Immorality, Sexual
Interpersonal activity involving sex organs that does not conform to God's revealed lawsgoverning sexuality. The account of creation ( Gen 1:1-28 )includes reproductive activity as an essential part of the developmental scheme. Thisimportant function is given special prominence in the narrative describing the creation ofwoman ( Gen 2:21-24 ).In a process cloaked in mystery, God takes an aspect (Heb. sela, improperly translated"rib" in many versions) of Adam and fashions it into a genetic counterpart thatis specifically female, and which matches Adam's maleness for purposes of reproducing thespecies. Adam and Eve are thus equal and complementary to one another, of the samephysical and genetic composition apart from the slight difference that governs thecharacteristic nature of male and female fetuses. God tells them to "Be fruitful andincrease in number; fill all the earth and subdue it" ( Gen 1:28 ).
In normal males the sex drive is a powerful biological and emotional force that isoften difficult to control satisfactorily, particularly when it expresses itself inaggressive terms. But in the early narratives dealing with human family life there are nospecific regulations for sexual behavior apart from the statement that Eve's husband willbe the object of her carnal desires ( Gen 3:16 ). As theworld's population grows, so do the human misdemeanors ( Gen 6:5-6 ), whichseem to include mixed marriages ( Gen 6:2 ) and possiblesexual perversions, although the latter are not mentioned explicitly. At the same timethere are certain situations of a sexual nature that are to be avoided by followers of theLord. The shame associated with the exposure of male genitalia and the penalties thatmight accrue to observers ( Gen 19:22-25 )illustrates one form of prohibited sex-related activity. This represents the beginning oflater Jewish traditions that held that nakedness was shameful.
In the patriarchal age, homosexuality was a prominent part of Canaanite culture, as theincident involving Lot in Sodom illustrates ( Gen 19:1-9 ). Sorampant was sexual perversion in that place that in later times the name of the citybecame synonymous with homosexual behavior. God's judgment upon such a perversion ofsexuality was to destroy the city and its corrupt inhabitants.
When God entered into a covenant relationship with the Israelites on Mount Sinai ( Exod 24:1-11 ),his intent was to assemble and foster a select group of human beings who would be obedientto him, worship him as their one and only true God, and live under his direction incommunity as a priestly kingdom and a holy nation ( Exod 19:6 ). Holinessdemands adherence to certain stringent rules regarding worship and general conduct, butalso requires a complete commitment of will and motive to the Lord's commandments.
Because of the gross promiscuity of surrounding nations, whose behavior the Israelitesare warned periodically to avoid, the covenant Lord reveals through Moses a collection ofstrict regulations that are to govern Israelite sexuality and morality. If thesedirectives are followed, the individual and the community alike can expect blessing. Butif the Israelites lapse into the immoral ways of nations such as Egypt and Canaan, theywill be punished. God's keen interest in the sexuality of his chosen people has twoobjectives: to exhibit Israel to the world as a people fulfilling his standards ofholiness, and to ensure that, in the process, they enjoy physical, mental, and moralhealth.
The pronouncements on sexuality given to Moses while the Israelites are encamped atMount Sinai occur in two separate places in Leviticus ( 18:6-23 ; 20:10-21 ). Itshould be remembered that Leviticus (the "Levite" book) comprises a technicalpriestly manual dealing with regulations governing Israelite worship and the holiness ofthe covenant community. God had chosen the covenant nation to be an illustration to pagansociety of how individuals can become as holy as God through implicit faith in him andcontinuous obedience to his commandments. By setting out guidelines for the priests toteach to the Israelites, God promulgates explicitly a catalog of what is, and is not,acceptable social, moral, and spiritual behavior. In the distinctions between clean andunclean that occur in various parts of the priestly handbook, the emphasis is on thatpurity of life that should characterize God's people. Enactments of this kind are uniquein the ancient world, and only serve to demonstrate the seriousness of God's intent tofoster a people that can indeed have spiritual fellowship with their Lord because theyreflect his holy and pure nature as they walk in the way of his commandments.