What does the Bible say we shouldn’t do? part 2

Things the Bible says we shouldn’t do include the following:

• You shall not curse your father or mother (Leviticus 20:9).
• You should not lie to one another (Leviticus 19:11; Colossians 3:9).
• You should not practice divination or soothsaying (Leviticus 19:26, 31; Leviticus 20:6; 20:27).
• You should not use false scales (Leviticus 19:35–36; Deuteronomy 25:13–15; Proverbs 11:1).
• You should not sleep with a fellow man as you do with a woman (Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; Leviticus 18:22).
• You should not mate with an animal (Leviticus 20:15–16).
• You should not curse your father or mother (Leviticus 20:9).
• You should not sleep with your father’s wife (Leviticus 20:11).
• You should not sleep with your daughter-in-law (Leviticus 20:12).
• You should not sleep with your sister (Leviticus 20:17).
• You should not sleep with your aunt (Leviticus 20:19).
• You should not sleep with your uncle’s wife (Leviticus 20:20).
• You should not sleep with your brother’s wife (Leviticus 20:21).
• You should not remove your neighbor’s landmark (Deuteronomy 19:14; Proverbs 22:28; Hosea 5:10).
• You should not kidnap (Deuteronomy 24:7).
• You should not worry (Matthew 6:25, 31–34).
• You should not judge (Matthew 7:1–5).
• You should not sue the brethren (1 Corinthians 6:1–8).

We shall now discuss the above-mentioned points with reference to the Bible.

20. The Bible says we should not curse our father or mother

The Bible teaches that one should not curse his or her parents. In the Old Testament, those who disobeyed this commandment were put to death by stoning. This command is echoed in the book of Leviticus 20:9 as follows:

“FOR EVERYONE WHO CURSES HIS FATHER OR HIS MOTHER SHALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him.”

In fact, the fifth commandment that God gave the children of Israel at Mount Sinai relates to obedience to parents as follows:

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12)

Proverbs 20:20 also warns of the danger of cursing parents as follows:

“Whoever curses his father or his mother, his lamp will be put out in deep darkness.”

An even more disturbing punishment for cursing a parent is found in Proverbs 30:17, which says

“The eye that mocks his father, and scorns obedience to his mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it.”

21. The Bible says we should not lie to one another

Two of the seven things that God hates according to Proverbs 6:16-19 are a “LYING TONGUE” and “A FALSE WITNESS WHO SPEAKS LIES”.

God warned the children of Israel against the culture of telling lies. We read this in Leviticus 19:11, which says

“You shall not steal, NOR DEAL FALSELY, NOR LIE TO ONE ANOTHER.”

The same sentiments are shared by the Apostle Paul in Colossians 3:9, which says

“DO NOT LIE TO ONE ANOTHER, since you have put off the old man with his deeds.”

The book of Ephesians 4:25 shares the same views by stating:

“Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,’ for we are members of one another.”

Therefore, according to the Bible, we shouldn’t lie to each other as brothers. Learn to speak the truth at all times, no matter the situation. This is because, lying displeases God, and also because lies have a way of catching up with those who propagate them. The end result is usually embarrassment and broken trust.

22. The Bible says we should not practice divination or soothsaying

Divination involves activities done in an effort to foretell the future. It may include studying the positions of heavenly bodies such as the sun, moon, and stars in order to predict the future. It may also involve consulting demonic spirits as well as the spirits of the dead.

These activities are usually undertaken by diviners such as enchanters, magicians, mediums, witches, sorcerers, and soothsayers, among others. When someone is interested in ‘knowing’ what the future holds, you will find them consulting either of the identified diviners.

The Bible strongly forbids God’s people from engaging the services of diviners. In the Old Testament, God strongly warns the children of Israel against consulting diviners because what they do is an abomination to Him. The same case applies in the New Testament, where we find strong warnings against those who engage in the evil practice.

In fact, God commanded the children of Israel to put to death by stoning anyone among them who would be found practicing divination. Thus, no witch, sorcerer, soothsayer, medium, or such were allowed to live in the land of Israel.

Let us examine a few scriptures that speak against divination, as retrieved from the Bible.

Leviticus 19:26

“You shall not eat anything with the blood, NOR SHALL YOU PRACTICE DIVINATION OR SOOTHSAYING.”

Leviticus 19:31

“GIVE NO REGARD TO MEDIUMS AND FAMILIAR SPIRITS; DO NOT SEEK AFTER THEM, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.”

Leviticus 20:6

“AND THE PERSON WHO TURNS TO MEDIUMS AND FAMILIAR SPIRITS TO prostitute himself with them, I WILL SET MY FACE AGAINST THAT PERSON AND CUT HIM OFF FROM HIS PEOPLE.”

Leviticus 20:27

“A MAN OR A WOMAN WHO IS A MEDIUM OR WHO HAS FAMILIAR SPIRITS SHALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.”

