Chapter Eighteen
Regulations Regarding Sexual Relations
18:1 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the LORD your God. 3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. 4 You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. 5 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the LORD.
Integral to the meaning of the word ‘holy’ is the concept of being set apart, being different than others.[1] God does not want His people to follow the ways of the world. That desire has never changed, as Paul instructed, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, NLT, see also 1 Peter 1:14; 1 John 2:15)
Here God specifically states that the people of Israel are not do as the Egyptians did while they lived among them, and they are not do as the people they will encounter in the land of Canaan, the land that He is taking them to. Both of these nations, and the people groups within their borders, were all pagan, each worshiping false gods. Under no circumstance were they to follow their protocols, especially any form of idolatry. Instead, they were to follow YHWH and His rules and regulations, in doing so they will truly live by doing them, a promise of YHWH. The text translated here as “shall live,” is the Hebrew word ‘ḥǎy’,[2] a verb that not only means to live, but it is most often used in Scripture to convey a lengthy or high quality of life.
It is important to note that while this chapter points out that these forbidden sexual practices are contrary to God’s will, the punishments for these sins are not given here, they will later be stated in chapter 20 (many of which are punishable by death).
18:6 “None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the LORD. 7 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 8 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness. 9 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home. 10 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son’s daughter or of your daughter’s daughter, for their nakedness is your own nakedness. 11 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, brought up in your father’s family, since she is your sister. 12 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s relative. 13 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s relative. 14 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother, that is, you shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. 15 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness. 16 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. 17 You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, and you shall not take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are relatives; it is depravity. 18 And you shall not take a woman as a rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive.
No one was to approach any close relative with the intent of having sexual intercourse with them. The phrase “uncover nakedness,” is two Hebrew words, ‘ṯeḡǎl·lē(h)’,[3] meaning to reveal or uncover, and ‘ěr·wǎṯ’,[4] which can refer to physical nakedness. However, when these two words are seen combined in Scripture, they are considered a euphemism for sexual relations.[5] This is the first command to restrict relations with close relatives. As discussed earlier, there was no risk of genetic imperfections due to inbreeding being so close to creation.[6] However, now being several generations from creation, genetic corruption and degradation are a concern and could potentially result in significant problems for the offspring. If told to avoid close relatives, one might ask, “How close?” God lists several examples of relationships which are now forbidden, summarized below (see also Leviticus 20:11-12, 14, 17, 19-21 for the list of their associated punishments).
18:19 “You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness.
This verse forbids a man from having sexual relations with a woman during her menstrual uncleanness. If that were to occur, perhaps without knowing about her uncleanness, he would be unclean for seven days (see Leviticus 15:24, see also Leviticus 20:18).
18:20 And you shall not lie sexually with your neighbor’s wife and so make yourself unclean with her.
It was forbidden for a man to lie sexually with their neighbor’s wife making them both unclean. The Hebrew word ‘ǎmîṯ’[7] can refer to a broad group of people, a neighbor, a community member, a friend, an associate, etc. It is not specific, the rule is simple, sexual intercourse was not allowed with another person’s wife (if adultery, this is a capital offense, see Leviticus 20:11).
18:21 You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.
This verse is a sad reminder of the extent of the potential depravity of man’s heart. No child should be dedicated, offered, or affiliated with any pagan god or be involved with any pagan ritual. This verse specifically references Molech, an Ammonite god with a particularly horrific history, whose worship required children to be sacrificed (see 1 Kings 11:7; 2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 32:35). Offering children to any idol or pagan god is to completely turn away from God and profane His name (Hebrew word ‘ṯeḥǎl·lēl’,[8] meaning to defile). This is a very serious offense, punishable by death (see Leviticus 20:1-5).
18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
Also included in the list of forbidden sexual relationships was with the same gender, doing so was an abomination in God’s eyes, punishable by death (see Leviticus 20:13). Since homosexuality has been a controversial issue since undoubtedly from the beginning of time, it should not surprise anyone that the subject has created significant polarization between Christians as well as between non-believers and the church. Regardless of how someone desires or believes, the Bible clearly states God’s point of view (see Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 1:9-10, see also Considerations below).
18:23 And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion.
Human beings were not to have sexual intercourse with any animal, in doing so would make both the person and the animal unclean. It is referred to here as a perversion (Hebrew word ‘tě’·ḇěl’,[9] found only twice in Scripture, a noun that strongly condemns sexual perversion, see Leviticus 20:12) and is punishable by death (see Leviticus 20:15-16).
18:24 “Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, 25 and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you 27 (for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these abominations, so that the land became unclean), 28 lest the land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
Canaan and the other people groups that were occupying the Promised Land at that time, had embraced a wide variety of vile-to-God practices that polluted the land (more than likely designed by Satan),[10] including the perverted and abominable sexual practices listed in this chapter (in summary that included: No sexual relations with any close relative, one’s mother, stepmother, sister, stepsister, granddaughter, aunt, wife of uncle, daughter-in-law, brother’s wife, wife’s sister, a woman during menstrual period, any person of the same sex, or with any animal). Through these practices (and undoubtedly many others) the people had defiled the land and now the Promised Land was unclean. God said He will punish them of their iniquity by forcing them out of the land, stated here as being vomited out.
