Leviticus 18:1

The Bible says in Leviticus 18:1-6, “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,[2] Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God.[3] After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.[4] Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.[5] Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.[6] None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.” The first command here is to avoid doing what the unbelievers in Egypt had done, nor what the unbelievers of the Canaanites who were all around them were doing. It says in verse three, “After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.” This is the principle of separation that every Christian needs to be aware of. As it says in First John 2:15-17, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.[16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.[17] And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” It also says in Romans 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.[2] And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Christians should be non-conformists. We want our actions and manner of life to be based upon what Jesus wants and not what the world does. That is one of the reasons that God gave us the Bible. It says in our text in verse four, “Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.”

Notice the one specific thing that is mentioned in Leviticus 18 is what the Egyptians and the Canaanites were involved with and that the people of God should avoid: nakedness. Some unbelievers are inclined to take their clothes off when they should not do so, and others are inclined to look at those who have taken their clothes off. Believers should not do this. God said in verse six, “None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.” God’s will that human beings be properly clothed is found early in the Bible. Adam and Eve were initially naked in the Garden of Eden. It was the perfect Garden of Eden. They were perfect and there was no sin. To be naked was normal and good. It was God’s way for the two of them, but of course they were husband and wife. But once Adam and Eve sinned, they were ashamed of their nakedness, and they tried to cover themselves. It says in Genesis 3:7, “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” It says in Genesis 3:9-10, “And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?[10] And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” The fig leaf covering was not enough, just as our good works are not enough to cover our sins, and so it says in Genesis 3:21, “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” Animals had to be killed to make these coats. And so we see the sacrifice of the innocent in order to cover the guilty. This is exactly what Christ did for us. But concerning the human body, God wants it to be properly and modestly covered. That is why Christians are told in First Timothy 2:9-10, “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;[10] But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.” This verse does not tell us to judge others and how they dress. It means for you to evaluate yourself and determine of you are dressing “in modest apparel.”

The Bible says in Leviticus 18:7-17, “The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.[8] The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.[9] The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.[10] The nakedness of thy son's daughter, or of thy daughter's daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness.[11] The nakedness of thy father's wife's daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.[12] Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister: she is thy father's near kinswoman.[13] Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister: for she is thy mother's near kinswoman.[14] Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.[15] Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son's wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.[16] Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness.[17] Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness. [18] Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.[19] Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.” Of course, the key word in these verses is the word “nakedness.” A great amount of detail is given, listing just about every relationship that can be imagined. In every one the message is the same: do not look at someone’s naked body. Bodies should have clothes on them, and when you see a body, you should see that body with clothes on it. There are a few exceptions that are not listed here: for example, husband and wife, and parents and babies. There is a certain type of modesty that goes along with knowing God and knowing the Bible. The unbelievers and heathen of the world may not have this modesty, but believers are not supposed to follow their example. That has always been one of the failures of Hollywood and the entertainment industry.

God created sex. He designed it, and it is a good design. The human body is attractive and beautiful because of God’s design. It is so beautiful that it can attract very strongly in its naked form: too strongly. That is one reason that people should be properly clothed. Sex is designed only for a man and a woman united in the marriage bond. What are the other situations that human beings might try sex, and what does God think about them? It says in Leviticus 18:20-30, “Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her.[21] And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.[22] Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.[23] Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.[24] Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:[25] And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.[26] Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:[27] (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;)[28] That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.[29] For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.[30] Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.” Let’s look at the sins and crimes that God lists here: 1. In verse 20 is adultery. 2. In verse 21 is sacrificing your children and false religion. 3. In verse 22 is homosexuality. In verse 22 God says, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” 4. In verse 23 is bestiality. In verse 29 God says that if anyone commits any of the four sins mentioned, that person would receive the death penalty. We do not advocate that we return to the punishments law of the Old Testament, but this shows us what God thinks of these sins.

In addition to the death penalty, what other consequences did God say would happen to the Jewish people if they committed such sins? In verses 24 through 28 God makes it clear that if they started committing these sins that they would be cast out of the Promised Land, the land of Israel. It used to be the land of the Canaanites, but God took the land away from the Canaanites because they committed these sins. God warned the Jewish people in verse 25, “And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.” The earth is the Lord’s, and the Lord decides which peoples live in which lands. When the Lord thinks that there is too much wickedness in a particular country, the Lord will overthrow that country. The rise and fall of nations is in God’s hands. Therefore, fear God and repent of your sins and turn to Jesus.

___________________________________________________