Levitucs 19-20

Chapter 19 deals with a wide array of laws concerning people's holiness. Notice how the chapter begins with the overarching statement, "Be holy because I, Yahweh your God, am holy." Note also the refrain repeated after each set of commands, "I am Yahweh, your God."

The commands in this chapter deal with everything from relationships between neighbors and family members, how to treat foreigners, sexual relationships, fairness in business dealings, and avoiding the religious practices of nations around them.

In chapter 20, the seriousness of adopting pagan worship practices is underscored by the penalty of death. These practices included consulting spiritists and mediums visiting temple prostitutes. Especially detestable to God was the worship of Molech, in which live infants were place into the white-hot arms of an idol and burned to death as a sacrifice. Even those who tolerated such practices were also to be put to death. Various types of immoral sexual relationships were also punishable by death.

Note how this chapter ends the same way chapter 19 started: a reminder that God was setting them apart as His special people, and so they were to be holy as He is holy. If they did not set themselves apart, the same judgement that came on the pagan peoples around them would be visited on them.

In the age of grace, all these strict requirements and death penalties may seem harsh to us. But we have to remember that our God is a jealous God, and he will simply not share the worship of his people with anyone or anything. He also expected His people to represent Him. Those who failed to recognize this were removed from among His people, which was necessary to preserve the rest of His people as holy and set apart for Him. While we are now under a new and better covenant, the principle of holiness remains. Peter said it this way:

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Pet 2.9).

If we forget our purpose of proclaiming Him and representing Him to a lost world, God will do whatever it takes to keep for himself a people that will. Remember the stern warnings Jesus delivered to the churches of Revelation 2-3? If they did not heed His call, he would "remove their lampstand" or otherwise deal with those who were destroying the purity and purpose of his people.

You can read Leviticus 19-20 here.