1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.

3And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.

4And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not:

5Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.

6And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

7Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.

8And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.

9For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.

10And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

11And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

12And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them.

13If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

14And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.

15And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.

16And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

17And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.

18And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.

19And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.

20And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.

21And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

22Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out.

23And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.

24But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people.

25Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.

26And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.

27A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.

COMMENTARY by Dr. Dave Burnette

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Moses

Date Penned: (1445-1444 BC)

Overview: A Handbook for the Priests and Levites (c 1-27)

Theme: Living a Holy Life (c 18-27)

Message: Punishments for Sin (v 1-27)

Leviticus 20 Commentary

(20:1-3) Sacrificing Children Forbidden - Sacrificing children to the gods was a common practice in ancient religions. The Ammonites, Israel's neighbors, made child sacrifice to Molech (their national god) a vital part of their

religion. They and other surrounding pagan nations saw their children as the greatest gift they could offer to ward off evil or appease angry gods. God made it clear that this practice was

detestable and strictly forbidden. In Old Testament times, just as today, his character made human sacrifice unthinkable: (1) Unlike the pagan gods, he is a God of love, who does not need to

be appeased (Exodus 34:6). (2) He is a God of life, who prohibits murder and encourages practices that lead to health and happiness (Deuteronomy 30:15-16). (3) He is God of the helpless,

who showed special concern for children (Psalm.72:4). (4) He is a God of unselfishness who, instead of demanding human sacrifices, sacrificed himself for us (Isaiah 53:4-5).

(20:6) Divination is Forbidden - Everyone is interested in what the future holds, and we often look to others for guidance. But God warned about looking to the occult for advice. Mediums and wizards were outlawed

because God was not the source of their information. At best, occult practitioners are fakes whose predictions cannot be trusted. At worst, they are in contact with evil spirits and are thus

extremely dangerous. We don't need to look to the occult for information about the future. God has given us the Bible so that we may obtain all the information we need-and the Bible's

teaching is trustworthy.

(20:10-21) Tantric Sex is Forbidden - The detestable acts listed here were very common in the pagan nations of Canaan; their religions were rampant with sex goddesses, temple prostitution, and other sins. The

Canaanites' immoral religious practices reflected a decadent culture that tended to corrupt whoever came in contact with it. By contrast, God was building a nation to have a positive influence

on the world. He did not want the Israelites to adopt the Canaanites' practices and slide into debauchery. So he prepared the people for what they would face in the Promised Land by

commanding them to steer clear of sexual sins. God still expects those who worship him to maintain sexual purity in their lives.

(20:10-21) Sexual Sin has Harsh Punishments - This list of commands against sexual sins includes extremely harsh punishments. Why? God had no tolerance for such acts for the following reasons: (1) They shatter the mutual

commitment of married couples; (2) they destroy the sanctity of the family; (3) they twist people's mental well-being; and (4) they spread disease. Sexual sin has always been widely available,

but the glorification of sex between people who are not married to each other often hides deep tragedy and hurt behind the scenes. When society portrays sexual sins as attractive, it is easy to

forget the dark side. God had good reasons for prohibiting sexual sins; He loves us and wants the very best for us.

(20:22-23) Warnings About Harming Yourself - God gave many rules to his people--but not without reason. He did not withhold good from them; he only prohibited those acts that would bring them to ruin. All of us understand

God's physical laws of nature. For example, jumping off a ten-story building means death because of the law of gravity. But some of us don't understand how God's spiritual laws work. God

forbids us to do certain things because he wants to keep us from self-destruction. The next time you are drawn to a forbidden physical or emotional pleasure, remind yourself that its

consequences might be suffering and separation from the God who is trying to help you.

.

LIFE APPLICATION by Dr. Dave Burnette

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue in the book of Leviticus with Chapter 20 and in today's text we see a continued look in the second half of the book of Leviticus which has been called the "Holiness Code" because it outlines God's way, God's plan, and God's Rules for our lives. Today we see God's Punishments for sin and His instruction for us to be sanctified and Holy. In making application we see that the Lord has standards for our life. God does punish sin. Although we are all sinners we should strive to be Holy as God is Holy. The truth is we can if we are yielded to spirit of the Lord. In Him we can be sanctified and Holy. It is when we walk in the flesh that we miss the mark. How about you? Do you walk in the spirit and experience the Holy - Sanctified Life? Let us learn from today's text seeing God's Punishment for sin which should motivate us to walk in the power of the Lord through His Spirit.

(Questions)

(Saved?)