Leviticus

I am preaching on Leviticus this Sunday... and I have found some interesting notes about the text that I want to remember and share:

The anathemas in Leviticus 18 and 20 are not laws about everyday affairs. They say nothing about marriage, inheritance, divorce, or choice of marriage partners. They are not concerned with wrong conduct in family life so much as with breach of covenant. These are laws about faithfully worshipping only the Lord God and about defilement by idolatry. The verses start with Egypt and Canaan, referring with loathing to Egyptians and Canaanite cults. Both supporting chapters mention Molech worship; the second one denounces mediums and seers. The effects of using these unedifying sexual deviations to build a frame around chapter 19 is to underscore the concepts of justice which are expounded in the middle. The pure and noble character of the Hebrew God is contrasted with the libidinous customs of the fals gods. This does not mean that the sexual deviations are not counted as sinful, but it doe simply that they are less significant than sins against justice, false oaths, stealing, cheating and false witness.

Interpretation 53.4 (Oct 1999) Justice as Cornerstone Mary Douglas