The Laws of Morality

Prayer

Distinguishing between laws of ritual and morality

Last week, we looked at the ritual, or ceremonial, laws in the book of Leviticus. Laws that had to do with foods that were deemed clean or unclean, bodily discharges that would also make you unclean, skin diseases, mildew.

Takeaway was that these purity laws were only for the Israelites in that time and place, while they were living under the old covenant, the agreement between God and the Israelites for the Lord to be their God and for them to be his people.

Main purpose of the laws was to instill in them their identity as God’s holy, set apart people, shaping and forming them to be a holy nation, one which would be blessing to all other nations. That required that they live differently from the surrounding peoples.

So, many of these laws would have helped them to be mindful of things that were symbolic of death (skin diseases, bleeding - women’s monthly period, touching a dead body), and how that goes against God who is the God of life. You can’t come into his presence tainted with death. Why they would be considered unclean in any of these conditions.

Laws, too, would have helped them to be mindful of living differently from their Canaanite neighbors, to be holy, set apart. Remember, these laws did not have to do with morality, with what’s good or evil, right or wrong. They were spoken of in terms of being clean or unclean, pure or impure.

But there is another type of purity law in Leviticus, and these laws were the laws that did have to do with morals. These morality laws were all about right and wrong behavior, that which is sinful versus righteous.

In Leviticus, these laws are generally found in chapters 18 through 20, both the laws and the punishments for them.

But there’s a problem here, among the lists of laws in these chapters - there are some that do not appear to be moral in nature, rather, then seem as if they would be ritual or ceremonial.

Let me show you what I mean as we take a few minutes to walk through these chapters looking at some of the commands God gave the Israelites.

Leviticus 18 deals almost entirely with sexual morality. In general, the laws forbid sex with close relatives or with the wives of close relatives. There are also laws that forbid homosexual behavior, bestiality and adultery. Let me give you a sampling...

Leviticus 18:1-9...The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God. 3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. 4 You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God. 5 Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord. 6 “‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord. 7 “‘Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her. 8 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; that would dishonor your father. 9 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.

The only non-sexual law in these chapter is in vs. 21, Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord. (I think we can safely assume that this law means you shouldn’t sacrifice your child to any god, Molek or otherwise.)

In Leviticus 19, we get a broader assortment of laws, but in general they address two main issues, the first being sins of idolatry. For instance:

Leviticus 19:1-4...The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. 3 “‘Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God. 4 “‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

I trust you saw that the language here mirrors what we saw in the Ten Commandments, when God first made the covenant with the Israelites. Here in Leviticus he is expanding on that basic moral framework. In addition to sins of idolatry, the second type of laws are those that deal with issues of justice, the fair and right treatment of others. Here, again, are some examples:

Leviticus 19:9-15...“‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God. 11 “‘Do not steal. “‘Do not lie. “‘Do not deceive one another. 12 “‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord. 13 “‘Do not defraud or rob your neighbor. “‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight. 14 “‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord. 15 “‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

You can see here how God is laying the foundation for a fair and just society, a people that care for the the poor and foreigner through the practice of gleaning. Commands against deception, stealing. Command to pay in a timely fashion, especially for the hired worker. Don’t take advantage of people with disabilities. No favoritism, either towards the poor or the rich, everyone judged fairly.

But, then, in the midst of all these laws that deal with idolatry and justice, we find laws like this, Leviticus 19:19, “‘Keep my decrees. “‘Do not mate different kinds of animals. “‘Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. “‘Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material. Then, in Leviticus 19:27-28, “‘Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. 28 “‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.

It seems pretty clear that these laws are not laws of morality - what would be sinful about mating two different kinds of animals or wearing clothing made with two different kinds of material? But how do you know? How do you distinguish between the two, between laws that are moral and ones that are ceremonial?

This is a serious question - it was for the early church and it certainly is for us today. How do we understand the Bible - the whole of it? If we’re going to live as God teaches us to live, we have to know what he’s teaching us!

Let me give you an example of how this question impacts us today - Leviticus 18:22 clearly forbids homosexual behavior, Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.

If you cite that passage as Scriptural evidence against homosexual sex, the immediate challenge is that of cherry-picking, of hypocrisy. After all, you say we’re to obey that and yet you wear clothing made of mixed materials, you cut the hair on the side of your head, you eat bacon. You’re picking and choosing what laws to obey and what not to obey.

But, on the other hand, do we just dismiss the book of Leviticus entirely, it doesn’t apply to us today, these laws are outdated? But then you’re rejecting commands that clearly have to do with what’s right and wrong - do not steal, do not defraud or rob your neighbor, do not pervert justice.

Or this one, Leviticus 19:18, “‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. Jesus seemed to think that one was pretty important, he referred to it as the second great commandment, behind only loving the Lord your God with all that you are.

Laws of Morality for Today

Clear that we cannot take these laws wholesale, nor can we dismiss them. Rather, we must be thoughtful to determine what commands, what moral teachings, still hold true for us today.

What is still moral? Hugely important, we’re not simply trying to guess our way through, we are trying to determine God’s will for us - because it is rooted in his character. Do you notice the phrase that was used over and over again in this list of laws? I am the Lord. Do this. Don’t do this. I am the Lord.

