Leviticus 20:22-27

Leviticus 20:22-27

[22] Ye shall therefore keep  all my statutes,  and all my judgments,  and do  them: that the land,  whither I bring  you to dwell  therein, spue you not out.  [23] in the manners  of the nation,  which I cast out  before  you: for they committed  all these things, and therefore I abhorred  them. [24] But I have said  unto you, Ye shall inherit  their land,  and I will give  it unto you to possess  it, a land  that floweth  with milk  and honey:  I am the LORD  your God,  which have separated  you from other people.  [25] Ye shall therefore put difference  between clean  beasts  and unclean,  fowls  and clean:  and ye shall not make your souls  abominable  by beast,  or by fowl,  or by any manner of living thing that creepeth  on the ground,  which I have separated  from you as unclean.  [26] And ye shall be holy  unto me: for I the LORD  am holy,  and have severed  you from other people,  that ye should be mine. [27] A man  also or woman  that hath  a familiar spirit,  or that is a wizard,  shall surely  they shall stone  them with stones:  their blood  shall be upon them.

What does Leviticus 20:22-27 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

This chapter, as chapter18 , concludes with an exhortation and warnings to obey God"s ordinances. In view of Israel"s unique vocation in the world, the nation was to live differently from other peoples. The Israelites would possess the Promised Land to the extent that they maintained their holiness.
No matter how lightly the Israelites may have regarded the type of conduct reflected in this chapter, in God"s sight it constituted serious sin and deserved the severest punishment.
"This theme runs through chs11-20: the elect people of God must visibly embody the character of God. In their choice of food, in sickness and in health, in their family life, in their honest and upright dealing, and in their love of neighbor, they show the world what God is like." [1]
"God"s people must avoid the world"s false religious systems and immoral practices and follow after the LORD"s holy plan." [2]