MARRIAGE WARS (PART FOUR): THE OLD TESTAMENT AND HOMOSEXUALITY

PART FOUR: The Old Testament and Homosexuality

            The heart of the controversy between the Gay Rights Movement and the Church is the Bible.  The reason for this is that the Old Testament is very strong when it comes to shedding light on the issue of homosexuality.  The Bible, in both testaments, forbids all sexual relationships and sexual encounters outside of marriage.  This includes same sex encounters.  God’s intent for all sexual acts were for male and female married couples only.  Leviticus 18:22 states, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.”  This law was even enforced with the death penalty for any Israelite who engaged in such behavior.  Leviticus 20:13 says, “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”

            Persons who engaged in these activities were called Sodomites (See Deuteronomy 23:17, KJV).  Sodomites were so named after people in Sodom and Gomorrah who engaged in homosexuality. The story of the people of Sodom is found in Genesis 19.  They were a highly sexually active people who relished in sexual immorality.  This city grieved God terribly and He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone reigned down from heaven.  This destruction occurred 2000-1900 B.C.

According to the Wycliffe Bible Dictionary, a sodomite was “one who practiced… carnal copulation between male persons.”  Finnis Dake explained the word this way, “a person guilty of unnatural sexual relations, as between the same sex or with beasts.  The Hebrew word “qadesh” means a male devotee to licentious idolatry, practicing prostitution with the same sex.”

Despite a strong mandate against this type of activity by God, certain men among the Children of Israel fell into this deadly trap.  1 Kings 14: 22-24 states, “And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked Him to jealously with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.  For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every tree.  And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.”

It is a well known Bible fact that wicked kings led the people to live wicked lives.  From this point in Israel’s history, from the death of King Rehoboam to the reign of King Zedekiah, many kings and their people did wickedly in the eyes of the Lord.  However, one shining light of righteousness was during the reign of King Asa who “did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.  And took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his father made.” (1 Kings 15:11,12)  King Jehoshaphat was also a righteous ruler who removed the sodomites out of the land.  “And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land.” (1 Kings 22:46)  Hundreds of years later, this same action was taken by King Josiah.  “And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD.”  (2 Kings 23:7)

The Bible’s point is clear on the issue of homosexuality by looking at the above scriptures and historical events.  Whenever a wicked king reigned, nothing is mentioned about homosexuality being a problem.  On the other hand, when a righteous king reigned who wanted to lead his people back to God, he took a stand against homosexual activity and drove Israelites who practiced it out of the land.