Daily Devotion | Leviticus 20:17–27 | 2026 March 06

Title: Daily Devotion | Leviticus 20:17–27 | 2026 March 06
Scripture: Leviticus 20:17–27 (ESV, reference only)
Date: 2026 March 06
Speaker: Rev. John Chen
Transcribed, translated & edited by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)

Alright, dear brothers and sisters, peace be with you. We thank God for His grace that once again we have come to the time of Daily Devotion, and we continue to listen to and examine God’s Word together.

Today the passage we are studying is Leviticus chapter 20, verses 17 through 27. Let us first pray to God.

Lord, we thank You. We thank You that this morning You awaken our ears so that we may listen to Your precious Word. Lord, we are weak, we are lowly, we are unclean, and we are corrupt. Lord, we ask that You would have mercy upon us and grant us grace, so that we may follow You and walk this path of the cross, this path of being set apart and made holy. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Now let us continue to look at this passage. In fact, if we were to divide the chapter into sections, verses 17 to 21 should really be connected to the earlier part. Because of our time today we separated them, but when you read it you should notice that verses 17 through 21 actually belong to the earlier portion of chapter 20.

What does this section talk about? In this part the punishments and the sins being described are somewhat lighter compared with the previous ones. Earlier in the chapter we saw things such as direct adultery and homosexuality, and those sins required immediate death. But here the sins mentioned are somewhat lighter and are not always punished by direct execution.

For example, if someone takes his sister—whether a half-sister from the same father or the same mother—that is not allowed. The punishment there is that they shall be cut off. Now “cut off” likely means not execution, but that you are expelled from the community.

Then it also speaks about the woman during her menstrual period—during that time you may not have relations with her. And it also mentions relationships with an aunt, such as a father’s sister or mother’s sister, or the wife of an uncle. These are elders or relatives of an older generation. These relationships are forbidden. The text says they shall bear their own guilt and die childless. That is essentially a curse.

It also mentions taking a neighbor’s wife, and if a man takes his brother’s wife, it is described as uncleanness and a dishonor to his brother, and they shall be childless.

So in verses 17 through 21, compared with the earlier section—compared with sins like homosexuality—the guilt is not as severe, but it still establishes boundaries concerning whom a person may marry.

It also regulates the timing of marital relations between husband and wife. So brothers and sisters, I hope to remind everyone that God is working to establish boundaries for human beings.

From verse 19 to verse 21 of chapter 20, the main focus is on sexual conduct and the boundaries related to marriage. In other words, which people you may marry and which people you may not.

The text mainly lists the ones that are not allowed. For example, same-sex relations are not allowed. In Chinese terms, what we might call incest—relations between brothers and sisters—is not allowed. Relations with close relatives are not allowed. So God is working to establish boundaries for humanity.

In other words, your marriage partner has clear boundaries. There are certain people you cannot marry. There are certain people you cannot have this kind of relationship with.

At the same time, it also regulates the timing of these relations. For example, when a woman is in her menstrual period, you may not touch her in that way.

So I hope everyone can have this awareness: in matters of sexual conduct God actually sets many boundaries for human beings. This is somewhat different from human instinct. In the thinking of the secular world, people often feel that marriage partners have no boundaries. Whether in terms of time or in terms of the person involved, there seems to be no boundary at all.

Just like our present age today. People behave in a completely chaotic way, with no boundaries at all.

Especially in the ancient Near Eastern cultures, and later even in the Roman Empire during the New Testament era, in those periods when human society was relatively barbaric or civilization was not very developed, people had very little concept of restraint in these matters. Society was extremely corrupt.

When Moses wrote the Pentateuch, the people in the land of Canaan did not think there should be limits. They did not believe there should be limits. They simply indulged in corruption. That was the cultural background of that time.

So why does God establish so many boundaries regarding human sexual desire? Because God wants people to restrain their desires. God wants people to understand that these desires themselves are not inherently evil.

