Slices
Prepare
‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind’ (Romans 12:2). Ask God to shape your thinking.
Bible passage
Unlawful sexual relations
18 The Lord said to Moses, 2 ‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them: “I am the Lord your God. 3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. 4 You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God. 5 Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.
6 ‘“No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.
7 ‘“Do not dishonour your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her.
8 ‘“Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; that would dishonour your father.
9 ‘“Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.
10 ‘“Do not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would dishonour you.
11 ‘“Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.
12 ‘“Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative.
13 ‘“Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative.
14 ‘“Do not dishonour your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.
15 ‘“Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her.
16 ‘“Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would dishonour your brother.
17 ‘“Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.
18 ‘“Do not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.
19 ‘“Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.
20 ‘“Do not have sexual relations with your neighbour’s wife and defile yourself with her.
21 ‘“Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
22 ‘“Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.
23 ‘“Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.
24 ‘“Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. 25 Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, 27 for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. 28 And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.
29 ‘“Everyone who does any of these detestable things – such persons must be cut off from their people. 30 Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practised before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.”’
Explore
Few Christians today would see the necessity of observing the rules about the consumption of blood in Leviticus 17. Are these rules about sexual relationships similarly outmoded? As the book of Hebrews makes clear (Hebrews 9,10), Jesus’ sacrifice means that the blood of animal sacrifices is no longer needed, but there is nothing in the New Testament to suggest that these sexual standards have been superseded.
Having rescued them from Egypt (where all kinds of sexual relationships were practised), to take them to a land occupied by tribes whose worship of fertility gods included ritual prostitution and child sacrifice, the Lord calls his people to a distinctive lifestyle. The importance of family relationships and the protection of the vulnerable are still central in modern society today.
To what extent should Christians expect others to observe their values? In the latter half of the twentieth century, Mary Whitehouse, motivated by her Christian faith, became famous in the UK for her campaign against the ‘permissive society’. Much derided in her lifetime, she has more recently been viewed as someone who warned of the impact on children of unregulated pornography before the dangers were widely recognised.
Respond
Pray for those suffering from the effects of harmful relationships, and those struggling to maintain a godly lifestyle.
Deeper Bible study
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.’1
Verse 6 lays down the principle of consanguinity in marital and sexual relations: subsequent verses spell out the details. Three specific prohibitions complete the list and are treated with the same severity: child sacrifice (v 21), homosexual practice (v 22) and bestiality (v 23). These are laws made over 3,000 years ago, for ancient peoples and in a bygone era. Should we class them with moral laws, applicable like the Ten Commandments, or with the Jewish ceremonial and judicial laws, which we respect but do not need to obey?
The three principles set out in the Introduction should help us to decide. First, all three prohibitions are not questions limited by time or place: they continue to be relevant in the present. It is worth asking, in each case, whether these are universal prohibitions, what impact their observance might have on society today and what the New Testament says.
Of the three, homosexual practice is the most topical. Pastoral sensitivity is an absolute essential in the way each situation is handled. Sadly, this has not always been provided in our churches. As a result, sometimes, desperately needy souls do get turned away!
Some believe that the church should update its interpretation of Scripture to conform to societal understanding of issues. What do you think of this idea?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Judges 9,10; Mark 3
Pray for Scripture Union
Praise God that although Janine did not come from a Christian family, she came to faith and now shares that faith with young people in similar situations. (This week's prayers relate to this story.)