Good and evil are not arbitrary. They do not change over time. Morals are objective - they are true whether we acknowledge them or not, whether we agree with them or not.

I don’t know if you saw this story or not, but two teenagers (17 years old), videoed themselves running over a retired police officer who was riding a bike with their car. It was clear from the video that this was intentional, that they had no idea who the man was, they had just randomly chosen him, they had done this before and that they were doing it for “fun”.

That is objectively wrong. It is evil. There’s no reasonable or acceptable excuse for this type of behavior - hitting an innocent man on his bike with your car and killing him, just for fun.

Morals exist, right and wrong exist because they are rooted in the character of God himself. In his goodness. He is good. Therefore, everything he commands is good. To go against his commands, therefore, is to go against the character of God, against goodness itself. I am the Lord.

Let me offer you some clues that help us determine which laws that we find in the book of Leviticus are moral, and therefore we should still live out today, versus laws that are ritual or ceremonials, part of the old covenant, for the Israelites in that time and place.

One way to determine this is how the law is described and the punishments for them. So, to contrast, if you touched a dead body, you were deemed unclean. You’d have to wash you clothes and remain unclean until evening. Then you’d be clean. All’s good. But when it comes to prohibited sexual behaviors, these are described as detestable, a perversion, an abomination. The punishment for them was either being cut off from the people or be put to death. Which is a pretty strong clue that these are considered much more egregious.

Understanding the cultural context, many of the laws that seem arbitrary were designed to keep Israelites separate from the Canaanites, and from moving into sinful practices of their neighbors, which were often connected with ritual practices.

You can see where only planting one type of seed in a field, wearing clothing of only one type of fabric would be a constant reminder - do not mix! Stay separate. And there’s evidence that their Canaanite neighbors would cut their hair and cut themselves as a way to gain the favor of the spirits of the dead - so these commands would keep them from engaging in these cultic and idolatrous practices

By the way, the early church struggled with this very issue, trying to figure this question out - what parts of the law were they still required to follow? It got so contentious that they had to hold a council to determine the issue, it was known as the Jerusalem Council, story is in Acts 15.

Decision from James, the leader of the church, Acts 15:19-21...It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.

The assumption is, of course, that they would obey the Ten Commandments, that’s the basic moral framework for everyone. The three things they are requiring here: abstaining from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from meat of strangled animals (from blood) - these were areas that would remove them most from the sinful practices of Gentile culture.

But here is the most important principle. We know it is moral teaching intended for us today if it is taught and affirmed in the New Testament, if it is part of the new covenant, established in Jesus. Always use Scripture to interpret Scripture.

Why we still hold to all laws regarding sexual morality - this is regularly spoken against in New Testament, especially in the vice lists that Paul offers, when he speaks against sexual immorality, impurity and lust. It’s in these same vice lists that Paul speaks against evil desires and greed, anger, malice, slander, lying, stealing, swindling, drunkenness.

In the Gospels Jesus affirms the Ten Commandments and even expounds on them - it’s not just, “do not murder”, don’t harbor anger against your brother. Don’t judge or condemn. Jesus affirms honoring your father and mother, keeping the Sabbath (though not legalistically). And of course, above all else, love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength - and your neighbor as yourself (just like Leviticus commands).

We can look at the laws in the Leviticus and be very thankful that we don’t have to follow them anymore (so, get that tattoo). But don’t miss this - Jesus didn’t make it any easier in the new covenant. Because under the old covenant, it was all about behavior. In the new, it’s about our heart, about true inner goodness. Why Jesus says it’s not just do not murder, but do not hold contempt. Not just do not commit adultery, but do not lust. He wants us to be people who are truly good, inwardly good, who love. Who are given over to the Father’s will, like he was.

Spiritual Disciplines - Leviticus 18:5, “Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.” These laws and commands aren’t arbitrary. They aren’t unreasonable or unnecessary. They aren’t meant to deny us joy and peace and life - they are meant to give us those things. You will live by them. They are for our good, so that we can live life as God designed it to live, as we were made to.

Make the commitment to full obedience to Jesus, to live as he commands us to live. A commitment to live out the will of the Father completely.

Pray the Lord’s Prayer on a daily basis. Be mindful as you pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Make it personal. Lord, I desire your kingdom to come. I want your will to be done. Lord, help to obey you fully, to desire your will for my life.

Consider what area of morality that God is calling you into fuller obedience. Is there a place where you know the good you are to do - or the evil you should avoid, and you’re struggling with?

How are you talking about others - slipping into gossip? Are you coloring the truth because of the way you want others to see you?

Idea of gleaning - how can you make available the extra you have available to others, to meet the needs of the poor?

Is there somebody you’re harboring anger, resentment towards? You won’t let go of the wrongs they’ve committed against you? Are you quietly judging others? Drinking too much? Sexually impure thoughts - or actions?

Bring that to the Lord. Pray that sin would be crucified with Jesus on the cross, pray your own willingness to give that sin up. Make a commitment of obedience to Jesus in that area, and a plan of action to break the habit of that sin, an accountability partner.

Your commitment to be obedient to Jesus in all things - because by him we will live.