Day 1223: Hearts that are pure - Exodus 22 vs 16 - 20

16-17 “If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride price for her and make her his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride price for virgins.” 18 “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.” 19 “Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death.” 20 “Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the Lord alone, shall be devoted to destruction.” Exodus 22:16-20 English Standard Version.

Today's verses speak of four serious things that God finds offensive, and which we should too. There's a sense in which each deed is worse than the one before, and three of them led to the death penalty. The sad reality is that these things still happen in the world today, but should never be part of a Christian's life. What is the first thing that God addressed? Vs 16-17.

It was the problem of sex before marriage. The scenario is of someone being seduced, and a distinction is made between a 'betrothed' woman (we would say 'already engaged'), and one who wasn't. Joseph found himself in this situation when he thought Mary had been unfaithful. “Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” (Matthew 1:18-19) Mary was still a virgin when this happened.

God knew we would face such times. We live in days when the internet has flooded the market with pornography, and sexual activity outside of marriage has become the norm. But the apostle Paul says: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20.)

God saw the next thing as even worse and says: “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.” In Isaiah 57:3 we read how Judah degenerated into being “sons of the sorceress, and offspring of the adulterer and the loose women.” The Expositor's Commentary says that sorcery and adultery in combination point to pagan fertility rites which pandered to the sexual appetites of the worshippers. God warned Israel against following the customs of Canaan and said: “Do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery . . . engages in witchcraft, or casts spells. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord . . . you must be blameless before the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 18:9-13) How true that still is for Christians today.

But worse was to come in vs 19. Bestiality existed before Israel escaped out of Egypt and, tragically, still exists today. Leviticus 18:23-25 says: “You shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it - it is perversion! Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean, and the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.” Christians do well to take Paul's word to heart when he says: “Sexual immorality - and all impurity or covetousness - must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.” Ephesians 5:3,11-12)

Verse 20 reminds us that many of the perversions mentioned above were linked to idolatry. Revelation 18 describes the fall of Babylon, which is pictured as a woman, and vs 23 says that “all nations were deceived by your sorcery.” Paul, however, says to Christians: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” God calls us not only to embrace Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord, but to lives that are pure and holy. May He enable us to do so.