What the Bible Does and Does Not Say by Tracey Brown copyright 1992 The book of Genesis is the first, and one of the longest books in Bible. Genesis covers over two thousand years of history, from the Creation to the death of Joseph in Egypt. Because Genesis spans so much time, more than the entire rest of the Bible put togehter, it is important to understand the divisions. There are three main divisions. They are: A. The Primeval history (Chpts. 1-11, covering from approx 400- 2090 B.C.) B. Israel's patriarchal history: (Chpts. 12-37 covering from approx 2090-1897 B.C.) C. Egyptian history, (Chpts. 37-50, covering from approx 1897- 1804 B.C.) It is during the Patriarchal period, that we find the story of Sodom. The Sodom story begins in chapter 14, when Abraham resuces Lot and the other citizens from captivity as a result of continuing tribal wars. It then picks up in Chapter 18. The basic story goes like this. Abraham, and his nephew Lot find that they have too many ppossessions and livestock for the land to sustain them both. So rather than argue, Abraham offers Lot his choice of places to live, and they separate, with Lot moving to Sodom, and Abraham taking up residece in the hills of Canaan. Sodom and Gomorrah were large, pagan cities, know for their idolatrous and ungodly rituals. Gomorrah is mentioned in connection with Sodom, but nowhere in the Bible are the sins of Gomorrah actually listed. The people of Sodom worshiped Baal and other pagan gods with ritual public sexual acts, which included human sacrifice, and bestiality. One day, Abraham is visted by Angels. It is revealed to Abraham that God is going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their 'great wickedness'. Abraham queries the Lord as to whether He will sweep away the righteous as well as the wicked. When all is said and done, the Lord promises Abraham that if He can find just 10 righteous men living in all of Sodom, that He will spare the city for their sake. Chapter 19 give the account of Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction. It is a sad commentary, that as we are aware, the city was destroyed. Obviously God could not find even ten righteous people. Announcing judgement on these cities in Genesis 18, God sends two angels to Sodom, where Abraham's nephew, Lot, persuades them to stay in his home. Genesis 19 records that "ALL THE PEOPLE FROM EVERY QUARTER" surround Lot's house demanding the release of his visitors so "WE MIGHT KNOW THEM." The Hebrew word for "know" in this case, YADHA, usually means "Have thorough knowledge of." It could also express intent to examine the visitor's credentials, or on rare occasions the term implies sexual intercourse. If the latter was the author's intended meaning, it would have been a clear case of attempted gang rape. Horrified at this gross violation of nacient hospitality rules, Lot attempts to protect the visitors by offering his two daughters to the angry crowd, a morally outrageous act by today's standards. The people of Sodom refuse, so the angels render them blind. Lot and his family are then rescued by the angels as the cities are destroyed. Several observations are important. 1) The judgement no these cities for their wickedness had been announced prior tothe "alleged homosexual incident". 2) ALL of Sodom's people participated in the assault on Lot's house; in no culture has more than a small minority of the population been homosexual. 3) Lot's offer to relase his daughters suggests he knew his neighbors to have heterosexul interests. 4) If the issue was sexual, why did God spare Lot, who immediately commits incest with his daughters? Most importantly why do all the other passages of Scripture referring to this account fail to raise the issue of Homosexuality? Additionally, no reference is ever made to the women of Sodom. If they were lesbian, it is never implied. If the cities were destroyed for homosexuality, then God destroyed the women because their husbands and sons were homosexual.....a thing God expressly promised Abraham that He would NOT do. THE LAWS OF HOSPITALITY: The laws of hospitality in the near east were intricate and extremely important. Hospitality in the near east was tightly bound up in customs and practices which absolutely every man, woman and child was expected to observe. Anyone who did not observe these rules, did so as that one's own peril. Hospitality in the near east differs greatly from our western ideas of enter- taining friends, or guests, but nearly as often ivolved people whom the host or hostess had never met, and knew nothing about. It was a way of providing for the needs of travelers where in many places, inns, and even water were scarce. Hospitality then, was more a matter of survival, than of entertainment. Since strangers posed a potential threat to the community, they were traditionally tested or questioned, to see how they might fit in, or whether they would subscribe tothe communties norm's. Since strangers lacked any legal standing in the community, it was imperitve that they be under the protection of a patron, a host who was an ESTABLISHED MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY, and that patronage implied that the hosts house, servants, food and even his or her life were not be withheld from the protection, and well-being of his or her guest. Remember