Leviticus 18:22

NASB	NLT	VOICE
22 You shall not sleep with a male as one sleeps with a female; it is an abomination.	22 “Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin.	22 You are not to have sexual relations with a man in the same way you do with a woman; such a thing is detestable.

There are two words that show up in both passages that we need to name before we dig into the study of the verses: lie and abomination.

To lie is the Hebrew verb shakab (shah-kab’). This means to lie down, sleep, rest, or lie with someone sexually. Typically, in the sexual sense, it refers to the marital sexual relations and covenantal intimacy. It’s often used in reference to illicit or violent acts at the time, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, incest, bestiality, and rape.

An abomination is the Hebrew noun tow’ ebah (to-ay-baw). It refers to something disgusting, an abhorrence, or idolatry. It’s often used to describe illicit sexual acts that invert God’s creational design.

Overall – we see the idea of homosexuality being an illicit act because it inverted God creational design of humanity. The design refers to the command of humanity to reproduce in Genesis 1. We know it’s that through the phrase “as with a woman.” However, we know that homosexual activities are not with reproduction in mind – it’s a connective, intimate, and loving act between two consent adults. Physically, it’s actually impossible for a homosexual couple to reproduce – which is why we see an increase push for adoption, IVF, and other related acts that provide an equal right to family for homosexual couples. So, if the idea is to avoid this because of the concept of reproduction – what do we do about those couples (hetero- or homosexual) that do not want kids? They would fall under this type of law because the act of sex is meant for the reproductive act. Overall, we’ve seen an evolution in what the focus of family looks like in our world, and we have not done the best job to adapt to that. For those that hold tight to this command, we still have not done well to adapt to this while holding to this rule. Where do we go from here? We need to understand WHY these commands were put into place and how we can apply these commands to our world today.

This is a direct commandment found within the Holiness Code. What’s the Holy Code? It’s a section of Leviticus that outlines the moral and ceremonial laws for the Israelites. It was a call for the Israelites to live a life that was distinct from the surrounding nations. Why? They were committing these homosexual acts as well – but in an abusive way. They were having orgies in the temple, having sex with prostitutes for the emotional rush, and more. God wanted the Israelites to be set apart and live a life different from the rest of the communities around them. Now this law has a command part and a cultural part. The command was to maintain the holiness and purity of the Israelite community. The cultural context viewed family and procreation as central to society. Any sexuality outside of a heterosexual marriage was seen as a threat to this order. We know that we should view homosexual couples as a threat, but as an extension of our community. It’s a way to offer family connection in a way that is just different. They can still honor the holiness and purity of sex and marriage. They can still honor the heterosexual values outside of the reproductive quality. Younger generations are recognizing the instability of the resources of the world and the evil that persists in this world and are willing to not bring in new creation at the hands of that. They are more focused on trying to create the world full of equality, love, compassion, care, and more. All central tenets to who God is.

The fact this act was detestable to God shows where the true moral code lied. Leviticus referred to the practices that were ritually and morally impure. In the Ancient Near Eastern context, this term was used to describe any practice that was both religiously offensive and socially disruptive. There’s a lot of conversative Christians that still find this socially disruptive because it voids the “Bible says it, I believe it, that settle’s it” half-truth. We don’t consider it “normal” because the patriarchal mindset that romantic relationships must provide a potential reproductive tenet. Relationship have evolved beyond a potential reproductive end-goal – it offers love, companionship, and protection for all people in a way that honors and glorifies God.

Leviticus 20:13

NASB	NLT	VOICE
13 If there is a man who sleeps with a male as those who sleep with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they must be put to death. They have brough their own deaths upon themselves.	13 “If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act. They must both be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense.	13 If a man has sexual relations with another man, they have participated in a detestable act. Both men are to be put to death, for their blood is on them.

Capital punishment in ancient Israel served as a deterrent and a means of purging evil from the community. The death penalty for certain sins underscores the holiness of God and the need for his people to be holy. The death penalty was a legitimate way to put the fear of God in their eyes. “Do what we say or get killed.” Imagine if we still did this today. There would internal wars, riots, protests, and everything in between. We know capital punishment is not reasonable for this, especially when the sole reason the Levitical priests were against this was because of the reproduction roles in relationships. The fact of the blood being on them shows that they bore the guilt and consequences of their actions. They were scared straight – quite literally. Well, maybe not straight – but scared silent.

I have been a witness to my church discussing this to a point of an internal split. A pastor that I worked with married a lesbian couple off of church grounds when it was against the rules of the denomination to do so. When it was revealed to us, it flipped the church upside down. The conservatives were angry, the neutrals were confused, and they progressive was supportive. For me, at that time of my ministry, I stayed silent during the conversation that happened. We had a big forum that allowed people the chance to make their comments about what they’re doing. I was there to crowd control my youth group – who were present. To ensure that they were okay. To ensure that they were not overwhelmed or bullied. Then the more time went on, the more I had to say something. Did I voice my support or opposition – no. Personally, I was in the neutral because it took forever for the news to be revealed to us. What I said was that we must recognize that how we’re voicing these things today is going to accept these youth and how safe they feel within these four walls. One of my former youth at the time gave a very emotional conversation about “What if this was me?” And that’s true. We’re so often ready to judge and condemn people in the LGBTQ+ community until it happens to us, and it’s not always case in that situation. People are being excluded, dismissed, bullied, and abused from their own family for being homosexual. That conversation in the church changed me and how I operated and recognized that being gay was never the issue – being accepted was, and they need to be accepted by the family that was supposed to surround them with love and care

Some people would that we should avoid the Old Testament altogether because it’s history and doesn’t apply anymore because of the teachings of Jesus. I have learned that these laws are reinforced in the teachings of Jesus. Jesus’ New Testament ministry would have learned from the Old Testament to adopt their teachings into their culture. A millennia worth of teachings, history, and commands needed to be adapted to their new culture, which will be led by God himself. It’s why you’ve heard me often say that the teaching of the Old Testament is about understanding the why behind what we do. I believe they are important to understand it’s context and purpose within the realm of the New Testament and for our earthly realm today.

Next part: Biblical Sexual Ethics || The Church Clobber || Part 4