Leviticus 18:3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.
Everett Alvarez Jr. was shot down as an American pilot over Vietnam some fifty years ago. He recounted his story in the book Code of Conduct. If you were shot down over a foreign land among enemies, what would determine your code of conduct? How much would you change? How would you have solid truth upon which to stand when seemingly alone in a foreign country?
In Leviticus God is giving Israel, His chosen people, a code of conduct. He wanted Israel’s conduct to be different from that of the Egypt, where they had been, and that of Canaan, where they were going. Leviticus 18:3-4 says, “After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. Ye shall do my judgments.”
What does it take to outrage you? Is that thing that determines your outrage and your estimation of right and wrong really God? It doesn’t really make any difference if we are denouncing sins that everyone accepts as sin. The only thing that really matters is if we speak against that which is wrong in our day. In short, you will have to decide which god/God will determine your moral code of conduct.
What follows in chapter 18 is basically a prohibition. It says that the Children of Israel were not to uncover the nakedness of…. Then it lists a whole group of people. That is a euphemism. God is talking about what is moral and what is immoral. What is moral and immoral is determined by God’s created order. That which is created by God for marriage is rebellion outside of marriage. Four times God basically says, “I am the Lord. I am the eternally existent God. You didn’t create Me. I created you. I am the Creator, and you are the creation.”
So, who determines what your code of conduct will be? There are two things for you to see here. First, the words “you shall not” speak to God’s judgments, His determination of what is right or wrong. In verse 22 the Bible talks about deviation from God’s moral code. He calls these deviations “abomination” in one case and “confusion” in another. When you look at America today, those are two words, “abomination” and “confusion,” that describe a lot of what we see. It is confusing. Homes are mixed up because we have rebelled against God’s foundation for the home.
The word “abomination” means “utterly detestable.” So, to whom were these deviances to be detestable? Well, they weren’t detestable to Pharaoh, Canaan, or the Amorites. This is God’s absolute moral voice on what is right and wrong. “You shall not” speaks to God’s judgments.
Second, the word “custom” speaks to man’s judgment. Verse 30 says, “Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinances, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God.” There is no limit to your low if the culture calls the shots. Recently, reading about the atrocities of World War II, I was struck again by the fact that there was no limit to the depravity of the Nazis. And yet, over time, everyone around Hitler came to accept what was evil. In every culture, what is generally accepted is prone to change.
So, these prohibitions were not just ceremonial or for Israel alone. God mentions the nations who were displaced because of their wickedness in Canaan. It wasn’t just that they were pagan. They were rebelling against God’s moral standards. The word “custom” speaks of that which had become acceptable for many of these people and “holy” is what God’s people are to be. So, for right or wrong, you have to determine which god/God will determine your moral code of conduct.