But we should not go to another extreme. For example, in the Roman Catholic tradition there is asceticism, where priests must remain celibate, and they must not marry. It is as if only a single and celibate life could be considered holy, because a single person might avoid these sins.

But the point is not that God wants you to be celibate. The point is that God wants to tell you that your behavior must be regulated. It has a time boundary. It may only happen within a certain time. It may only happen within a certain group of people.

If you cross that boundary, if you violate the limits God has set, then the serious cases are punished by death. The less serious cases still result in being cut off, or cursed with childlessness.

So this is why God gives these particular regulations—to teach people to restrain themselves. Because according to human nature, there seem to be no natural limits in these areas. People simply indulge themselves in corruption.

Therefore in Scripture God sets down laws that require people to limit their desires within a certain boundary, and to resolve them through lawful means.

Within the marriage relationship, the relationship between husband and wife is very good and very beautiful. But everything outside the marriage relationship is not permitted.

Furthermore, who may become your wife and who may not—there are clear ethical regulations about that.

What is the purpose? God is maintaining an order. God is maintaining a way that He Himself has established. He wants you to know that you are a limited person. You are a person living under the rules and statutes of God’s creation.

This, I believe, is why chapter 20 gives these regulations.

The point is that things must not become chaotic. You must not behave in disorder. You must follow God’s order and do things according to His way. Everything must be done decently and in order—including sexual conduct between men and women. Even sexual relations must be regulated by God’s laws and commandments.

This is something that in the natural world seems to have almost no restriction. It seems like something in the human body that naturally lacks boundaries. So God places limits through His law.

And the seventh commandment—“You shall not commit adultery”—placed here reminds people that all our thoughts and actions must be brought under God’s regulation.

You cannot simply do whatever you want. You cannot follow your own desires. You must do what God commands you to do according to His standards.

In fact, within these boundaries there is actually quite a wide range of freedom for people. It is not that you are restricted to only one type of person you can marry. God is mainly telling you which people you must not marry and which relationships are forbidden.

So do not think that God is always restricting people. That is not the case. God simply tells you what you must not do. And among the things you may do, there is still a very large range of freedom.

Through verses 17 to 21 of chapter 20, which regulate human sexual relationships, God is reminding us that He is a God of order, a God who values the order of His creation, and He hates sexual relations that have no boundaries.

Even between you and your wife, there are limits—for example, you cannot have relations during her menstrual period.

So this clearly tells us that your behavior must be regulated and restrained. Within a certain time you may do something, but outside that time you may not.

So here the passage gives us an important reminder. In the Bible there are some things that are lawful, but whether they are lawful often depends on the situation and the time. There are times when you may do something, and there are times when you may not. It is not always about whether the thing itself is inherently lawful or unlawful.

Our way of thinking often asks, “Is this thing itself right or wrong?” But Scripture sometimes shows us that in one situation it is not lawful, while in another situation it is lawful. In one setting it is not appropriate, but in another setting it may be appropriate. So when we study the law, we must pay attention to the context and the motives, and we must consider these things carefully. It is not simply a rigid or mechanical rule.

Then in verses 22 to 26 there is a section of exhortation from God. In this exhortation God says that you must keep and do all His statutes and all His rules, lest the land where He is bringing you to live should vomit you out.

So the land that God gives, the place where God leads His people to dwell, has a purpose. The purpose is that the people living there must follow and practice His statutes and His rules. This is something we must clearly understand.

Verse 23 says that the nations whom God drove out before Israel—they followed those practices, and Israel must not follow their customs. Because they did all those things, God abhorred them. And therefore God drove them out.

So what is the situation in the land of Canaan? God intends to find a people who are according to His heart. In that land there will be a people who follow God’s law. That is God’s intention.

Then verse 24 says, “But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the LORD your God.’”

