‘You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you.
‘Whoever lies carnally with a woman who is betrothed to a man as a concubine, and who has not at all been redeemed nor given her freedom, for this there shall be scourging; but they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. And he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, a ram as a trespass offering. The priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the Lord for his sin which he has committed. And the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him.
‘When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as uncircumcised. Three years it shall be as uncircumcised to you. It shall not be eaten. But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, a praise to the Lord. And in the fifth year you may eat its fruit, that it may yield to you its increase: I am the Lord your God.
‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying. You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord.
‘Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of wickedness.
‘You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the Lord.”
At first, the injunctions against breeding of livestock between different species, mixtures of grain, and mixtures of material might seem weird. But David Guzik in his Enduring Word Commentary gives a fascinating explanation:
“The mixing of these things – different species of livestock, seeds, and fabrics – was usually seen by ancient pagans to be a source of magical power. God wanted Israel to have no association with these pagan customs.
“Partly, to teach the Israelites to avoid mixtures with other nations, either in marriage or in religion; which also may be signified by the following prohibitions.” (Poole)
Since those pagan customs are no longer an issue in our day, we shouldn’t worry about mixing wool, linen, or other fabrics. This law is a good example of something that is no longer binding upon Christians today because the pagan custom the law guarded against is no longer practiced. However, in our modern age there are important distinctions that have become blurred and things Christians must not participate in. The present-day blurring of distinctions between genders should be resisted by Christians.”
Men who have sex with a woman who is betrothed as a concubine must still be scourged and offer a trespass offering. This rule reinforces the value God places on women.
Why the prohibition against harvesting fruit from newly planted trees until the fifth year? That length of time will allow the trees to be well established.
“‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying. You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the Lord.” All these practices are typical of several different pagan cults. God wants His people to avoid all such practices.
“‘Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of wickedness.” It’s likely that the kind of prostitution referred to here is temple/ritual prostitution. Some pagan parents will offer their daughters as temple prostitutes as a means of gaining virtue. This practice existed up into the twentieth century; Amy Carmichael, the famous missionary at Dohnavur, India, had a ministry rescuing children of both sexes from temple prostitution.
“‘You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the Lord.” This is God’s bottom line: above all, God wants us to continue to honor Him and His commandments.
APPLICATION: This list seems like some kind of ecclesiastic grab bag; however, the underlying concern remains the same: practical holiness. God doesn’t His people behaving like pagans. What about the injunction against tattoos? The tattoos referred to here are marks made to indicate dedication to a particular deity or idol. Cutting marks was used as a form of grieving after a death.
What about the rules against divination and soothsaying? What about horoscopes? What about Ouija boards or fortune tellers? Isaiah 8:19 tells us, “When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? There are only two sources of information: God or Satan. God by His very Nature is truth, while Satan is the Father of Lies. God has promised that when we need guidance, He will freely give it. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” (Psalm 32:8) Tempting as it might be to sneak a peek at your horoscope, don’t.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to consult You and not demons when we need guidance. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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