And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the LORD your God. 3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you.
I have a 200 year old New Testament that has an odd Scriptural reference on the last page from Leviticus 18. It is a list of people not to sleep with, including your grandmother. It struck me as odd that after reading the entire new covenant with the life of Jesus, the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the promise of a new kingdom, we would need to be reminded to refrain from such sin.
That is the distinction between the covenants. God wrote the law of the first covenant on stone and dictated the rest to Moses. The people failed to keep it and did as they saw fit. Then God promised a new covenant in Jeremiah 31. This time God said the law would be written on our hearts. No man would need to be told to know the Lord because the Holy Spirit would reveal him to us. The Holy Spirit will teach us the law as well so it does little good to scream at people about their sin. Instead, let’s give them Jesus. Tell someone about the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ and let the Holy Spirit teach them the law. You will see that the Holy Spirit is much better at convicting others of sin than we are. Speak to the people and tell them…
He is the LORD your God.