Basically, incest is immoral and unacceptable to God. Let’s not overcomplicate this.
Laws of Sexual Morality
“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God. According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord. ‘None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord. The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness. The nakedness of your father’s wife you shall not uncover; it is your father’s nakedness. The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover. The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for theirs is your own nakedness. The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, begotten by your father—she is your sister—you shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is near of kin to your father. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is near of kin to your mother. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law—she is your son’s wife—you shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness. They are near of kin to her. It is wickedness. Nor shall you take a woman as a rival to her sister, to uncover her nakedness while the other is alive.”Leviticus 18:1-18 NKJV
Regardless of who the sexual act is committed with, the underlying argument, often used is one of victimhood: “they just can’t help it.” The Bible makes it clear the following:
“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.”James 1:13-14 NKJV
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”I Corinthians 10:13 NKJV
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”Philippians 4:13 NKJV
Therefore, when we see a verse like the one below, the argument is not to shame a person while they are wrestling with sin, but rather to point out that sin is not their identity, and that they can break free, if they do desire and choose. But one has to desire to align their hearts and lives to God’s Word and to choose to put themselves through whatever it takes in order to break free from the cycle.
“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.”Leviticus 18:22 NKJV
Real, true Bible-believing Christians who love Jesus do not “pick on the gays.” But it is critically important to point out that homosexuality is no different from any other form of sexual immorality. And for those who claim that Jesus has nothing to say about gay marriage, the below verse sets the record straight:
“And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.””Matthew 19:4-6 NKJV
Astute Bible readers will note that the context in which Jesus says the above has to do with divorce, and not gay marriage. And they would be correct in doing so. However, to limit the truth spoken from Jesus’s mouth, assuming that he would only address the immediate issue at hand would be misleading. The truth is, according to what Jesus said above, which is directly lifted from Genesis 2, any form of union that contradicts this particular passage is an abomination to the Lord. Any form of union outside of God’s design for marriage, which consists of one man and one woman, is sin in God’s eyes. As such, this must include any sort of homosexual union. I would even go one step further and declare that any form of homosexual union would be considered a form of adultery against whatever plans that God did have for the parties involved. At its root, any form of sin, sexual or not, is rebellion against God.
Leviticus 18 was part of this day’s reading, which is why I am blogging about it at all. As I continue to move through the “Torah” portion of scripture, I continue to be reminded anew of God’s plan for creating a just society, including one that honors Him above all else. God pays attention to details. He is very detail-oriented. Let us today acknowledge and honor Him for caring to know and be involved, should we let Him, in every detail of our lives.
“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”Matthew 6:26 NKJV