Leviticus 18: We come to a section here where Elohim is going to give laws concerning sexual sins. These are the sins that mark a decadent society and the decline and fall of empires.
This is a day in which society believes there is no right or wrong. They do not believe in truth. They think that no one has the right to tell us their own morality. The fact is that right and wrong are determined by what Elohim says is right and wrong. He uses the phrase “I am Yahweh” to tell us why He says certain things are right and wrong.
(Lev 18:1 NASB) Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
(Lev 18:2 NASB) “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘I am the LORD your God.
(Lev 18:3 NASB) ‘You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes.
Lev 18:3: We are told not to do what is done in Egypt or in Canaan. We are not to act like the pagan nations. The customs of the pagan nations are to be avoided by Elohim’s people (Psalm 106:34-35, Ex. 23:24-25, Deut. 12:2-4, 30-31).
(Lev 18:4 NASB) ‘You are to perform My judgments and keep My statutes, to live in accord with them; I am the LORD your God.
(Lev 18:5 NASB) ‘So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the LORD.
Lev 18:5: People cannot say there is no right and wrong. They can say that they don’t want to live by what is right or wrong, but they cannot say it doesn’t exist.
If someone doesn’t want to live by Elohim’s rules, then he can go out and make his own universe with his own earth with his own sun and stars. Then he can make up his own commandments. But as long as we are living in Elohim’s world, drinking His water, eating His food, breathing His air, and not even paying rent, we better obey His commands. He tells us that if we break His commands, we will pay for it.
There is not a place in the Brit Hadasha or in Scripture anywhere where Elohim annuls any of His laws.
He says for us to keep His statutes and His judgments “by which a man may live if he does them.” This phrase has somewhat of a double meaning. It means that a man should follow His Torah as long as he shall live. It also means “if a man follows Torah, he may acquire life.” Ezekiel interpreted this passage in that manner (Ezekiel 20:11, 13, 21). Yeshua interpreted this passage to mean that a man will have life eternal if He keeps the commandments (Luke 10:25-28, Matthew 19:16-17).
(Lev 18:6 NASB) ‘None of you shall approach any blood relative of his to uncover nakedness; I am the LORD.
Lev 18:6: No one is to have sexual relations with a relative. This is to prevent propagation of harmful genetic mutation and viruses. It also gives us the proper relationships that family members are to have.
(Lev 18:7 NASB) ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, that is, the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother; you are not to uncover her nakedness.
(Lev 18:8 NASB) ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness.
Lev 18:8: This kind of disgusting incest happened at the church in Corinth (1 Cor. 5:1-2). These people were driven from the assembly. But in 2 Corinthians, it is implied that they later repented and were brought back into fellowship.
(Lev 18:9 NASB) ‘The nakedness of your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether born at home or born outside, their nakedness you shall not uncover.
Lev 18:9: In the beginning, Cain had married his sister. But genetic mutations and viruses were new to creation and hadn’t infected the human DNA to where incest would be a factor toward birth defects and undesirable genetic traits.
We are also told that Abraham married his half sister. However, they were apparently married long before Elohim called Abram who was 75 years old at the time. It was when Abram was 90 years old that he was told to be holy (Gen. 17:1).
(Lev 18:10 NASB) ‘The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for their nakedness is yours.
(Lev 18:11 NASB) ‘The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, born to your father, she is your sister, you shall not uncover her nakedness.
(Lev 18:12 NASB) ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s blood relative.
(Lev 18:13 NASB) ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s blood relative.
(Lev 18:14 NASB) ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother; you shall not approach his wife, she is your aunt.
(Lev 18:15 NASB) ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness.
Lev 18:15: These sins were practiced in Egypt. The Pharoahs married their sisters. Elohim is putting up a barrier to prevent this.
(Lev 18:16 NASB) ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness.
Lev 18:16: The exception to this is when your brother dies and they have no son, then the leverite law applies (Deut. 25:5-10 – not shown).
(Lev 18:17 NASB) ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; they are blood relatives. It is lewdness.
(Lev 18:18 NASB) ‘And you shall not marry a woman in addition to her sister as a rival while she is alive, to uncover her nakedness.
Lev 18:18: Sexual relations by those related by marriage is prohibited also. Jacob did break this law by marrying Rachel when he was married to Leah. However, Jacob was deceived into marrying Leah when he thought he was marrying Rachel. Regardless, this and other acts of disobedience resulted in a long and difficult life for Jacob (Gen. 47:8-9).
(Lev 18:19 NASB) ‘Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness during her menstrual impurity.