The reason God did not want the children of Israel to seek after diviners is because the practice of divination itself is idolatry. The diviner in this case is elevated to the position of god by people who seek him. Thus, instead of seeking the counsel of the God of heaven, people go after diviners, who in this case are creations of God. The Bible says we should only serve the Creator (God) and not creation.

Even today, God greatly abhors individuals who seek the counsel of diviners. The punishment for such practices is alienation from the commonwealth of God. This leaves a person dangerously exposed to manipulation by the said enchanters, magicians, mediums, witches, sorcerers, and soothsayers, among others.

23. The Bible says we should not use false scales

The Bible teaches that God hates the practice of using false scales or balances in business. This is because such an action amounts to cheating the buyers into believing that they are getting value for their money when, in reality, they are being conned. As such, God cannot bless such a business because it is founded on injustice. There are several scriptures that talk against the use of false balances, and in the following section, we mention a few of them.

Leviticus 19:35-36

“YOU SHALL DO NO INJUSTICE IN JUDGMENT, IN MEASUREMENT OF LENGTH, WEIGHT, OR VOLUME. YOU SHALL HAVE HONEST SCALES, HONEST WEIGHTS, AN HONEST EPHAH, AND AN HONEST HIN: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”

Deuteronomy 25:13-15

“YOU SHALL NOT HAVE IN YOUR BAG DIFFERENT WEIGHTS, A HEAVY AND A LIGHT. YOU SHALL NOT HAVE IN YOUR HOUSE DIFFERENT MEASURES, A LARGE AND A SMALL. YOU SHALL HAVE A PERFECT AND JUST WEIGHT, A PERFECT AND JUST MEASURE, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.”

Proverbs 11:1

“DISHONEST SCALES ARE AN ABOMINATION TO THE LORD, BUT A JUST WEIGHT IS HIS DELIGHT.”

Thus, if your business is founded on fraudulent activities, the fact is that it is going nowhere, no matter how much you may want to convince yourself otherwise!

24. The Bible says we should not lie with a fellow man as with a woman

The Bible also forbids a man from sleeping with a fellow man, a practice associated with homosexuals. According to the Bible, this is one of the sins that made God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament strongly object to this manner of relationship, warning of severe punishment for offenders. In fact, God ordered the children of Israel to kill by stoning all that would be found engaging in this kind of sexual relations.

Let us mention some of the scriptures that forbid male-to-male sexual relations.

Leviticus 20:13

“IF A MAN LIES WITH A MALE AS HE LIES WITH A WOMAN, BOTH OF THEM HAVE COMMITTED AN ABOMINATION. They SHALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH. Their blood shall be upon them.”

Romans 1:26-27

“For this reason, God gave them up to vile passions. FOR EVEN THEIR WOMEN EXCHANGED THE NATURAL USE FOR WHAT IS AGAINST NATURE. LIKEWISE ALSO THE MEN, LEAVING THE NATURAL USE OF THE WOMAN, BURNED IN THEIR LUST FOR ONE ANOTHER, MEN WITH MEN COMMITTING WHAT IS SHAMEFUL, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error, which was due.”

Leviticus 18:22

“YOU SHALL NOT LIE WITH A MALE AS WITH A WOMAN; IT IS AN ABOMINATION.”

25. The Bible says we should not mate with an animal

The Bible also forbids sexual intercourse between a human being and an animal. In the Old Testament, any man-to-beast sexual intercourse was punishable by death, which applied to both the human being and the beast. We read of this prohibition in the book of Leviticus 20:15–16.

“IF A MAN MATES WITH AN ANIMAL, HE SHALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH, AND YOU SHALL KILL THE ANIMAL. IF A WOMAN APPROACHES ANY ANIMAL AND MATES WITH IT, YOU SHALL KILL THE WOMAN AND THE ANIMAL. They will surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them.”

26. The Bible says we should not sleep with our father’s wife

The Bible also prohibits a man from sleeping with his father’s wife, as this amounts to uncovering his own father’s nakedness.

There are several scriptures that point to this command, including the following:

Leviticus 20:11

“The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.”

Leviticus 18:7-8

“The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness. The nakedness of your father’s wife you shall not uncover; it is your father’s nakedness.”

27. The Bible says we should not sleep with our daughter-in-law

The Bible also prohibits a man from having sexual intercourse with his daughter-in-law. This instruction is found in Leviticus 20:12, which says

“If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death. They have committed perversion. Their blood shall be upon them.”

28. The Bible says we should not sleep with our own sister

Having sexual relations with your sister is also forbidden in the Bible. This is because she is your close relative. It may be a blood sister with whom you share both biological parents or a sister with whom you share only one biological parent. The command also applies to the daughter of your stepmother. It is wrong to have sex with her.

We find this instruction in the book of Leviticus 20:17, recorded as follows:

“If a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and sees her nakedness, it is a wicked thing. And they shall be cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness. He shall bear his guilt.”

