Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, October 31st, 2024
the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
the Week of Proper 25 / Ordinary 30
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Bible Commentaries
Smith's Bible Commentary Smith's Commentary
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2014, Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, Ca.
Copyright © 2014, Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, Ca.
Bibliographical Information
Smith, Charles Ward. "Commentary on Leviticus 20". "Smith's Bible Commentary". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/csc/leviticus-20.html. 2014.
Smith, Charles Ward. "Commentary on Leviticus 20". "Smith's Bible Commentary". https://www.studylight.org/
Whole Bible (35)Old Testament (1)Individual Books (3)
Verses 1-27
Chapter 20
Chapter twenty, now God begins to get a little heavier. In chapter twenty God goes over some of the things He dealt with in chapter eighteen, only in chapter twenty telling that the violators of these things should be put to death. I know a lot of these sob sisters are crying out against capital punishment. But if we practice capital punishment as the Bible says, we wouldn't have near the crime problem that we have today.
I don't know what's gone wrong with our judicial system, but we are far more interested in protecting the rights of the criminal than we are of the innocent victims. There's something awfully stupid about our whole system that releases the rapists, and the murderers and all back, and the kidnappers, back on the streets to repeat their crimes over and over again. Something stupid when you can't bring up the past patterns of a man's life for a present crime that he's committed. The man is showing himself to be a habitual child molester, or a habitual rapist and all, then he should be dealt with as a habitual child molester.
As far as I'm concerned better to-I'll pull the switch if they need someone. He can ask God to forgive him, and God will forgive him, and he'll go to heaven; he'll be a lot better off. But we'll be a lot better off too, and a lot safer, and our children will be a lot safer walking in the streets. I wouldn't have to worry nearly so much in sending them off to the store. We are living in a crazy, corrupt world that's gone wild. It's because we've forsaken the law of God. We've got a bunch of sob sisters, pantywaists. Romaine could tell you about them better than I could.
If a father sacrificed his child to Molech, he was to be put to death. [Don't mess with him.] If he is worshiping the god Molech and in so doing offers his child as a living sacrifice to Molech, kill him, put him to death. Stone him with stones, for I will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among the people. And if you in any wise hide your eyes from him who has sacrificed his children to Molech, and you don't kill him, then God will set his face against you, and against your family, to cut you off, for those that go a-whoring after Molech, from among the people. And if a person seeks after those that have the familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a-whoring after them, I will set my face against them. Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God. And ye shall keep my statutes: I am the Lord which has set you apart. Every one that curses his father or mother shall surely be put to death: [That's heavy.] A man that commits adultery with another man's wife, both of them shall be put to death. A man that lies with his father's wife, those of the incestuous relationships were to be put to death. Homosexuals [verse thirteen] were to be put to death, bestiality a person was to be put to death; both for men and women ( Leviticus 20:2-15 ).
So God ordered stringent dealing with sin. It gives you an idea of what God's idea of sin is. You think that God is very soft and easy, not so. God ordered them to deal severely in order that they might remain clean, in order that they might be pure, in order that they might not be polluted. As long as they remained obedient to the law of God, God blessed them. When they started to mollify and to ease off on things, then the land ultimately spewed them out even as God said.
Verse twenty-two...
Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell in shall not spew you out. [In their failure the land ultimately spewed them out.] Ye shall not walk in the manner of the nations, in which I cast out before you for they committed all these things, therefore I abhorred them ( Leviticus 20:22-23 ).
That's why God ordered them eradicated. So God dealt very severely with these violators. But I'll tell you; it kept the violators down to a minimum. It was safe to walk around the land. A woman could walk around the camp at night and never worry, never fear. It was a holy place. Heaven's gonna be a holy place. The kingdom age is gonna be a holy place. Man, you find it tough looking at this? Then you're gonna find it tough living in the kingdom age, cause you're gonna be one of the enforcers of righteousness. You're gonna be having the rod of iron which you're gonna be going around popping skulls like, like clay pots. That's what it said, "He's gonna rule with a rod of iron as a potter blasts a vessel in shivers". ( Revelation 2:27 ).
So those that are disobedient to God. Listen, He's gonna keep it pure, He's gonna keep it holy, and it's gonna be a fabulous place to live. For a thousand years it's gonna be absolutely glorious as He rules with that rod of iron, and righteousness covers the earth. It'll be a much better place to live than it is today, let me tell you that.
Well next week we finish Leviticus, so fasten your seat belts. Shall we stand? I want to tell you something, God is very gracious, God is very merciful, or none of you would be around. If it were not for the Lord, let all Israel now say, "if it were not for the Lord, then we would be utterly destroyed". If it wasn't for the Lord's graciousness, and His mercy, and His tenderness, and His lovingkindness, none of us would have a chance. But thank God for the grace and truth that is ours through Jesus Christ. "But should I sin freely so that grace may abound? God forbid. How can we who are dead to sin live any longer therein?"
So one of the scriptures, and we passed over it, God said that, "And ye shall, and if ye do these things, ye shall live by them." Now that's what the covenant was based upon doing. The new covenant that God has established with us is based upon being, what I am in Christ Jesus. It's no longer on what I am doing; it's on what God has done, and my believing and trusting in that work of Jesus Christ, my great High Priest.
As you go through Leviticus, Hebrews is going to, you ought to really just having, when we go through Leviticus, when we finish it, you really ought to pop over to the New Testament and read Hebrews. You'll have a better understanding of Hebrews than you've ever had before if you'll pop over and read it now just being so fresh out of Leviticus. Hebrews will really talk to you in a very special way. So just as a special assignment this week, you that are looking for an "A" grade, read the book of Hebrews.
May the Lord bless you, and keep His hand upon your life, and may He help you to walk in all righteousness and holiness, for He is Jehovah our God, and He is a holy God. He wants His people to be a holy people, that the name of the Lord would not be blasphemed by my actions, but that people in seeing my good works will glorify our Father who is in heaven. God bless you. May the face of the Lord shine upon you, and His love burn in your heart all through the week. In Jesus' name. "