Daily Devotion | Leviticus 20:1–16 | 2026 March 04

Title: Daily Devotion | Leviticus 20:1–16 | 2026 March 04

Scripture: Leviticus 20:1–16 (ESV, reference only)

Date: 2026 March 04

Speaker: Rev. John Chen

Transcribed, translated & edited by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)

Alright, dear brothers and sisters, peace to you all. We thank God for His grace that we can come again to our Daily Devotion and study the Word of God together. Today we come to Leviticus chapter 20, verses 1 through 16. Let us pray.

O God, we thank You. We thank You that You are willing to graciously give us these beautiful statutes and ordinances. Before these statutes and ordinances, may we humble ourselves. May we carefully reflect and think about them, so that we may obey Your law. O God, we are weak sinners, and we need the guidance of Your Word. Please be with us. We pray in the name of Christ. Amen.

Now let us first look at this further explanation. In chapter 20, verses 1 through 5, a particular sin is mentioned, namely the sin of offering one's children to Molech. This sin later appeared among the Israelites, especially even within the royal family. So this is a very obvious and serious sin.

What kind of sin is this? We can only make a kind of conjecture based on reconstructions by some historians. Molech was probably a deity of the land of Canaan. Exactly what kind of god this was and what rituals were involved are not entirely clear. But this god Molech required human sacrifice, specifically the sacrifice of infants.

Their logic was roughly this: if someone offered his child through fire to Molech, then Molech would protect his kingdom, secure his throne, and ensure the prosperity of his economy and the stability of his rule. That was approximately the logic. Worshiping an idol was thought to bring benefits.

But God absolutely forbids human sacrifice. God hates this practice extremely. Whether it is an Israelite or a foreigner who gives his child to Molech, he must surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. Offering sacrifices to Molech is something that God detests.

This involves the First Commandment and the Second Commandment. The object of worship must be only Jehovah, and the way of worship must be according to the method God has appointed. Human sacrifice is not permitted. Only sacrifices of cattle and sheep are allowed.

The reason given is that offering children to Molech defiles the sanctuary and profanes God's holy name. That is the punishment for the person who commits the act. Furthermore, if the people of the land pretend not to see it and do not put him to death when he sacrifices to Molech, then there is also corporate responsibility. All those who follow him—his whole family—will also be set against and cut off.

What does this being “cut off” mean? I mentioned before that it probably has two possible meanings. One possibility is direct execution—being put to death. Another possibility is being removed from the community, that is, being expelled from the people of Israel. But here, the “cutting off” most likely refers to being put to death, the most severe form of being cut off. In some later cases involving less serious sins, it may refer to being removed from the military or from the Israelite community. That is roughly the idea.

Now let us consider why the Israelites would worship Molech. In the historical background of the ancient Near East, idol worship was extremely common. Not only in the ancient Near East but in the broader ancient world, idol worship was a very widespread phenomenon. People liked to worship idols because they hoped to receive blessings from them. This was a characteristic feature of ancient civilizations.

Even later, in the twentieth century, in the 1960s and 1970s, I am not sure whether it still exists today, but in parts of South America there were still practices of human sacrifice to seek the protection of gods. This is an evil and satanic kind of primitive civilization—trying to obtain the favor of a deity by offering human sacrifice and then begging that deity for blessing.

So that is why people worshiped Molech. It was because the customs were like that. And at that time people did not have the consciousness of respecting infants as we might today. Even in China in the last century—today it may be somewhat better—but in the previous century many baby girls were killed. This was evil. In fact, Chinese society has been cursed in certain ways because of this, including problems in marriage. I think there are reasons for that—because large numbers of baby girls were killed in the last century.

Infanticide is absolutely forbidden by God. In Scripture you can see that the life of a human being is treated with the highest respect. Whether women or infants, God respects such lives. So when Moses wrote this book, this view of life was something the world at that time would have found completely incomprehensible. People would say, “What kind of life does a child have? What does it matter if we burn the child as a sacrifice? We can simply have another one.”

Such evil thinking is absolutely not allowed in the Bible. The Bible strictly forbids human sacrifice because every life comes from God. God delights in people protecting life. We must remember this. God does not require His people to offer human sacrifices. Every act of human sacrifice is something God hates.

At this point, some people may begin to think further and raise a question: how then should we understand the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus? The Lord Jesus, as a man, offered Himself and became the sacrifice for sin. How should we understand that?

First of all, when we think about this question, we must have a reverent heart. The human sacrifices practiced by these cults were transactions with idols. That must never happen. That is Satan’s lie. But the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus is the only way to remove the sins of His people. These are two completely different realities.

Jesus is fully God and fully man. His death as a sacrifice was for the redemption of the sins of His people. And it happened only once. Only He could do this. Any imitation of His sacrifice is blasphemy and sin. Therefore we must think about this issue from the perspective of reverence toward God.