that Lot was not a native of Sodom, and was suspect himself since he did not subscribe tothe communities norm's. Lot had not sought to assure the citizens of Sodom that his visitors were not hostile. So what was the Sin of Sodom if it was not homosexuality? Ezekial 16: 48-50 states it clearly: people of Sodm, like many people today, had an abundance of material goods. But they failed to meet the needs of the poor, and they worshipped idols. The sins of injustice and idolatry plague every generation. We stand under the same judgment if we create false gods or treat others with injustice. Also read the following passages. Write down the reasons given in each for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: 1). Deuteronomy 32:28-32 2). Isaiah 1:10-20 3). Isaiah 3: 8- 9 4). Jeremiah 23:13-14 5). Ezekial 16:47-50 6). Luke 10: 1-12 Additionally you might want to read the following passages and write down what the Bible tells us is the proper way to treat strangers and guests: 1). Exodus 22: 20 2). Exodus 23: 9 3). Leviticus 19: 23 4). Deuteronomy 10:18-19 5). Deuteronomy 24: 17 LEVITICUS 16:22 AND 20:13 The book of Leviticus was written in about 1444 B.C. by Moses. The Jewish Talmud refers to the book of Leviticus as the "Law of the Priests and the Law of Offerings". Leviticus is so-called after the tribe of Levi, which was set apart by God to be the priests and attendants of His Tabernacle. The Priests were desended from the line of Aaron. The priesthood was an inherited one. Leviticus was not origianlly a self-contained book, but formed a part of what is now, the first four books of the Old Testament. One of the most notable features of Leviticus is its spiritual meaning. It was a prophecy, through its rituals, of the things which were to come. The Levitical priests served as 'types' of our High Priests, Jesus, and they pointed to the 'Lamb of God', which was Jesus in the New Testament. The general contents of the book of Leviticus were intended primarily for the Hebrew priesthood. The book is fundamentally a legal treatise, because it contains all of the regulations by which the religious and civil life of the nation of Israel was to be governed. Its relation to the historical situation in which it was produced is the key to understanding the reasons for the writing of Leviticus. The major, resounding theme of Leviticus is holiness. Chapters 17-26 are called the holiness code. This section deals with the signifcance of the sacrificial blood, laws and punishments, and the sacred seasons of the Jews. To truly understand what Leviticus teaches you need to begin by reading the entire book of Leviticus. Then re-read chapters 17-20 agian. You will want to refer to the Pagan deities sections on Egypt and Canaan during the course of these chapters. In order to put verse 22 in Chapter 18 into context, read chapters 17-19. Chapter 18 follows, as we have seen, Laws concerning the locations of sacrifices, and uses of blood, in chapter 17. It preceeds the Laws of social and civil order...the treatment of one another. Chapter 18 begins with the Lord speaking to Moses: "I AM the Lord, Your God. You shall not do waht is don IN THE LAND OF EGYPT where you lived, nor are you to do what is done IN THE LAND OF CANAAN where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes." What does this introduction indicate about the paragraphs that are to follow? From the very beginning of chapter 118, God is telling Israel that they need to separate themselves from the influences and laws of pagan gods and their worship. Judaism emerged in a world full of powerful PAGAN WORSHIP. Rites, including human sacrifice were practiced by the Israelites from their very conception as a people. So, God is telling them here, that their bestial intercourse (sex w/animals) -- Which was Egyptian Apis worship, and is what the golden calf represented at the Mt. Sinai in the Exodus -- is an ABOMINATION. He is telling them that Baal worship, with its reverence for menstrual blood, tis sacred prostitution, human sacrifice, and public sexual rites, is an ABOMINATION. Remember that the Hebrews had been nothing but a rag-tag band of slaves under the powerful pagan influences of Egypt, and remember too that they were about to inhabit a land which was just as pagan. God needed to teach them to separate the sexual and immoral rites (of pagan worship), from the spiritual and holy worship of God, Jehovah. So, chapter 18 begins with God's command to separate themselves from these kinds of practices. Chapter 18 then goes on to list some of the rites of these PAGAN WORSHIP PRACTICES: Verses 1- 5 God separates Israel as His own people by commanding them to follow only His prescribed rituals. Verses 6-18 Laws regarding incest. Verses 19-23 Laws dealing with blood impurity. (The pagans worshipped the menstrual flow of women, believing that it was somehow fertile). Verses 24-30 God reiterates His command to separate themselves. The word ABOMINATION here is the Hebrew word TOEVAH. In context, the word is used with idolatrous acts. This can be seen in the uses of the word in Ezekiel, Deuteronomy, and Leviticus. The Bible Dictionary defines ABOMINATION as, something which is CONTRARY TO PROPER WORSHIP, or idolatrous worship. Two other Hebrew terms which also come from the word Toevah are: detestable things, or detestable