NOT FOR THE FAINTHEARTED: INCEST (Leviticus 18)

There. I've said the word, the word that horrifies us and sends shivers and feelings of helplessness and rage through the heart of anyone who has experienced it.

And if you want to skip this one - with some personal revelations - feel free to do so. It's not for everyone, but those who need to hear it, to know their sense of something horribly wrong is shared by God--let this help. And I know you are out of there - the last I knew, one out of every four women and one out of every eight men had been abused. I've had 18 pageviews today. That means four or five people who've been sexually molested have already looked before I posted this subject.

In this chapter in Leviticus, God speaks in very specific language about sexual sin: forbidden relationships within the family, with animals, and, of course, the political hot button, homosexuality.

Today I am taking a little departure from my usual style. This chapter is difficult for me to read, not because of the boring or gruesome subject, but because I am all too well acquainted with the topic.  I was abused by my father, my uncle, my cousin, my stepfather. In fact, abuse continued at different times until I finally left home, never to live there again, after I got to college.

When I went through the deepest healing from my past, I learned a scary fact: incest is more likely to happen in highly religious families. Some men (and women too, I suppose) who believe the marriage bond is sacred, who will not violate it with an affair or divorce, somehow believe it's acceptable to harm one of their own children.

So it's also possible that an abuser or two has read my blog. And get this: I'm not here to condemn you; God's grace covers every sin and can change every heart, but you have to admit the sin first.

For those who have suffered from incest, listen to the words God uses to describe the acts: It violates--relationships, trust, your own body. It blasphemes. It's unbelievable.  It is wicked. 

God knew that incest occurs all too often. He made sure His people knew His will on the question.

He also made his feelings clear. In a rare time, instead of simply saying "I am God and I am holy, therefore do what I say," He explains His reasons for giving the commands.

Healing is a long, hard road--but God will lead you by the hand.