Now we continue. The passage also mentions those who consult mediums, practice witchcraft, or follow spiritual prostitution. God says He will set His face against them and cut them off from among the people. This kind of cutting off likely also refers to death, because consulting spirits and practicing witchcraft are things God hates. These again violate the First and Second Commandments.

The text says, “You shall consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. Keep my statutes. I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” In this section up to verse 7, the teaching continues within the framework of the first two commandments.

First, the object of worship must be correct—you must worship Jehovah alone. Second, the way of worship must be correct. Worship must be carried out in the sanctuary, later in the temple, through the sacrifices God has prescribed—sacrificing cattle and sheep. That is sufficient.

You cannot add something of your own invention, such as thinking that offering a human sacrifice would be better than offering cattle or sheep. No. That is not allowed. The Second Commandment forbids it. Likewise, consulting spirits or practicing witchcraft as a method of worship also violates the Second Commandment.

And spiritual prostitution also relates to the Third Commandment—taking the name of the Lord in vain. Altogether, the first three commandments call us to obey God’s law.

What is the reason given? The reason is that the Lord is the one who sanctifies His people. God brought Israel out of Egypt and led them into Canaan. God established the sanctuary among them. He instituted the sacrificial system. God dwelt in the sanctuary among His people in order to sanctify them. The purpose was that they would live a holy life.

Therefore these regulations concerning the first three commandments must not be violated. Whether it is sacrificing to Molech, consulting spirits, or engaging in spiritual prostitution, none of these things are permitted.

Next, verse 9 says that whoever curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. His blood shall be upon him. This relates to the Fifth Commandment: “Honor your father and your mother.”

To modern people this may sound strange. Why should someone be put to death simply for cursing his parents? It may seem overly severe. But we must understand the Fifth Commandment more deeply.

In the Ten Commandments, the first four commandments concern God. The Fifth Commandment marks the beginning of human relationships. It requires the younger to respect the older, and the older to care for the younger.

The word translated “curse” in the original text also carries the meaning of “despise.” If someone despises his parents, he shall be put to death. Why does God require children to honor their parents? The main reason relates to the transmission of faith and respect for authority.

The First Commandment establishes God’s authority: “You shall have no other gods before me.” The following commandments regulate the proper worship of God—its form, its purpose in glorifying God’s name, and its time on the Sabbath.

Then the Fifth Commandment teaches a person to submit to authority by honoring father and mother. In fact, it is natural for human beings to obey their parents. Our parents gave birth to us, and there is something within human nature that should respect them.

But if a person curses or despises his parents, that reveals a stubborn and rebellious heart. If someone rebels against the most basic authority within human relationships, it is obvious that he will not fear God either. He will not preserve the faith. Such a rebellious son must be put to death, because he will not keep the covenantal instruction passed down by his parents.

Therefore, fearing God begins with honoring one's parents and respecting parental authority. When I preached before, I also mentioned that today we live in an age that despises authority. People completely disregard authority and want to make themselves the master of everything. This is extremely evil. It neither accords with God’s revelation in Scripture nor with the reverence that God has placed in human beings through general revelation.

Now we come to verse 10. “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.” This refers to the Seventh Commandment. Therefore I suggest that when you read the law, you should always think from the perspective of the commandments, especially the Ten Commandments. Ask yourself: which commandment is this related to? What principle of the commandment is involved here?

I believe this was also Moses’ perspective, and it was likewise the perspective of the New Testament authors. Much of the teaching in the Pentateuch, including the instructions given by Moses, is actually developed from the Ten Commandments. When Moses considered these laws, he was thinking about which commandment a certain statute belonged to and how it should be applied. Of course, sometimes it is not completely obvious. Sometimes a commandment or a statute may relate to several commandments at the same time. But the general pattern of thought is centered on the Ten Commandments.

So I want to remind you to pay attention to this issue and carefully reflect on the Ten Commandments. From within the Ten Commandments we can find the principles that guide how we conduct ourselves and deal with others.

From verse 10 onward, including the passages that continue to verse 16, these are explanations of what is forbidden under the Seventh Commandment. We have mentioned before that in modern society these kinds of things are extremely common. People think sexual matters are very casual. They say, “My body belongs to me. I am the master of my body.” Some people even treat their bodies as tools to gain their own benefit, using their bodies as instruments to obtain profit or pleasure.

This shows how empty and corrupt human thinking has become. People even exploit themselves, turning their bodies into tools to pursue their own interests and pleasure. This is human sinfulness. But God says this must not be so.

The prohibition of the Seventh Commandment is closely related to the idea of covenant. This is part of human relationships. The Fifth Commandment concerns honoring parents, which governs relationships between generations. The Sixth Commandment, “You shall not murder,” concerns respecting and protecting human life.

The Seventh Commandment concerns maintaining the stability of marriage. The stability of marriage is the foundation for covenantal continuity and the building of the family. If a family is destroyed by adultery, then the family is no longer truly a family. And when the family collapses, the law of God and the ordinances of God cannot be passed down.

From a practical perspective, if a family is broken apart by adultery, the household will fall apart, and the transmission of God’s law will be disrupted. God established the family precisely for the purpose of transmitting His law and raising godly offspring who understand Him.