The previous inhabitants of that land did not follow God’s law, so they were expelled and removed. Then God brought Israel into the land. But the purpose of bringing them in was the same: they also must obey His statutes and His rules. If they do not obey, God will likewise drive them out, because He is the LORD their God.

Then the text says that God separated them from the peoples. So the distinction between God’s people and the nations is that God’s people obey His statutes and His laws.

You see that every time in our Daily Devotion, and every time in our preaching, we keep reminding everyone that we must obey God’s law. Why? Because this is the mark that distinguishes us from the nations. We are a people who obey God’s law, while those outside do not obey God’s law. They act according to their own desires.

For example, as mentioned earlier, the confusion and disorder of sexual relations—among the nations these things are done without restraint. But among God’s people there must be order.

So here we see that the land of Canaan, the people of Israel, and the statutes and rules of God all belong together. They cannot be separated. If the people of God live in the land of Canaan but violate God’s law, the result will be the same—they will be vomited out of the land.

And later this indeed happened. They were exiled to Babylon. That is exactly the principle described here.

Then verse 25 says that they must distinguish between clean animals and unclean animals, and not make themselves detestable by animals or creatures that God has set apart as unclean.

So what is the purpose of the food laws? The distinction in food is meant to remind them. Earlier we already saw that some foods you may eat and some you may not. In marriage there are some people you may marry and some you may not. In daily life there are things you may do and things you may not.

All these things teach Israel one thing: they must live a life that is set apart as holy. They must constantly learn to distinguish what may be done and what may not be done.

For Christians living in society, this is also something we must learn to discern. What things may be done? What things may not be done?

Today we no longer have the food laws of clean and unclean animals. And we no longer say that touching a dead body makes a person ceremonially unclean. But that does not mean that God is no longer teaching us to distinguish between what is clean and what is unclean.

Verse 26 says, “You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.”

We may have read these verses before, but perhaps we did not pay much attention. Here I especially want to remind everyone: how do we live a life that is set apart as holy? How can our lives be holy?

For a Christian, this is something we must learn throughout our whole life. God has set us apart for Himself. He is holy, and therefore we must be holy. We are separated from the nations.

We have been redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ. We have been covered by His precious blood. We have entered the kingdom of God and the household of God. We are the people of the covenant of grace. In the future we will inherit the eternal new heavens and new earth.

What does all of this mean for us today? It means that you must live a life that is set apart as holy.

So in this matter we should not hesitate, and we should not have mistaken expectations. We should not think that we can simply live the same way as the people around us and follow the same patterns of corruption.

Some people may say, “Pastor Chen, is there really so much uncleanness in everyday life? Isn’t life just ordinary daily living? Are there really so many things we cannot do?”

I think there are. Of course, I cannot carefully analyze your specific situation or your particular life circumstances. But within your own life context you must seriously consider what is holy and what is not holy. There are things you must not touch, and things you must not do, and things that you may do.

The ceremonial food laws and ritual purity laws are no longer binding in the same way today. But the fact that they are no longer present does not mean that in our lives we should stop trying to understand and follow the intention behind them.

In the time of Israel, God placed them in the land of Canaan and made them a distinct nation so that they could live this kind of life. They had their own culture as a people. Yet even then they quickly fell into corruption. They identified with the Canaanites and followed the laws of the nations. Eventually they were expelled from the land and taken captive to Babylon. Just as God said, they were vomited out of the land.

But God also had mercy. Because of His covenant of grace, He later brought them back to the land again. He showed them mercy and grace. Yet the purpose of that mercy and grace did not change. It was still that they must obey God’s law.

Of course, we know that as Christians we cannot obey the law by our own strength. Christ has fulfilled it for us. But in Christ we must still strive with all our strength to obey God’s law.

In this sense, we are not really different from the Israelites. The only difference is that we do not have a physical land like Canaan that belongs to us. In a sense, the church is our Canaan. In the church we learn and receive teaching, and we strive to discern in our lives what is clean and what is unclean.

