and their animals. Leviticus 25:1-4—1 And the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “2
Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land
which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the LORD. 3 Six years
you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and
gather its fruit; 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn
rest for the land, a sabbath to the LORD. You shall neither sow your field nor
prune your vineyard.’” The command here in Leviticus, to give their
trees a few years to produce fruit, and to not just go in and grab the first
thing that blooms, is also in line with the command to give their crops every
seventh year off. Just as people need rest from their labor from time to time,
so the land needs rest from its labor. Which is why, I believe, so much food we
have today is less healthy for us than it has been in times past—because we
just keep farming it and using it and using it and using it up, so that it doesn't
have time to replenish itself, and we are growing stuff in, basically, dirt and
not good soil.
And wouldn’t you know it, even in
this command, we see an instruction for the church under the new covenant. What
is the command here? Let the trees grow, and bear fruit, and account the first
pickings of the fruit to God, and then use what comes in the following years
for yourself. In other words, don’t go picking your fruit until it matures, and
it is first offered to God. What does Jesus call our labors in the Lord? Fruit.
Matthew 7:15-20—“15 Beware of false prophets,
who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16
You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or
figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad
tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree
bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and
thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”
And how can one know whether the tree they are eating from is bad or good
unless the fruit has come to its full growth? For a man can say “I believe
in God; I believe in Christ and His finished work; I believe in salvation by
faith.” And yet this is but a small blossom, and not the whole fruit. For
if you were to examine the fruit, once it has been exposed and allowed to fully
bloom, one sees that the blossom that appeared good has grown into a fruit that
is most vile and poisonous, for we may eventually see that the same man
believes in a God who was once a man; and believes in a Christ who was
Lucifer’s brother (and not his Creator), and salvation that comes by faith and
the vile works of his own effort and which, when brought to fruition, entails
him becoming a “God” of his own universe and birthing “spirit children” with
his many celestial wives. And yet there are many who hear the smooth-sounding
words of the one who calls himself a “latter-day saint” without investigating
the fullness of their fruit, and eat that bitter produce, and go down to
perdition.
Even in the church, we are called to
examine one’s life to determine whether they are a true brother or sister in
Christ. Especially the one that seeks to be an overseer of a congregation. 1st
Timothy 3:2-6—2 A bishop then must be
blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior,
hospitable, able to teach…6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he
fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Paul goes on to warn young
Timothy yet again, 1st Timothy 5:22—Do
not lay hands on anyone hastily. That is, when a man comes and says he
“feels led” to enter the ministry, do not simply take him at face value and,
not knowing his heart or motives or teachings, put him into a position of
teaching others the strange fruit of the doctrines of demons. How many times do
we see it, especially today, that a man (or woman—but that is for another day)
comes along, fresh in his newly converted state, thinking that his genuineness
and sincerity (and very little background in the Scripture) is enough to carry
him into the teaching and preaching of the most important collection of
writings ever assembled. And how often are these fresh-faced folks swept up
into a seminary (if they even ever receive any instruction in the Scriptures),
spewed out into a pulpit, and allowed to lead people into doctrines which are
never taught in the Scripture, if they ever teach doctrine at all. Those who
appoint such people have not allowed the person’s tree to bear fruit for a
time, have not offered them first to God—but have simply offered them to the
people first, to tickle ears and fill pews. But all these commands in Leviticus
are so irrelevant today, right?
Leviticus 19:26-28—“‘26 You
shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or
soothsaying. 27 You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall
you disfigure the edges of your beard. 28 You shall not make any cuttings in
your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD.’”
We have already covered verse 26—the statute concerning the eating of blood
being covered under Leviticus 17:1-16; the warning about soothsayers
being covered under Exodus 22:18 and the command to put sorcerers to
death. So let’s just talk briefly about verses 27-28. Again, these seem rather
trivial today—especially with how popular tattoos and piercings have become.
Now, does this mean that if someone has a pierced ear or a tattoo that they are
in danger of judgment? No. But there is yet another object lesson here.
