Sermon Central
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God's Laws: Stay Free Of Impurity, Usury, And Idolatry Series
Contributed by Bruce Landry on Jan 4, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: We will examine the laws relative to proper conduct of the people within the Nation of Israel and how they are to treat each other, neighbors, and God.
God’s Laws: Stay Free of Impurity, Usury and Idolatry
No Impurity
No Usury
No Idolatry
DBF, Exodus 22:16-31, 1/5/02
This world and the Prince of this world indeed calls us to many things, none of which are purity.
This world tells us and encourages us to do whatever must be done to succeed…
We are told all is fair in love and war…
We are told that whatever we feel is OK…
We are told if it feels good, do it…
I guess most people who have truly accepted Christ look at the above list and prayerfully remember when they bought into these statements of belief and when these statements became the deception that they know them now to be.
Satan has a way of allowing us to hear these half-truths and take them as full truths.
What he is actually saying is:
Do whatever you must to succeed in this world…because it will not make any difference in your eternity in Hell and Damnation.
All is fair in love and war, because you will hurt and be hurt and you deserve to get whatever sick pleasure you may here…because there will be no pleasure during your eternity in Hell.
Well if you feel angry it is OK, if you feel aggressive that is OK, if you feel like murdering that is OK…yet once you did and spend eternity in Hell that’s OK too.
If it feels good, do it…yet you will feel horrible when you consider the sinfulness of your ways, your innocence that is now gone, the price others paid for your good feelings and the eternity you will surely spend in Hell if you do not call upon the Lord of Lords.
God’s law does call all who are “set apart” unto HIM to a different level of truth and to purity for HIS names sake, to bring honor and glory to God who is fully deserving of all glory, honor and praise.
This series of miscellaneous laws reveals God’s concern for humanity and His desire that people not be exploited. This includes virgins (vv. 16-17; see Deut. 22:23-24), foreigners in the land (v. 21), widows (vv. 22-24), and the poor (vv. 25-27). God promises to hear the cries of those who are wronged and defend the poor and oppressed.
Witches and wizards were not permitted to live because they were in league with the demonic powers that operated in the godless religions of the nations around Israel. See Lev. 19:31, 20:27 and Deut. 18:9-12. Modern occult practices are an invitation for Satan to go to work and destroy lives.
God also condemned sexual intercourse with animals (see Lev. 20:15-16; Deut. 27:21). Not only were these practices a part of the heathen worship of idols, but they debased human sexuality which is a precious gift from God.
The people were to respect their rulers and refrain from cursing them, even as they would refrain from cursing God. According to Romans 13, the powers that be are ordained of God. If we curse a leader, we are in danger of cursing the God who established the authority of human government.
Verses 29-31 get to the heart of obeying the law: put God first in your life and gladly obey what He says. This is the OT version of Matt. 6:33.
Let’s look at some things that God’s Law in Exodus forbade HIS people from doing and learn that we may daily draw nearer and nearer to Jesus Christ our Lord.
No Impurity
Exodus 22:16-20 (KJV)
And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. [17] If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.
[18] Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
[19] Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.
[20] He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed.
No one ever comes up to me and says Pastor Bruce or Probation Officer Bruce, can I do this or that?
No they try it and when they get caught then they say “Well I didn’t know that that was illegal or wrong to do. After the second or third one I noticed what would probably be a pattern, and that pattern goes on still today.
You see, we say we do not know the rules then we can more freely exercise or freedom to do that which we are seeking to do. Since this flesh yearns after things that are of this world, then that is normally the direction we head into.
That is unless we have truly come to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. That is the only time that we will truly start to seek after the things of God, learning the word and law of God.
