Leviticus 18

Leviticus 18:1-5

Here is, 1. A general law against all conformity to the corrupt usages of the heathen, ver. 1—5. 2. Particular laws, (1.) Against incest, ver. 6—18. (2.) Against bodily lusts, and barbarous idolatries, ver. 19—23. 3. The enforcement of their laws from the rain of the Canaanites, ver. 24—30.

1. 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 devel, 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.

Before Christ 1490.

The moral precepts are binding, though the ceremonial are abolished. Such are the injunctions here given. God, as the Lord, has a right to command obedience; as our God reconciled in Jesus Christ, has reason to expect it. They were going into a land as idolatrous as that they had come out of; and as they were but too prone to their old practices, they had need of repeated solemn warnings. Note, Because sin hath such deep hold on our hearts, and old habits are to hardly eradicated, we have need of line upon line, and precept upon precept. God charges them to remember his commandments to do them, and promises a happy and long life to the obedient. They who in simplicity follow God will find themselves no losers thereby.

Note, 1. As perfection of obedience is not to be found in man, therefore eternal life cannot be obtained by our own obedience. But, 2. In Christ Jesus there is that universal righteousness which the law demands; and they who believe in him, have this imputed to them, and are rewarded as if it were their own. 3. We are not less bound thereby to personal obedience, but farther urged thereto, as well as afflicted therein through faith, which worketh by love.

Heb. rev. monster of his folk. of Chap. xx. 11. a Chap. xx. 12. Deut. xxii. 30. & xii. xxiii. 40. Each. xxii. 10. Amen. 3. 1 Cor. 7. 7. 17. 1 Sam. xxii. 18. Each. xxii. 11. f Chap. xx. 19. g Chap. xx. 20. h Chap. xx. 11. Each. xxii. 12. f Chap. xx. 17. March. xx. 6. The Deut. xxii. 6. Cha. xx. 12. I Do, not with to inother.

6. ¶ None of you shall approach to any that is near of his to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD. 7. The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shall thou not uncover; she is thy mother, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness. 8. The nakedness of thy father’s wife shall 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 kinswomen: it is wickedness. 18. Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, besides the other in her lifetime.

Leviticus 18:6-18

God forbids,

1. All marriages between persons within the degrees of kindred here (specified) which equally afflicts women as well as men. The very heathens, in general, detested these incessions; and they are not only positive commands of God, but highly reasonable in themselves.

2. All indecent familiarities between such near relatives. The living together in the same house, and being on such a footing of intimacy, would expose them to much temptation, unless their minds were imperiled with particular horror at the thought of any lewd intercourse. Let near relations be doubly on their guard. The corrupt heart of man is desperately wicked.

3. ‘Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness. 20. 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 ‘pals 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 confession. 24. ‘Defile not you yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I call 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 (pue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it (pue) out the nations that were before you. 29. For whoever 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 they ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 18:19-30

Here are,

1. Other laws against impurity. 1. Against an unfeasurable use of the marriage-bed. Note, They who are lawfully married may be very criminally lewd. 2. Against adultery; a sin of the blackest sin. 3. Against the abominable adultery of consecrating their children to Molech, by passing them between two fires, and sometimes burning them. 4. Against sodomy and beatability; e. ones, the mention of which are shocking; and it is among the dire proofs of the desperate corruptness of man’s nature, that ever such wretches should exil, or that such prohibitions should be necessary.

2. Awful warnings against these sins. 1. The offender shall be cut off, so, 20. not only his body doomed to death, but his soul to everlasting burning. The fire of lull, and the fire of hell, are kindled for each other. 2. The nation shall be destroyed where such abominations are committed. They themselves are now going to Canaan, to be God’s executioners upon that devoted people, for these very sins; and therefore, with such an instance before them, they need take warning not to defile themselves with such wickedness; for if they did, they would sink in the same destruction. Note, Nothing fills up the measure of a nation’s guilt faster than these abominable and unnatural lulls.

3. A solemn charge to keep God’s ordinances, and avoid these hateful customs. Note, The world we live in is like Canaan, and its customs scarce less detestable; we have need tremble, lead we should swim with the firean, and lull the horror of sin by beholding the commonness of the practices from which nothing can so effectually preserve us as a constant attention to God’s word, and daily application for his grace, to keep us from the pollutions that are in the world through lull. And in this way we shall find such genuine pleasures to be enjoyed, as will make us loath the deceitful and soul-delirying pleasures of sin.