Marriage
PROHIBITION OF UNLAWFUL MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP AND ADOLATRY
Leviticus 18: 6-23; 20: 10:10-21; Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18; 22:30; 23: 17; 27: 20-26; Romans 1:26-27; 1Corinthians 6:9; Hebrews 13:4
Marriage and ungodly worship were the two areas where the Egyptians and Canaanites had negatively influenced the children of Israel. Those nations were permissive, promiscuous, licentious and idolatrous in their beliefs and practices.
Sexual perversions of all sorts characterized their religious and social lives. They freely practiced incest, homosexuality (sodomy or lesbianism), bestiality, sacrificing their seed to Molech, etc. These practices were carried out in Egypt and Canaan during some idolatrous celebrations and also for the sake of personal pleasure. But God commanded the children of Israel not to copy them or even desire to be like them in any of these ways:
First, Incest: This is any form of sexual relationship or marriage between close relations.
Such will include marrying a parent, sibling, half brother or half sister, step mother or father, grand children, aunt, uncle and in-laws.
Second, Adultery: This includes any sexual relationship or marriage to another person’s spouse. Regardless of the whether the spouse is living with his or her partner, divorced or separated, we are forbidden from having any sexual relationship with him or her.
Third, sexual relationship with a menstruating woman: It is said that this practice was connected with some idolatrous rituals.
Fourth, Homosexuality: This could be in form of sodomy ( a man having sexual relations with another man) or lesbianism ( a woman having sexual relationship with another woman). God says it is an abomination regardless or what people and nations say about it. Even though some religious leaders and countries in the world today choose to legalize it, a Bible-believing Christian would rather stand on the side of God’s word.
Fifth, Bestiality: This is the practice of human being having sexual relations with an animal. Some people do so for money making, rituals; other do so for the sake of pornography or as a result of sexual perversion. God says it is confusion.
1. EFFECTS OF UNGODLY MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP AND IDOL WORSHIP
Incest would result in a conflict of roles between those who are engaged in it. For instance, should a daughter marry her father, and then she would have a double role as a wife and a daughter to same man at the same time. Her own children will also share the same father with her! Besides, incest is a form of breeding that has the tendency to weaken the genetic material. It encourages the propagation of hereditary disorder and narrows the scope of social tie and brotherhood among people.
With those who approve homosexuality will have a hard tome explaining how two sodomites can become one flesh with one another since the rib bone taking from man was used to form a woman and not another man. This is the same for lesbians
The bestial person is even more absurd – a man or woman being one flesh with an animal. What an abomination!
Before the enactment of these laws there is no doubt that some of these practices went on among the children of Israel. For instance, Jacob married two sisters, Rachael and Leah (Genesis 29:16-30); Abraham married his half sister (Genesis 20:12); Reuben slept with his step mother, that is his father’s wife, (Genesis 35:22) and not without a curse. But after the Lord had given these laws such practices became abominable among them.
God also forbade the children of Israel form the common idolatrous practice of making their children to pass through the fire. Idolatry is a rude challenge to God’s sovereignty and authority. In The New Testament, we are exhorted to avoid not only literal idols but also things sacrifice to idols and subtle idolatry, such as covetousness (Ephesians 5:3-5; 1John 5:21). Anything we set our hearts upon so much that it takes over our devotion has become an idol and must be avoided.
2. WARNING FOR THE HEAVEN-BOUND CHRISTIAN
Joshua 1:8; Deuteronomy 28:15; Psalm 1:1-3; Isaiah 1:19; 1Joshua 2:17
“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the Land” (Isaiah 1:19)
There is no respecter of persons with God and there is nothing like unconditional security of believers. The Canaanites sinned and God judge them. We should learn from the calamity and mistakes of other people. The children of Israel had the Canaanites as an example of divine wrath against sin. But unfortunately, they did not learn their lesson. They sin against God and they became examples to us who are under the New Testament “Now all these things happened for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore, let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1Corinthians 10:11-12; Romans 11:17-22). However, God did not only warn against disobedience, He also promised eternal life to those who keep His commandment. He said, “Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord” Leviticus 18:5).
Akinbowale Isaac Adewumi
www.devinehome.blogspot.com
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