A Devotional Thought From Leviticus

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God. 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, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.      Leviticus 18:1 – 4

     In His many instructions to the Jewish people, then in the wilderness preparing for their future, the LORD tells them don’t do in your lives and society what the Egyptians do in theirs. You lived there, but I’ve brought you out, and I want you to be different than they are. Also, when I bring you into the land of Canaan, the land of blessing that I will give you, do not do what the Canaanites do either. Don’t follow their ways, or laws, or ordinances.

     I am your God, and I want you to do what I instruct you to do. I want you to keep my law. I want you to live the way I prescribe.

     If you read the rest of chapter 18, you will find very numerous, direct statements about morality. I will not go into the details. They are graphic.

     The nations that inhabited Canaan defiled themselves with these sins, and that was one reason why God was casting them out of the blessed land, and giving it to His people (18:24). He spoke of putting the iniquity of these people on the land, and as a consequence pictures the land itself vomiting out the inhabitants (18:25).

     While this chapter refers specifically to God’s ancient people, and the land of promise, it should give any modern nation pause. Has the level of our societal morality sunk so low that it can compare with vomit in the gutter? Is the nation floating in a pool of filth? Will terrible immorality bring terrible consequences?