images, and of course, are references to foreign or pagan gods, their images and their related worship practices. It is clear from the opening statement "I am the Lord Your God", that God is about to address the problems of competing pagan deities, and their influence over the lives, health and worship of His chosen people. We see by the definition of the word abomination, that the exhortation in verse 22 becomes one of separation of true worship from pagan rituals. Hebrew religious practices, for a time, actually involved sacred prostitution, with male prostitutes active in the temple. Scripture documents that these activities took place. So, we can see that God, in His wisdom is trying to teach Israel ONLY God's ways. Rituals and rules found in the Old Testament were given to preserve the distinctive characteristics of the religion and culture of Israel. But, as stated in Galatians 3:22-25 "But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor", Christians are no longer bound by these Jewish laws. By faith we live in Jesus Christ, not in Leviticus. To be sure, ethical concerns apply to all cultures and people in every age. Such concerns were ultimately reflected by Jesus Christ, who said nothing about homosexuality, but a great deal about love, justice, mercy and faith. Levitus 20:13 In order to put 20:13 into context, read chapters 19-21 again. Write down the major themes of each chapter. Chapter 20 follows the Laws of social order for Israel. It preceeds Laws for the preists, and their acceptable sacrifices and social relationships.Chapter 20 primarily deals with the punishments for the crimes which ahve been previously outlined and discussed in chapters 18 and 19. Chapter 20 begins with the penalty for WORSHIPING MOLECH, a god of the ammonites, who was worshiped with child-sacrifice, and other rituals contrary to their covenant with God. Chapter Analysis: Verses 1 -5 Penalty for worshiping Molech. Verses 6 -8 Penalty for consulting spirits. Verse 9 Penalty for cursing parents (God's representatives on Earth) Verses 10-16 Penalties for adultery, incest, male-same-sex-acts for worship polygamy, and bestiality. Verses 17-26 Purpose of the Laws given. Verse 27 Occult Neither of the two verses in Leviticus are concerned with the existance of homosexuals but they are concerned with the separateion of Israel from defiling practices of pagan religions. Neither verse is concerned with committed, and loving relationships, since what is being dealt with is the separation of true worship, from pagan and immoral rites of worship. Public sexual performance, wheter heterosexual or homosexual in the name of A PAGAN DEITY are -always an abomination-! Clearly what these verses are dealing with are particular forms of the same sex act, i.e., ritually, and publically IN THE NAME OF A FALSE GOD. ROMANS 1:24-27 The book of Romans was written to the church in Rome by the apostle Paul. Like Corinthians, Galatians, ephesians, etc., it is a letter. It is important to relize that to read Romans, is to read one side of a letter. Before we can begin to understand fully what Paul meant in his letter, we must try to reconstruct the situation which produced it. There is one obvious difference between the letter Paul wrote to the Romans and the letters to the other churches. When Paul wrote to the church in Rome, he was writing to a church which he had only wanted to see, but had never had any personal contact with. Paul wrote Romans while in Corinth, at around 58 A.D. Paul was writing from an atmosphere of paganism and prostitution which was also rampant in Rome. He was just finishing up a project whereby some of the younger, more affluent churches were to send financial aid to the mother church in Jerusalem. Paul hoped to go to Rome after he finished delivering the aid to Jerusalem. He was about to leave for Jerusalem when he wrote Romans. What prompted Paul to write when he did. Paul knew that the trip to Jerusalem was not without its dangers. He knew that he had enemies there, and to go to Jerusalem, was literally to take his life and freedom into his hands. On that visit to Jerusalem, he was arrested, and never freed again. So, Paul, never actually had any eyewitness experience with the church in Rome, which received what is probably his most eloquent letter. Rome was the largest, most important city of Paul's day. But it was a hotbed of decadence and luxury. Crime was the antidote for boredom, and public executions were held almost daily. It was a city of virtually, non-existant morality. Divorce, prostitution, and drunkeness were rampant, and the city was full of pagan temple worship and practice. The emperors of the Roman Empire were worshiped as gods. Homosexual acts were an everyday occurence among the Roman emperors. Claudius, is said to have been the only emperor who did not engage in homosexual acts, and he was a sadist who had people tortured in his presence, and enjoyed watching bloody executions. Nero was also reported to have sex with numerous young boys and eunuchs, and to fasten naked boys to stakes, while he, dressed in the hides of wild animals attacked them in the most brutal of sexual ways. There has been a great deal of discussion over whether the bible says that homosexuals are "unnatural" or not. The following will attempt to help you understand the term "unnatural" used in verses 26-27. Some have argued that homosexuality is unnatural, because it does not occur in nature. That is absolutely false. Homosexuality has been observed in literally every species of animal, reptile, bird and insect on the face of the earth. Some have argued that homosexuality is unnatural because God made man and woman in the Garden of Eden. If the Garden of Eden model is to be used to condemn homosexuals, as the basis, that God did not intend for homsexuals to exist, then, we must look back at that story to see just how humanity did evolve from there. Who was Cain's wife? Where was the next generation? If we use the Garden of Eden account, as it appears in the bible, then Cain must have coupled with his sister (incest). Does that mean that incest is the way God intended things to be? Isn't incest also expressly forbidden in Leviticus and Deuteronomy? Those who might say that God made an exception in allowing incest to populate the earth, overlook the fact that God may very well have meant homosexual persons to be the "safety valve" to keep the earth from becoming over-populated. Natural versus Unnatural: Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 11:14 that for men, short hair is "natural", that it is a dishonor for a man to have long hair. In Judges 16 we are told that Samson's strength was in his long hair, and that the Nazarite vow included the vow not to cut one's hair. FACT: Hair grows long. Paul says it is natural for a Jewish male to be circumcised, but he also says that it is unnatural for Gentile males to be circumcised. FACT: Men are born uncircumcised. So, how do we make sense out of natural versus unnatural? Remember, that what SEEMS normal to the majority of people is considered NATURAL. But that nature may bear little resemblence to what we believe to be natural. For hundreds of years, it was natural to beleive that the earth was flat, and that the sun revolved around the earth, but "nature" has taught us how wrong that assumption was! More often, "natural" means "traditional", than having to do with "nature". Unnatural in these passages does not refer to violation of so-called laws of nature, but rather implies action contradicting one's own nature. In view of this, we should observe that it is "unnatural" for a person today with a lesbian or gay sexual orientation to attempt living a heterosexual lifestyle. The homosexual practices cited in Romans 1:24-27 were believed to result from idolatry and are associated with some very serious offenses as noted in Romans 1. Taken in this larger context, it should be obvious that such acts are significantly different from loving, responsible lesbian and gay relationships seen today. FIRST CORINTHIANS AND FIRST TIMOTHY: First Corinthians deals primarily with the application of Christian principles to the believers life. First Corinthians, chapter 12 is a wonderful description of God's ideal for the "Body of Christ", and the diversities that exist within it. 1 Cor. 13 , is commonly know as the "Love Chapter". In this chapter, perhaps one of the truest and most beutiful descriptions of love. Corinth was the most important city in Greece being an extremely wealthy and prosperous city of worldwide commerce; but there was another side to Corinth. Corinth was also a center for debauchery, and idolatrous religion. Above Corinth was the hill of the Acropolis, and on it stood the great temple of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. To that temple, there were attached, literally thousands of sacred prostitutes, both male and female. 1 Corinthians reveals the problems and pressures of a church called out of such a pagan and hedonistic society. Just as the temple of Aphrodite was dedicated to female beauty, the temple of Apollo was dedicated to male beauty. Here, sex was glorified, and nude statues of Apollo "fired his male worshipers to displays of devotion with the god's beautiful boys." Sexual practices in Corinth also included slavery. Many young boys were purchased through the slave trade, and castrated to preserve their youthful appearance for the sexual pleasure of their masters (paederisty). At any rate, the book of 1 Corinthians is written in response to problems experienced by the church at Corinth. The first half of the book deals withthe influence of the pagan practices which are being brought into the church by the new converts. Paul urges the Corinthian church to separate themselves from such things. SOME DEFINITIONS: EFFEMINATE: In the NIV, this word is translated "male temple prostitute". It is the Greek word 'malakos'; meaning soft, voluptuous, self-indulgent. The word malakos is used 4 times in the NT. Three of those times, it means weak, soft, or sickly and one, (in this verse) it is said to mean effeminate. William Barclay, in his commentary on 1 Cor., sums up what this word means: "...those who have lost their manhood and live only for the luxuries of recondite pleasure. It describes what we can only call a kind of wallowing in luxury, in which a man has lost all resistence to pleasure." HOMOSEXUAL: The word homosexual DOES NOT EXIST ineither the Old Testament Hebrew, or the New Testament Greek. It was not translated into Latin. The word originated only in the 19th Century (we live in the 20th Century). No Bible prior to 1946 used the word. [If