Lev 18:19: Sexual relations are prohibited during a wife’s time of menstruation also. This made a man more than “unclean.” It is a prohibited act.
(Lev 18:20 NASB) ‘And you shall not have intercourse with your neighbor’s wife, to be defiled with her.
Lev 18:20: Elohim is protecting the family here.
(Lev 18:21 NASB) ‘Neither shall you give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.
Lev 18:21: The pagan practice of sacrificing one’s children to Molech was especially forbidden. This was done in those days by stoking a fire in the idol until he was red-hot and then placing a baby in the arms of the idol. Elohim said, “don’t you dare!”
However, this is a practice that even Solomon participated in (1 Kings 11:5-8).
(Lev 18:22 NASB) ‘You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.
Lev 18:22: Even though homosexuality is quickly becoming normalized in today’s society, Elohim definitely condemns it.
Let’s look at some of the health consequences of this perversion. In the early years of the AIDS outbreak, it was called GRIDS. This stood for Gay Related Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The political correctness of the day quickly changed that name. AIDS is not the only fear for homosexuals.
6,737 obituaries from 18 U.S. homosexual journals over a 13 year period were compared to a large sample of obituaries from regular newspapers. The obituaries from the regular newspapers were similar to U.S. averages for longevity: the median age of death of married, never-divorced men was 75 and 80% of them died old (age 65 or older). For unmarried or divorced men the median age of death was 57 and 32% of them died old. Married, never-divorced women averaged 79 at death; 85% died old. Unmarried and divorced women averaged age 71 and 60% of them died old.
The median age of death for homosexuals, however, was virtually the same nationwide – and, overall, about 2% survived to old age. If AIDS was the cause of death, the median age was 39. For the 829 gays who died of something other than AIDS, the median age of death was 42 and 9% died old. The 163 lesbians had a median age of death of 44 and 20% died old.
Even when AIDS was not involved, homosexuals frequently met an early demise. Three percent of gays died violently. They were 116 times more apt to be murdered, much more apt to commit suicide, and had high traffic-accident death-rates. Heart attacks, cancer and liver failure were exceptionally common. 18% of lesbians died of murder, suicide, or accidents – a rate 456 times higher than that of white females aged 25 – 44. Age distributions of samples of homosexuals in the scientific literature from 1858 to 1997 suggest a similarly shortened lifespan.
Homosexuals rode into the dawn of sexual freedom and returned with multiple plagues that may very well destroy most of them. While modern medicine has been much more careful in dealing with communicable diseases, those who treat AIDS patients are at risk, not only from HIV infection, which, as of 1996 involved about 200 health care workers, but also from TB and new strains of other diseases.
There is a pattern here that we ignore at our peril. Homosexual practices create a third-world level of sanitation and chronic disease unknown to most Westerners. With the rise of these new contagious diseases, homosexuality not only raises our medical costs, it increases the hazards of giving and getting medical care and receiving blood.
Which is more compassionate, to warn a homosexual that his behavior will kill him, or to encourage him to an early death and eternal damnation?
Elohim says that He will eventually give up on those who are enveloped in this sin and those who condone it (Rom. 1:26-32).
As s side note, while most Bible teachers do see the sin and decadence of homosexuality, they do not teach the evils of eating unclean creatures. However, the same description is given to eating unclean creatures as for engaging in homosexual activities (Heb. toebah – Deut. 14:3).
(Lev 18:23 NASB) ‘Also you shall not have intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion.
Lev 18:23: This is disgusting and Elohim forbids it.
(Lev 18:24 NASB) ‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled.
(Lev 18:25 NASB) ‘For the land has become defiled, therefore I have visited its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants.
Lev 18:25: Elohim destroyed the nations in Palestine because of these things. The land of the Canaanites was eaten up and festering with disease. Elohim told them not to take anything there after they conquered it, the land was so diseased.
(Lev 18:26 NASB) ‘But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you
(Lev 18:27 NASB) (for the men of the land who have been before you have done all these abominations, and the land has become defiled);
(Lev 18:28 NASB) so that the land may not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you.
(Lev 18:29 NASB) ‘For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people.
(Lev 18:30 NASB) ‘Thus you are to keep My charge, that you do not practice any of the abominable customs which have been practiced before you, so as not to defile yourselves with them; I am the LORD your God.'”
Lev 18:30: Elohim gives a double warning that if His people follow in these sins, He will punish them the same way or worse. These things are happening worldwide today.
Patrick McGuire
Copyright 2014 Patrick McGuire and Beit Yeshua Torah Assembly All rights reserved, no portion of this Lesson may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews. Beit Yeshua Torah Assembly Fort Smith, Arkansas