God promised the land to the people of Israel as long as they followed His regulations and rules. Otherwise, if they disobeyed, they too would be vomited out. Sadly, this is exactly what happened, the Mosaic Covenant was broken by their disobedience,[11] and as a result were sent into exile, first the Northern Kingdom by the hand of the Assyrians, followed by the Southern Kingdom less than 100 years later by the Babylonians.
18:29 For everyone who does any of these abominations, the persons who do them shall be cut off from among their people. 30 So keep my charge never to practice any of these abominable customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.”
God concludes this section by summarizing, if anyone does any of these unacceptable practices, considered abominations before God, they would be cut off from their community (plus several of them are to be punished as outlined in Leviticus chapter 20). Every effort must be made to avoid all these practices.
Considerations
The subject of forbidden sexual relations, even among Christians and churches, seems to be considered something ancient and no longer relevant, or relegated to some “gray area” in the Bible that is open to any interpretation. As a result, these regulations are often divisive and can easily polarize Christian groups or even families.
Did God change His mind regarding His regulations? No. Even though these regulations were written for and directed to the people of Israel, they are components of God’s law that are used to demonstrate to all people that every human being is a sinner. And that as there is no way we can save ourselves, we therefore need a Savior, which God lovingly provided. It was His Son Jesus who fulfilled the law (see Matthew 5:17), including these regulations, however they were never negated or changed, nor will they ever be changed.
In his epistle to the church at Rome, the apostle Paul discusses how Christians receive the righteousness of God, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17b). No action or ritual required (nothing can be done anyway), Christians are to have faith that they are saved. Since no action is required, or perhaps stated differently, since obedience is not mandatory, Christians often incorrectly assume disobedience is okay. It is true that all sins are forgivable and as believers in Jesus they are, but as Christians, the desire to serve and obey God will continue to grow and become more important every day, seeing sin for what it is, and that is disobedience. However, while on Earth in their corrupt bodies, Christians can still be tempted, and a choice is made. That is why many choose to either ignore the regulations of the Bible or try to argue that the regulations are not as black and white as they sound.
After Paul wrote about how Christians have obtained the righteousness of God in his epistle to the Romans, he identified the unrighteous, those that made a decision to reject God. He began with the words, “the wrath of God,” something that the Israelites could identify with, but rarely heard in Bible teachings today. Here Paul says that the wrath of God is very real and pointed out that the ungodly and unrighteous were without excuse, as they could perceive and had knowledge about God, claiming they were wise, but nonetheless made the decision to reject Him and His plan of salvation through His Son (see Romans 1:18-23). As a result of their unwillingness, Paul wrote, “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” (Romans 1:24-25) The language implies that God has “handed them over” to their sinful desires. Paul then amplifies what that means, “For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.” (Romans 1:26-27) It is interesting to note that Paul connects dishonorable passions with the regulations from Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13.
The word that is translated as ‘dishonorable’ is the Greek word ‘atimias’,[12] it can be translated several ways, including “degrading passions,” “vile affections,” or “shameful lusts.” However, it is the following word that is interesting, it is the Greek word ‘pathē’[13] and it is used only three times in the New Testament. The word refers to something that occurs after an event or condition, in the Bible it is always used as a negative. Together with the word ‘atimias’, Paul is referring to the lusts that dishonor those who indulge in them (see also Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:5).
When Paul mentions women exchanging natural relations for those that are contrary to nature, he is not talking about something that is natural to the person, he is referring to the natural order God designed in creation. Just like the two words paired earlier in the verse, it is the second word that is interesting. The word ‘chrēsin’[14] (translated ‘relations’) refers directly to the use of a body for sexual intercourse. The word that is translated here as ‘nature’ is the Greek ‘physin’[15] and it is the root word for the word ‘natural’ that is used twice elsewhere in this verse, simply referring to the nature of things. We need to always remember that it was God who established the order in which all things work. The concept of “Mother Nature” or “Mother Earth” are only mankind’s inventions, often with the intention of denouncing or rejecting God.
Paul then turns to those men who also gave up natural relations, in this case those designed by God to be used with a woman. Paul says that these men were consumed with passion (the Greek word used here is ‘orexei’,[16] it is not the usual word for ‘passion’, it refers to strong desires or unrelenting cravings) for one another (Greek ‘allēlous’,[17] referring to another of the same kind, as opposed to ‘heteros’[18] referring to another of a different kind). To remove any doubt what he is talking about, Paul adds, “men committing shameless acts with men.” The result of these actions is equally clear, these men will receive the same penalty for their error, the abandonment of God.
