As an example of what the Holy Spirit can do for those who have faith in his present day activity, I just heard a mental voice say, “Leviticus.” I doubt that was my own mind, because I was definitely not thinking about the Bible, when I heard that voice come into my head. I doubt that it was the devil, because what evil spirit could possibly want me to read an entire book of the Bible, much less the book that first laid down the holiness code for the nation of Israel? As I went through it, the things that stood out to me were the blood atonement laws, confession of sin, and the appearance of the glory of the Lord in that context (Lev. 9:22-24). Nadab and Abihu’s self-initiated sacrifice, in which no explanation is given for why they wanted to do this:–while Matthew Henry says it was because they “were so proud of the honour they were newly advanced to, and so ambitious of doing the highest and most honourable part of their work immediately,” and while Adam Clarke says it was because they altered a “part of this representative system…and assumed a prerogative which belonged to God alone…and were certainly guilty of a very high offence against the wisdom, justice, and righteousness” of God: it seems to me, that they wanted to see the glory of the Lord manifest a second time because they were so fascinated by the first manifestation (Lev. 10:1-3). So because they presumptuously sacrificed, without God’s direction, the glory of the Lord did appear a second time, but it broke out in wrath to kill them! “Whoa, let’s see that again,” they must’ve said to themselves: and when God saw this, he turned them into a heap of bones and ashes. They seem to represent all of those charismatics who simply want to see signs and wonders, but only out of a trivial fascination with the supernatural, and without a desire to obey God’s laws.
Another thing that stands out to me is the code of sexual ethics in Leviticus 18. So much of this book’s holiness code does not speak to lifestyle. Most of it consists of priestly laws about how to make atonement by animal sacrifices, confession, and forgiveness of sins, which is based on a weekly religious event at the tent of meeting. There’s a chapter or two about skin diseases, menstruation, and keeping people quarantined for certain weeks, for healthcare reasons, as are there a few chapters on kosher foods. But Leviticus 18 has always stood out to me as a morally charged lifestyle chapter that clearly finds its echoes throughout the rest of the Bible, when it comes to the subject of sexual sin. The biggest focus is on avoiding the sin of “uncovering the nakedness” of your family members and relatives. This could be referring to actual incestuous copulation, but that’s not the language that is used most of the time. The language mainly implies immodesty. It makes me think of beaches, pools, waterparks, summer fun in the sun, boating, surfing, waterskiing, etc, which often involves, you guessed it, viewing your daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, mothers, mothers-in-law, and sisters in bikinis and bathing suits: with nobody thinking twice about the ethics of it! As when Ham looked upon Noah. It seems to me, that just from a plain literal reading of Leviticus 18, that this uncovering activity provokes God to wrath. Actual copulation is later called “lying” down with someone, in contradistinction with the previous expression that implies clothing related modesty. God’s wrath is further provoked by actual incestuous copulation, sodomy, and bestiality. All of which abominations, it is said, caused the Canaanites to be “vomited out of the land.” Leviticus 19-21 are also lifestyle related laws. Whereas, ch. 18 seems to be an elaboration on seventh commandment against adultery, these other chapters seem to be elaborations on the other nine commandments. Devil worship of Moloch being the worst of all sins, because it is that sin which leads to all the others, and provokes God the most. –J.B.
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