Monday, March 9, 2009

Day67 Nakedness & Consequences

Leviticus 18 warns against exposing nakedness or having sexual relations with relatives. Exposure of a persons nakedness is a big deal to YHWH. Lev18:24 " 'Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.

Gen 9:25 The first time that the word naked is used is in regard to Noah, he gets drunk and exposes himself in the tent and his youngest son Ham seeing him, tells his and brothers, who walk in backwards so that they don't see the fathers nakedness.

The curse on Canaan (Noah's Grandchild, not his son HAM, )was pronounced .... and here we are hundreds of years later being warned against exposing anothers nakedness as it causes defilement.

It began with Noah not paying attention to his new drink. I doubt very much that he was aware of the result of his mixture. Lev 18:24 The consequences of our actions may not come home to roost in our generation but in our children's generation.

Later we will see in Lev 26:38 "You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will devour you. Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their fathers' sins they will waste away". (See also Exodus 34:7 & Numbers 14:17-19)

Deuteronomy 5:9-10 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

God puts a limit on the punishment but not on his blessing! He continues to be a gracious God, showing compassion on all he has made.
Siobhan

Further reading
1 Thess 4:3-8 Gives a holiness context with avoiding sexual immorality and taking advantage of your brother.

3 comments:

  1. When we do our best and still fail, we grieve over our losses. When we neglect that which we know to do and suffer losses, the grief must be that more severe.
    (comment mande in reference to God visiting punishment on future generations)

    Shirley Fay

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  2. Hi Shirley, your comment reminded me that God relents from sending calamity and sometimes we invite calamity through neglect or by not paying attention to our world as it and its people moves around us.

    Sometimes we get grief and guilt mixed up and we see them as the same thing. We could see grief as something we had no control over and couldn't avert, and that guilt generates the sorrow that beats us up over things we should have done to avert the calamity and so creates the anxiety of wanting to turn the clock back.

    In both cases, if the situation is surrendered to God then it can be redeemed and good can begin to come out of it. Thankfully, God is still creator and redeemer.

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  3. Very True. Guilt that brings us to repentence is healthy. Guilt that beats us is an attack from the enemy on several levels.

    Shirley Fay

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