As I have said before, so I will say
again: we live in a day and age when “pastors” think they have to be raw and
edgy in order to appeal to a certain demographic. And it is not uncommon to see
these “pastors” adorn their bodies with tattoos and piercings in an attempt to
be oh-so-hip, oh-so-cool, oh-so-relevant to the oh-so-hip, oh-so-cool,
oh-so-relevant crowd. Their thinking is this (whether or not they understand
their thinking to be so): “The word of God is not enough; the promise of
eternal life with Christ is not enough; I must make MYSELF appealing to the
people, so that they MIGHT listen to what I have to say, and keep coming back
to listen to…” Whom? “…ME…” It’s all about the one
standing up there speaking, showing forth their fruit—and their fruit declares
their heart to think that the preaching of the gospel is not about glorifying
God, but “getting people in the door.” The “relevance” crowd has given this
horrendous style of “preaching” a title: “Contextualization.” (And has now given us the abominable "deconstruction") And their battle
cry sounds something like this: “We make the Bible relevant!” That is about as
a blasphemous a statement as a man can make. The Bible is relevant simply
because it is the living word of the living God. The guy standing there on the
stage thinks he has to dumb-down the gospel so that enough people can nod their
head, or “quietly slip your hand in the air, with no one looking” or repeat
some mundane “sinner’s prayer” that will mean nothing five years down the road
for most who repeat it. But hey, some hip/cool/relevant “preacher” standing up
there with tattoos and an eyebrow ring told them they're saved, so they must be
saved…right?
Here’s the thing: tattoos and
piercings are not going to condemn anyone. But they're not going to make anyone
accept the fullness of the gospel any more than a man standing on stage in a
$2000 suit. It’s not the clothing that makes one believe the truth of the
gospel. It is the Holy Spirit breathing the truth into the spirit, opening the
eyes and ears, turning the person from darkness to light and from the power of
Satan to the power of God (Acts 26:18). “But we’ve got to get them in
the door!” Oh yeah, I guess you're right. I guess it all depends on the rock
star standing on stage, and I suppose that God is not powerful enough to do it.
Two points God is making by issuing
these commands—for Israel, as well as for us: one, the people of God are to
look different than the people of Satan. Not just on the outside, in what we
wear. But on the inside, letting that which is within flow to without. Romans
6:4—Therefore we were buried with Him through
baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory
of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Are you
in Christ? Was your old man buried with Him? Then prove it in the way you walk.
The second principle is this: do you think you own your body? Do you say, “My
body is my own; I can do with it as I please”? No, friend, it is not. Your
body, if you belong to God, does not belong to you—it belongs to Him. 1st
Corinthians 9:19-20—19 Or do you not know that
your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from
God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore
glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. If you are
a Christian; if you say that Christ has saved you; if you claim to love God and
love Christ—then your body does not belong to you. Your body is not your own,
it does not belong to you—your body and your spirit belong to God. He bought
them; He paid for them with His own blood; He owns you. If you don’t like that
idea; if that statement is abhorrent to you; if you can say, in full
confidence, “Jesus is not my lord”—then you may want to reconsider your
relationship with God, because He says otherwise. He would not let His people,
under the old covenant, so much as put a mark on their skin.
Leviticus 19:30-37—“‘30 You
shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD. 31 Give no
regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled
by them: I am the LORD your God. 32 You shall rise before the gray headed and
honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the LORD. 33 And if a
stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. 34 The
stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you
shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am
the LORD your God. 35 You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of
length, weight, or volume. 36 You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an
honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of
the land of Egypt. 37 Therefore you shall observe all My statutes and all My
judgments, and perform them: I am the LORD.’”
So now we finish up this chapter with
just a couple instructions that need to be covered. Verse 32, “You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the
presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the LORD.” Most cultures
around the world value the elderly. The fact that they have been granted long
years upon the earth is enough to make them worthy of at least some modicum of
respect. And yet, when it comes time to elect the person who should run our
country, what is the cry today? “We don’t want him; he’s…” what?
“…he’s too old. We want someone younger!” We want someone who is more
vibrant, who is more exciting and fresh-faced—someone that has more vigor and vitality.
We don’t want some old fuddy-duddy that looks like our grandpa in his rocking
chair. And why is that? Why do we in this country have such a disdain for our
elders? Unless they are the elders in our own family, then you better not talk
about old Uncle Joe—and even then, if old Uncle Joe gets to be too much of a
nuisance, we’ll just ship him to the old folks’ home. The reason we can't stand
the elderly anymore is because they remind us of our own mortality. That we
will, one day, be like them. We will have to walk with a cane; we will have to
have someone drive us here and there; we will have to rely on the charity of
others. And, even worse, we will be treated the way we are treating them. And
we can't stand that. (I say all this, with the caveat that God may indeed take
us out of this world before we become grey-headed)
We don’t respect our elders—and when
we become elderly, we will not be respected. It is a curse upon this nation.
