Question: Hey Andy, wouldn’t killing gays make our Heavenly Father happy? For Leviticus 20:13 says, “If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their blood-guiltiness is upon them.” (NASB)
Wait, what? No, killing gays would certainly not make God happy.
You have to understand that when reading the Bible, especially the Torah, the Law wasn’t written for non-believers, but for God’s people. Therefore, Leviticus wasn’t written to all people in the world, but to God’s people only — so that instruction was to God’s people, the Israelites. Remember, they’d grown up and lived in Egypt for 430 years, thus taking on the identity, lifestyle, and culture of Egyptians (which included worshiping their gods). So God needed to reprogram them, so to say, to be Holy, no longer behaving as the Egyptians (like with now when we accept Christ, we deny ourselves first, then take up our cross’, and follow Him).
So if you read this verse now in its context of being written to and for God’s people, then you realize that God’s saying how imperative it is for His people to be Holy – set apart for Him, from the world, and to not take on the ways of the world. So yeah, if anybody among God’s people were to take on homosexual (L,G,B,T,Q, or whatever other letters are associated now) behaviors, then such is a detestable act among God’s people, for God’s people aren’t to be such – people outside of God’s Kingdom already are such, but God’s people are not to be. So to completely purge the land and people of God of such sin, they were to be put to death.
It’s like, you know that stealing is wrong, right? How do you know this? Because both the Bible and the law of the land tell you this, right? Now, let’s look at a law of the land that’s not in the Bible – maybe speeding while driving, or driving recklessly, or owning a gun while on parole. These are all against the law (here in the U.S., anyway). So if you commit the crime, which you already know about, then you’re guilty and bound for the set punishment, right? But now, if you go to a country where such is not only legal, but done regularly by the locals, and do all that yourself, then in that land, you’ve done nothing wrong, right?
But now, if you’re a native in God’s Kingdom, then you know the Laws (or rules) that you’re supposed to abide by, and that if you break them, that’s sin, and all sin is punishable of death. But if you’re a native of the world, not God’s Kingdom, then the Laws of God’s Kingdom don’t apply to you because you’re neither in nor of the Kingdom of God. So now say you’re Egyptian and gay (in Moses’ day). If you go sleep with another person of your same sex, then that’s acceptable in your land and culture because that’s what y’all do, right? So the law in Leviticus 20:13 doesn’t apply to you.
However, if you’re an Israelite (or Jew, today), and you’re still under the Law because you haven’t accepted the fulfillment (Jesus the Messiah), then yeah, Leviticus (still) applies to you. So if you’re a Jew (today), and are gay, then you’ve committed a detestable act and must pay for your crime, because you’re one of God’s people, and this is God’s decree for His people (although, I would assume that person would just be kicked out of the community, not killed, in today’s world).
But now, if such was the case with you, then would it make our Heavenly Father happy to kill you because you’re gay? No, He’s never happy when His people sin, nor does he want people to continue to reject Him. Romans 1:26-32 explains that as people continued to reject God and His ways, which they knew fully well, He finally just gave them over to their shameful (and homosexual) lusts. By doing so, they continued to move further away from Him, to the point where even their minds were full of foolishness, such sins, and more, even believing it’s all fine to do, explaining away their sin as nothing wrong, and teaching others to do the same. However, in Ezekiel 33:11, God also said that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but would prefer that they instead turn from their evil ways, turn to Him, and follow His decrees. And especially now that Christ has become sin and paid the price for our crimes against God, it’s even easier for them to be rescued from their sin. But they need to accept Christ (Jesus the Messiah) if they’re to be saved. THIS would make our Heavenly Father happy.
So instead of persecuting gays for their sin, which they’re just doing because such are the ways of the world and the culture they’re in anyway, what would make God happy is if you would follow Christ’s command, which was to make disciples. Minister to them (not just gays, but everybody who’s not of the Kingdom of God), sharing with them the love and joy of Christ, but also making them aware of the judgment that’s already come upon them for rejecting God’s One and Only Son (John 3:18). Express with them the incredible need to truly deny themselves, repent of their sins, turn to God, and to follow Christ, and pray that many do actually and fully turn to God. But if you continue to push them away from God, persecute them for their sin, threaten to kill them for their sins, and make God non-attractable to them, then no, that doesn’t make God happy at all.
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