Leviticus 20

Punishments for Sin

1  The Lord said to Moses, 

2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death.The members of the community are to stone him. 

3 I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people; for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. 

4 If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death, 

5 I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.

6 “‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.

7 “‘Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy.

9 “‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.

10 “‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.

11 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

12 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.

13 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

14 “‘If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you.

15 “‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he is to be put to death, and you must kill the animal.

16 “‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

17 “‘If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They are to be publicly removed from their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.

18 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them are to be cut off from their people.

19 “‘Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father,for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.

20 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his aunt, he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.

21 “‘If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.

22 “‘Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 

23 You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.

 24 But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations.

25 “‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those that I have set apart as unclean for you. 

26 You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.

27 “‘A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.’”

Observation Questions

What is said about anyone who sacrifices any of his children to Molek? (verse 2-5)

What does the Lord say about anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists? (verse 6)

What is the reason for consecration? (verse 7)

What is said about anyone who curses their father or mother? (verse 9)

What is said about people who commit adultery? (verse 10)

What is something that dishonors someone's father? (verse 11)

If someone has sexual relations with their daughter-in-law, what is to be done? (verse 12)

What is said about a man who has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman? (verse 13)

If a man marries both a woman and her mother, what is it? (verse 14)

If a man has sexual relations with an animal, what is to be done? (verse 15)

If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, what is to be done? (verse 16)

If a man marries his sister, what is to be done? (verse 17)

What is said about a man who has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period? (verse 18)

Would having sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father dishonor a close relative? (verse 19)

If a man has sexual relations with his aunt, who has he dishonored? (verse 20)

If a man marries his brother's wife, will they have children? (verse 21)

What is the reason for keeping all the Lord's decrees and laws and following them? (verse 22)

Why were they not to live according to the customs of the nations who would be driven out before them? (verse 23)

Who set them apart from the nations? (verse 24)

What is the reason for holiness? (Verse 26)

What is to be done with a man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among them? (verse 27)

Thoughts

 "If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death." - verse 10

John 8 

  but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.

 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.

 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.

 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 

Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 

Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”