A Christian must pay attention to holiness in daily life. For example, in how you use your time. Do not spend excessive time scrolling through short videos. Do not waste large amounts of time binge-watching television dramas. These things can defile you because you are not properly using the time God has given you.

In a sense you may even be violating the eighth commandment, because you are not managing your resources well. Your time is also a form of property entrusted to you.

Think also about your thoughts and your work. In your workplace, what things should you not do? Flattery and currying favor with others—these things should not be done. They are unclean. Doing things merely to gain favor from people is unclean.

So in your life you must constantly practice this kind of discernment. Just as the Israelites had to distinguish between clean and unclean food, ritual purity and impurity, and purity in sexual relations, we must also learn to distinguish what may be done and what may not be done.

Sometimes we think that since Christ has fulfilled everything, we can relax and feel that everything is now easy. But that is not the case. God’s intention has never changed.

Brothers and sisters, do you understand? When God gave Israel all those laws about clean and unclean foods and ritual purity, the ultimate purpose was not simply the food laws themselves. Later God even removed some of those regulations. But the principle behind them remains.

The principle is that there are clean and unclean things. There are clean and unclean behaviors. There are clean and unclean sexual relationships. Some ceremonial laws have been fulfilled, but the moral principles—including those related to sexuality—must still be kept.

So we must pay attention to living a life that is set apart as holy in our own lives—in our families, in our work, and in the situations where we live.

Many Christians do not pay enough attention to this. Sometimes we even hear teaching that in Reformed churches we should work hard to make money, save money, and give offerings. But some people misunderstand this teaching. They think that while making money they can simply use worldly methods.

But that is not correct. The way you earn money and the way you use money must also be regulated by God’s law. You cannot live only for yourself.

The Bible first gives us a basic principle: we must live for Christ and for the glory of Christ. This principle governs every aspect of our lives.

Whenever we do something we should ask: Does this glorify God? Does it show my love for God? Does it show my love for others?

Yet many Christians do not think this way. For example, when doing business or trade, people often say, “Everyone else does it this way, so I will do it this way too.” At most they may say, “I won’t lie,” or “I won’t falsify accounts.”

But in reality many people do not even think that far. They simply assume that the world operates this way and therefore they follow it.

But that is not how it should be. Just as Leviticus teaches us, we must carefully distinguish between what is clean and what is unclean.

Finally, verse 27 repeats another command. Whether a man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death; they shall be stoned with stones, and their blood shall be upon them.

So in God’s eyes, when a person tries to enter the spiritual realm by consulting the dead, communicating with spirits, or practicing sorcery in order to obtain power or help from the spiritual world—seeking authority, seeking revelation, or trying to gain some kind of advantage—these things are especially detestable to God.

Why? Because these things belong to hidden matters. There are things that God has chosen not to reveal to human beings. God does not want people to know everything about these hidden matters. Yet the evil tendency of human beings is that we always want to know what is hidden.

People want to know about the future. They want to know what will happen tomorrow. They want to know what their children will be like in the future. They want to know where their future spouse might be. People are always trying to figure out these hidden things.

But these things are not pleasing to God. Therefore we ask God to have mercy and help us so that in our daily lives we would pay attention to these matters.

Since God has closed and hidden the spiritual realm from us in this way, we should not attempt to enter into these things. The world is full of many evil practices, and these practices are often described as “spiritual.”

But we must understand clearly that we are only to worship the true God. If you try to communicate with idols or seek knowledge from them, that is something God hates.

So here we see two aspects. One concerns the desires of the flesh—such as sexual immorality—and the other concerns the spiritual realm—such as sorcery and communication with spirits. Both of these things God forbids.

Therefore, in our lives we must be careful about these matters. God has already closed the door to those hidden things, so we should not try to force it open.

The world will always have many kinds of corrupt practices, and some of them will even appear to be spiritual or mysterious. But we must remember that we only worship the true God.

To seek power, guidance, or revelation from idols or from other spirits is something that God detests.

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