The Seventh Commandment: Statutes and Precepts (10)
Leviticus 19.29
“‘Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of wickedness.’”
Prostitution was closely linked to idolatry in pagan practice. It was often the case that pagan centers of worship included male and female prostitutes, whose services, it would seem, were designed to “enhance” the “worship” experience and to enrich the coffers of the pagan priests.
Perhaps in pagan cultures a man who offered his daughter as a cult prostitute would be considered to be doing a good thing for the community – at least, the men might think so. But in Israel it was not to be so.
Transgression done in the name of religion legitimates transgression, and spreads depravity throughout the culture.
Any prostitution of God’s Law for the sake of pagan convenience is to be avoided.
T. M. Moore
The Law of God is the soil which, fertilized by the rest of God’s Word and watered by His Spirit, brings forth the fruit of Christian life. If you’d like to understand this process better, and how to make best use of the Law in your walk with and work for the Lord, order the book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, from our online store.
Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