29. The Bible says we should not sleep with our aunt

The Bible also teaches against having sex with your own aunt. In this case, the aunt refers to your father’s sister or your mother’s sister. This instruction is found in Leviticus 20:19

“You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for that would uncover his next of kin. They shall bear their guilt.”

The same instruction is issued in Leviticus 18:12–30, which says

“You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s relative. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s relative.”

30. The Bible says we should not sleep with our uncle’s wife

Having sexual relations with your uncle’s wife is strictly forbidden in the Bible. The punishment for this offense is that the offenders never get to bear any children. This is recorded in Leviticus 20:20 as follows:

“If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness. They shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.”

31. The Bible says we should not sleep with our brother’s wife

The Bible also prohibits a man from sleeping with his brother’s wife. The punishment for violating this commandment is that the offenders will remain childless for the rest of their lives. We find this command in the book of Leviticus 20:21 that says:

“If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is an unclean thing. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless.”

However, in the Old Testament, there used to be an exception with regards to this command. This happened when a man died without having a child with his wife. It was the custom of the day for the brother of that man to go into his brother’s widow so that he could bear a child for his deceased brother. This was done in order to preserve the name and lineage of the deceased man (Genesis 38:8). However, today, this practice is no longer common in many cultures.

32. The Bible says we should not remove our neighbor’s landmark

The Bible also warns us against tampering with the boundaries of our neighbor’s property. This instruction is contained in several scriptures, including the following:

Deuteronomy 19:14

“You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance, which you will inherit in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.”

Proverbs 22:28

“Do not move the ancient landmark that your father has set.”

Hosea 5:10

“The princes of Judah have become like those who move the landmark; upon them I will pour out my wrath like water.”

33. The Bible says we should not kidnap anyone

Kidnapping is a serious offense strictly prohibited in the Scriptures. It is against the law in most countries to kidnap a person. Anyone found breaking this law is thus subjected to severe punishment as stipulated in the constitution of the said country.

God warned the children of Israel against committing such a heinous offense against their fellow brethren. Consequently, anyone found guilty of kidnapping a fellow brother was to be put to death. This is instruction is found in the book of Deuteronomy 24:7, which says:

“If a man is found kidnapping any of his brethren among the children of Israel and mistreating him or selling him, THEN THAT KIDNAPPER SHALL DIE; and you shall put away the evil from among you.”

34. The Bible says we should not worry

In the New Testament, Christ Jesus taught His disciples against worrying or being anxious about the cares of this life, such as food, drink, or clothing. Instead, He urged them to prioritize seeking after the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and having done that, God would take care of the rest. We find this account in the book of Matthew 6:25, 31–34, as follows:

“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘what shall we eat?’ or ‘what shall we drink?’ or ‘what shall we wear?’ For after all these things, the Gentiles seek Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficiency for the day is its own trouble.”

35: The Bible says we should not sue brethren

The Bible encourages Christians to settle their differences or disputes amongst themselves without taking each other to the authorities, for instance, the courts. In fact, Christ Himself taught us that we should learn to agree with our accusers while still on the way, to save us from being thrown into prison. This exhortation is recorded in Matthew 5:25–26, which says

“Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.”

In the book of 1 Corinthians 6:1–8, the Apostle Paul also urges Christians not to take fellow brethren to court, as follows:

“Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the righteous and not before saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If you then have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!“

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ALREADY AN UTTER FAILURE FOR YOU THAT YOU GO TO LAW AGAINST ONE ANOTHER. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren.”

Thus, as brethren, we should strive to settle differences amicably so that we can keep away from the corridors of the courts of law patterned in the systems of the world.

Conclusion

This was part II of the article about things the Bible says we shouldn’t do. Kindly click on the link provided below in order to read Part I of the article. Remember, the Bible is not about dos and don’ts. Rather, it is about pursuing righteousness as we are led by the Spirit. However, sometimes we fall short of the requirements set out by the scriptures. When this happens, we should always remember that we have a high priest present with God who is constantly interceding for us before the Father, namely, Christ Jesus. Ours is to confess our sins, ask for forgiveness, repent, and then continue in the good fight of faith until the end. I leave you with this scripture found in Zechariah 4:6, which says

“So he answered and said to me:

‘This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel:

NOT BY MIGHT NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT,

Says the LORD of hosts.’”

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Related Post: What does the Bible say we shouldn’t do? Part 1

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Prayer to become a born again Christian

“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and hereby ask for your forgiveness;

I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that you are the only begotten Son of the living God.

I believe that you were sent by your Father to the earth to save sinners like me.

I now accept you as my personal Lord and Savior.

Come into my heart and baptize me with The Holy Spirit.

Thank you for saving me.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen!”

Congratulations friend! You are now a born again Christian!

Welcome to the Family of God!

Benediction

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.”

(Numbers 6:24-26)

Shalom.

Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/