In addition, adultery is an act of covenant-breaking. God leads His people through covenant, and therefore God places great importance on covenant. As we have studied from Genesis onward, we see how God emphasizes the covenant with Abraham and other covenants—such as the covenant with Noah and the covenant made through Moses.

All these show that the way God leads His people is through covenant. God repeatedly tells His people that He governs them through covenant. Therefore His people must learn to respect covenant.

The covenant describes the relationship between God and His people. And God also requires human beings to establish covenantal relationships with one another. Among human relationships, the most direct covenant is the covenant of marriage.

In marriage, a man and a woman, by the grace of God, enter into a covenant—one man and one woman, one husband and one wife, keeping that covenant for a lifetime. In doing so they enjoy God’s blessing, they raise godly offspring, and God is glorified.

Of course the ultimate purpose is that God is glorified. When people follow God’s law in marriage, they themselves are blessed and their children are blessed as well. That is the purpose of the marriage covenant that God established.

Therefore any violation of the marriage covenant is something God hates. If you treat your covenant with another person lightly, how could you possibly treat God’s covenant seriously? That is why in the New Testament, when selecting church officers, special emphasis is placed on this requirement: that a man be the husband of one wife.

Why is this emphasized for those who hold church office? Because they must respect covenant and keep covenant. A person’s faithfulness to covenant can often be seen most clearly in his marriage. If a person cannot keep his marriage covenant, then it is very likely that he will not keep God’s covenant either.

That is roughly the logic here. Therefore committing adultery with a neighbor’s wife refers to extramarital affairs. Look at how evil the present age is. Movies and television dramas openly encourage extramarital relationships. This is extremely wicked.

The Scripture says that both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. And now I hear things that are even more outrageous. In the past, when an affair was discovered, the third party might feel ashamed, the man might feel guilty, and moral righteousness would still stand on the side of the lawful wife.

But now, from what I hear—because I do not really watch these television dramas anymore—some shows even portray the lawful wife being scolded or humiliated instead. This shows how corrupt the world has become. Evil is not only tolerated but beautified. Moral restraints are completely removed. This is extremely wicked.

Then the text continues: if a man lies with his father’s wife, both of them shall be put to death. If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall be put to death. These are acts of incest. God established an ethical order among human beings, and all incestuous relationships are to be punished with death—whether with a stepmother or with a daughter-in-law.

The purpose is to preserve the order of creation and the ethical structure of human relationships. Then the passage says that if a man lies with another man as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death, and their blood shall be upon them.

Homosexuality is therefore condemned here. Let me say a few more words about this. Today there are many films and television programs that praise or celebrate homosexuality, especially male homosexuality. I even hear that many women enjoy watching such content.

But in Scripture this is clearly defined as sin, something deserving death. Yet today it is widely promoted. You can see how the world has become like Sodom and Gomorrah. Truly God’s judgment is drawing near.

Why does God hate this so much? Some people say it is simply a private matter. But first of all, it violates God’s created order. God created man and woman to unite together, and the purpose includes raising pure offspring.

Therefore within the discussion of the Seventh Commandment, the issue is whether a person is seeking the glory of God or merely satisfying personal desire. Of course we are not denying the goodness of sexual relations within marriage. In the marriage that honors God, husband and wife may enjoy the blessings God gives within that relationship.

But it must be within the framework of glorifying God, not simply the pursuit of lust. All forms of incest and all acts that violate the order of creation are therefore condemned.

Verse 14 mentions another severe punishment: if a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is a great wickedness, and they shall be burned with fire. Earlier punishments involved stoning, but here it is burning.

Why is this sin treated so seriously? Because it represents a total surrender to uncontrolled sexual desire, leading to extremely immoral and chaotic relationships. Scripture forbids this in order to preserve the sanctity of marriage and the ethical order that God established.

Verse 15 then speaks of bestiality. If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and the animal shall also be killed. Likewise, if a woman approaches an animal to mate with it, both the woman and the animal must be killed.

Such practices existed in the ancient Near East. It is possible that they were sometimes connected with idolatrous worship, although we cannot be completely certain. But it is clear that in the land of Canaan—and also in Egypt—such practices were disturbingly common.

People did not care about holiness. They turned themselves into instruments for sexual pleasure and used every possible method to satisfy their desires. This is extremely wicked. Similar things also appeared later in history—for example in the Roman Empire.

Whenever a society reaches this level of moral corruption, that society is not far from destruction. Therefore we believe that we are moving closer and closer to the last days, because these things are becoming increasingly widespread.

In matters of sexuality, the ultimate expression of human lust is the idea of sexual freedom. But this is something God hates. May God preserve us so that within marriage we keep the concept of covenant firmly in mind.

May we enjoy the blessings God gives within the marriage relationship, rather than pursuing sinful pleasure outside of it. May the Lord truly have mercy on us.

Alright, we will end our sharing here today. Thank you everyone.