What is the meaning of Leviticus 20:2? Tell the Israelites • Moses is commanded to speak God’s word directly (Leviticus 18:2; Exodus 34:27). • Hearing precedes obedience (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). • Covenant community must know exactly what God requires (Joshua 24:2). Any Israelite or foreigner living in Israel • One standard for native and sojourner (Numbers 15:15-16; Exodus 12:49). • Holiness transcends ethnicity and status (Isaiah 56:6-7). • Idolatry defiles the whole community; all who dwell in the land share accountability (Deuteronomy 29:10-13). Who gives any of his children to Molech • Explicit reference to child sacrifice already forbidden (Leviticus 18:21). • Combines murder and idolatry, violating both the first and sixth commandments (Deuteronomy 12:31; Psalm 106:37-38). • Naming the sin exposes it and warns against adopting pagan practices (2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 32:35). Must be put to death • Capital penalty underscores the gravity of shedding innocent blood (Genesis 9:6; Leviticus 24:16). • Idolatry is treated as treason against the covenant (Deuteronomy 13:6-10). • Certain judgment prevents injustice from spreading (Ecclesiastes 8:11). The people of the land are to stone him • Execution carried out by community with due process (Deuteronomy 17:2-7). • Corporate responsibility purges guilt from the land (Numbers 35:33-34). • Israel’s later failure to enforce this led to national ruin (2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chronicles 33:6). • New-covenant believers still flee idolatry and honor life, though state authority now wields the sword (Romans 13:1-4; 1 Corinthians 10:14; Revelation 21:8). summary Leviticus 20:2 demands that God’s people, without exception, eradicate the horrific practice of offering children to Molech. The verse applies the same holy standard to every resident, exposes the sin as both murder and idolatry, prescribes death to preserve justice, and makes the entire community responsible for enforcement. It upholds the sanctity of life, the exclusivity of worship, and the necessity of collective holiness—timeless principles that still guide believers to protect the innocent and reject every form of idolatry. |
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