John Gill—
“Fagius relates, that according to the tradition of the Hebrews, a
young man was obliged to rise up when an ancient man was at the distance of
four cubits from him, and to sit down again as soon as he had passed by him,
that it might appear it was done in honour of him. And this was not only
observed among the Jews, but anciently among Heathens, who reckoned it
abominable wickedness, and a capital crime, if a young man did not rise up to
an old man, and a boy to a bearded person. Herodotus reports, that the
Egyptians agreed in this with the Lacedaemonians, and with them only of the
Grecians, that the younger, when they met the elder, gave them the way and
turned aside, and when coming towards them rose up out of their seat; and this
law was enjoined them by Lycurgus, and which Aelianus commends as of all the
most humane. And this respect to ancient persons is due to them from younger
persons, because of their having been in the world before them, and of their
long continuance in it, and because of the favour and honour God has bestowed
upon them in granting them long life, as also because of the experience,
knowledge, and wisdom, they may be supposed to have attained unto.”
Solomon knew the value of the
elderly—especially the ones who had attained knowledge and wisdom. Proverbs
16:31—The silver-haired head is a crown of
glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 20:29—The glory of young men is their strength, And the
splendor of old men is their gray head. But, anymore, today, what do we
see in movies and on TV? The parents are made to look like buffoons, and the
smart-aleck children are promoted as being wiser than their parents. And for
that, this country is sliding into an abyss from which only the power and grace
of God may one day rescue it—if He does at all. But, if He does not, and this
country goes into the miry quagmire, we will have no one to blame but
ourselves—even while those who despise God shake their fist and ask “Why did He
let this happen?” Oh, hypocritical creatures that we are!
Finally, verses 34-36—“34 The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as
one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers
in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. 35 You shall do no injustice in
judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. 36 You shall have honest
scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your
God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” The message in all of
these verses is simple: treat others as you would want to be treated. “You
were slaves and strangers, you know what it is like to be under the whip of the
taskmaster. Don’t forget what that felt like. When someone comes into your
land, treat them with respect, don’t defraud them, don’t mistreat them—or I
will cause you to go into a land where you will be mistreated even worse than
you were in Egypt. Do everything honestly, that you may not blaspheme My Name.”
As Solomon would say many centuries later, in Proverbs 11:1 (and echoed
in Proverbs 20:10)—Dishonest scales are an
abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight.
These commands and the principles
behind them are explained in Micah 6:1-8—1
Hear now what the LORD says: “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and
let the hills hear your voice. 2 Hear, O you mountains, the LORD's complaint,
and you strong foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a complaint against
His people, and He will contend with Israel. 3 O My people, what have I done to
you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me. 4 For I brought you up
from the land of Egypt, I redeemed you from the house of bondage; and I sent
before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. 5 O My people, remember now what Balak
king of Moab counseled, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, from
Acacia Grove to Gilgal, that you may know the righteousness of the LORD.” 6
With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the High God?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will
the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I
give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my
soul? 8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require
of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
I am no better than anyone else. My
righteousness does not come from within myself. If it were not for the grace of
God, I would be no different than the man I once was—depraved, rotten to the
soul, corrupt, swimming in the filth of my flesh, indulging every craving of my
flesh in its wantonness. Hateful, prideful, spiteful, my life full of
bitterness and cursing, drunkenness, revelry and shame. And should I ever
depart from the grace which God has given me (as if that were possible!) I
would no doubt return to the muck and mire which was once my home. How could I
ever look down on another who does not know the Lord, who has never been given
the light of His grace in order to turn from their wickedness? And yet, from
time to time, I do just that. To my own shame, I commit that very sin of
thinking less of that person simply because they have not received the light
which God gives to some and not to others. And why have I received it? Because
I was somehow better than them? Seriously? If anything, I deserve more stripes
and a more severe judgment than some whom I judge so harshly. May God be
merciful to me, a sinner, for judging others in my heart, for not loving the
stranger that is my neighbor as I love myself—for don’t we all love ourselves? Ephesians
5:29—No one ever hated his own flesh, but
nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. So let us
always see those who know not God the same way God once looked upon us—with
pity, with mercy, with grace. Let us always deal with them honestly, giving
glory to God, praying that perhaps He will shine His truth upon them as He has
upon us.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.