your bible uses the word "homosexual", the only thing it proves is that the bible you are using was printed after 1946]. There are 2 other words used by the Greeks to describe homoerotic activites, but they are NOT FOUND ANYWHERE in the Bible. Moreover, the Greeks did not use either of the terms which Paul used to describe homosexual practices. The word which is translated homosexual, or homosexual offender, is the Greek word: ARSENOKOITAI, which is a word that is not found in any other Greek literature at all. It is a word that Paul seems to have made up for this passage, and the passage in 1 Timothy. It consists of 2 words: ARSEN, which means male, and KOITAI, which means bed. Like the term "lady-killer" in our own day, it is not clear whether Paul means someone in bed with a male, or a male in bed with someone. Lady-killer might mean someone who kills ladies, or a lady who is a killer. We understand what it means, because it is in use in our day. But two thousand years from now, if we were to find one isolated use of the term, we would be at a complete loss as to how to interpret the term. Such is the case with the term arsenokoitai. Heterosexual intercourse can just as logically be understood from this term. This term was also translated in some versions, as "sodomite", which is, in itself, a translation of a Hebrew word, "QADESH", and means a TEMPLE PROSTITUTE. It is not clear what Paul's original intention for this word was, but it is also clear that Paul was not condemning homosexual persons, or he would have used one of the Greek terms which described persons who are homosexual. A FINAL NOTE: Few things are as rewarding as learning, through a dedicated study, truth that is contained in the Bible. It is my sincere prayer, that you have learned through this study. A few final thoughts before you finish. 1) Remember that some of the Bible was written to, and for, specific people in a specific situation, and for a specific reason. Some portions therefore, do not apply to present day situations. This does not mean that they are not important, or that the lesson we might learn from them is irrelevant, but it does mean that some of the specifics may or may not apply to us today. 2) We need to be sure never to take scripture out of context, as has been done over and over with these verses. A text without a context is a pretext. We need to read exactly what the bible says, and not WHAT WE THINK IT SHOULD SAY. 3) The prophets spoke out boldly on all aspects of sexual perversion, with the notable, and complete absence of a mention of homosexuality. All of the Old Testament references are in the Pentateuch, or Jewish civil and ceremonial Law. As gentiles, we were excluded from assembly with Israel. It is only trough Jesus that we are even "grafted in". Paul made it clear in Galatians that we did not need to become Jews to be Christan, and in the same way, God does not require us to be heterosexual to be Christian. 4) In the entire body of the bible; 66 books, 1,098 chapters, and over 30,000 verses, there are 7 places in the bible which have been used with reference to homosexual persons. There are literally 100's dealing with heterosexual sins, and yet no one would be so ridiculous as to call heterosexuality a sin. 5) In the New testament, the references associated with homosexuality are found, in letters to churches, which are surrounded, and in some cases being infiltrated with pagan sexual rites. In the book of Hebrews, our New Testament Leviticus, homosexuality is not mentioned. 6) Jesus, the Messiah, never spoke AT ALL about homosexuals. It seems reasonable that if homosexuality is the sin it is presented to be, then Jesus would certainly have addressed the issue. 7) What about traditional church teachings? Remember that it was those who were terribly committed to church tradition who insisted that Jesus be crucified. 8) In 1521, John Eck, the chancellor of Trier addressed Martin Luther, the great protestant reformer with the words: "Do not, I mplore you Martin, do not claim for yourself that you are the one and only man who has knowledge of the Bible, who has true understanding... Do not place your judgement ahead of so many distinguished men ..." 9) Church tradition often merely responds to societal pressures even if that means ignoring the facts. Could it be that the traditions of humanity and the church, have overshadowed the Grace of God? 10) The rarity with which Paul discusses any form of same-sex behavior and the ambiguity in references attributed to him make it unsound to conclude any sure poition in the New Testament on homosexuality, especially in the context of loving, responsible relationships. Since any arguments must be made from silence, it is much more reliable to turn to great principles of the Gospel taught by Jesus Christ and the Apostles: Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself. Do not judge others, lest you be judged. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love ... against such there is no Law. One thing is abundantly clear, as Paul stated in Galatians 5:14: "The whole Law is fulfilled in one statement: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' " Special Thanks to : Torrey L. Stuart of Alpha and Omega Christian Fellowship, Eugene Oregon Rev. Elder Donald Eastman of UFMCC, Los Angeles, California