A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Leviticus 19 (part 4)

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. 1^st 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, 1^st 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. 1^st 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.