Note how Paul in these two verses has made a case that men were designed for women and women for men. He is referring to both the fit (external evidence of design) and function (internal evidence of design, the NASB appropriately uses the word ‘function’ for ‘chrēsin’). He is saying that homosexuality violates the intended design.
Many churches and denominations have embraced homosexuality, often as the result of listening to critics and those that refer to themselves as being politically correct. Why would so many churches succumb so easily to outside pressure? The answer to that question may be the answer to a lot of issues and problems in society today, that should have been addressed by churches long before this, namely the inaccurate or inappropriate interpretation, ignorance, or the intentional ignoring of the Word of God. How is that fixed? The answer is easier said than done, we all need to spend more time reading and studying the Bible and praying.
Even though the Bible speaks regularly and often against sexual exploits (for a few other examples see Genesis 19:5; Judges 19:22-30; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:8-11; Revelation 21:8), the two verses above from Romans might be the best ones to share with another believer regarding homosexuality since they are straightforward and include both genders. Let’s briefly explore some of the issues a Christian might use to defend their own sexual preferences.
Some believe that since the passages from Leviticus would be considered by most Christians as part of the Torah, many have argued that since Jesus fulfilled the Law (see Matthew 5:17-20) they were now free to do whatever they want to do. That is simply not true. Later in the sixth chapter of Romans, Paul makes a clear case showing the error of that argument, when he asks, “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” (Romans 6:15).
There is also a sad trend by some believers that when trying to justify their own actions, discount or minimize the Old Testament or attempt to deemphasize issues in the New Testament that were not directly addressed by Jesus. Obviously, neither one of these approaches are true, or even healthy for a Christian to consider, let alone believe. Some will even resort to redefining the Greek words. For example, the Greek word ‘arsenokoitēs’[19] as seen in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10 that is translated as “homosexuality” is often redefined to refer to male prostitutes, but further examination of how the word is used, indicates that is not a correct interpretation.[20]
Since Paul describes homosexual behavior as a sin and because these verses in Romans are so direct, they are seemingly always under attack. So why the favorable acceptance of homosexuality in the body of Christ? Why are there so many pro-gay theologies in existence today? Paul answers this in his second letter to his protégé Timothy, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4) Instead of hearing the truth from God, people will justify their own thinking by seeking and listening to those that are like-minded, even if they do not speak or teach the truth. It appears that the time Paul was referring to has indeed arrived.
Some even have the notion that their behavior is normal for themselves, believing they were born that way. Through the years science has attempted to back up those claims. For example, in 1991 Simon LeVay published the results of his study proclaiming that homosexuality had a biological basis (stating that a homosexual’s hypothalamus was smaller than heterosexuals),[21] but later clarified:
“It’s important to stress what I didn’t find. I did not prove that homosexuality is genetic, or find a genetic cause for being gay. I didn’t show that gay men are ‘born that way,’ the most common mistake people make in interpreting my work. Nor did I locate a gay center in the brain.”[22]
Another widely published, and much-heralded announcement came a few years later from Dean Hamer claiming there was a “statistical confidence level of more than 99 percent that at least one subtype of male sexual orientation is genetically influenced”[23]. However, further studies by other researchers were not able to reproduce the same results, and Hamer later admitted that “The best recent study, suggests that female sexual identification is more a matter of environment than heredity.”[24] As one might expect, these clarifications did not receive the same enthusiastic response as their original publications and public opinion had made.
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[1]See commentary under Genesis 2:1-3.
[2] Strong’s Hebrew 2425.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 1540.
[4] Strong’s Hebrew 6172.
[5] See commentary under Genesis 4:1-2.
[6] See Considerations under Genesis 4:1-2.
[7] Strong’s Hebrew 5997.
[8] Strong’s Hebrew 2490.
[9] Strong’s Hebrew 8397.
[10] See commentaries under Genesis 9:25-27 and under Exodus 23:32.
[11] See Considerations under Exodus 19:21-25.
[12] Strong’s Greek 819.
[13] Strong’s Greek 3806..
[14] Strong’s Greek 5540.
[15] Strong’s Greek 5449.
[16] Strong’s Greek 3715.
[17] Strong’s Greek 240.
[18] Strong’s Greek 2087.
[19] Strong’s Greek 733.
[20] Schlemon, A. (2013). The Ambassador's Guide to Understanding Homosexuality. (pp. 13-14). Signal Hill: Stand to Reason.
[21] LeVay, S. (1991). A Difference in Hypothalamic Structure Between Heterosexual and Homosexual Men. Science (253, no. 5023), 1034-1037.
[22] Nimmons, D. (1994). Sex and the Brain – Neurobiologist Simon LeVay Found a Link between Brain Structure and Homosexuality. Discover Magazine (March), 64.
[23] Hamer, D. et al. (1993). A Linkage Between DNA Markers on the X Chromosome and Male Sexual Orientation. Science (261, no. 5119), 321-327.
[24] Hamer, D & Copeland, P. (1998). Living with Our Genes: Why They Matter More Than You Think. (pp. 188). New York: Doubleday.