Commentaries:
<< Leviticus 18:23 Leviticus 18:25 >>
Leviticus 18:24-25
This brings together two factors: Sin and God's sovereignty. Because the earth requires maintenance and therefore dominion, and because God gave dominion to mankind, the rest of creation shares in the way mankind lives. Thus, when mankind sins, nature will be affected and react to some extent. In verse 25, God personifies the land as a living creature that violently rejects what it dislikes.
The context shows the iniquity to be spiritual and that God is personally involved in what happens when mankind sins. This confronts us again with whether God actively governs this world. Has He, as it appears in Leviticus 18, set limits on the evil mankind can do?
Suppose man is totally free to choose as he pleases, and it is impossible to compel or coerce him without destroying this freedom. If so, it follows that man is sovereign, doing as he pleases—the designer and architect of his destiny. Given man's history, we can have no assurance whatsoever that morality will not gradually disappear, and that anarchy, barbarism, and eventual genocide will not arise in its absence. It is absolutely imperative that God be sovereign to govern the antics of the very creatures He created! His reaction in the Flood and at the Tower of Babel is strong evidence of this.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Sovereignty of God: Part FourOther Forerunner Commentary entries containing Leviticus 18:24:
Exodus 20:13
Ezekiel 9:3-4
Ezekiel 20:12-13
Amos 8:7-8
Galatians 6:7-8
Revelation 3:14-18
<< Leviticus 18:23 Leviticus 18:25 >>
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What Does Leviticus 18:24 Mean?
Sin and God's sovereignty come together here. Because God gave mankind dominion over the earth, the rest of creation shares in the way mankind lives, so when mankind sins, nature is affected and reacts. God personifies the land as a living creature that violently rejects the spiritual iniquity it dislikes, showing He is personally involved when mankind sins. This raises whether God actively governs the world and sets limits on the evil mankind can do. If man were totally free and sovereign over his own destiny, no assurance would exist that morality would not vanish, giving way to anarchy, barbarism, and genocide. God must be sovereign to govern His creatures, as His reactions at the Flood and the Tower of Babel demonstrate.