For anyone that wants to use Leviticus 19:9 to argue against homosexuality (which I think you should—the verse clearly shows how God actually feels about the practice), dealing with Leviticus 19:19 presents a substantial snag.
No pun intended.
The verse prohibits mixing two types of cattle, two types of seed, and two types of garments. But why?
Because I went to seventh grade science class, I’m familiar with the problems and/or benefits of mixing cattle. If you breed two different types of cattle, because of genetics, the calf will inherit the traits of the parents.
It’s a similar, albeit altogether different idea with the seeds. You can mix two types of seeds together to create a hybrid crop, but it would require cross-pollination—a practice that Moses probably didn’t have in mind.
Instead, it’s more likely that the prohibition with crops is mixing two different types of seeds in the same field. If you did that, you would have carrots and potatoes growing together in the same field, taking advantage of the same nutrients. Or cucumbers and watermelons. Or whatever else you decided to sow together.
But that wouldn’t happen with clothing. If you tie two sets of materials together, you don’t produce a “baby cloth” that has shared genetic traits of their parents. So what’s the problem with mixing materials?
As with most of these precepts, there is a physical and a spiritual reason. Physically speaking, different types of entities don’t work well together. A cow and an ox are going to have two different types of pulling power (Deuteronomy 22:10). If you’re sowing a field that is a circle, great. But if you want to do straight lines, you need equal pulling power on both sides.
The same can be true of sowing seeds together. Each one of those plants has different nutritional requirements; as such, planting them together will create an inefficient harvest. Neither plant will grow to their maximum capabilities.
Now, apply those same principles to the mixed materials. If you put a brand new piece of silk on an old piece of linen, the combined strength of both materials will become suspect. Instead, find another piece of linen to work with the linen, and a different piece of silk to put with the silk.
Jesus alluded to this concept when He talked about new wine going into old wineskins. If you did that, according to Mark 5:22, the new wine would cause the old wineskins to burst. Instead, put new wine into new wineskins and let them both expand together.
But Jesus wasn’t talking about wine preservation—He was illustrating a broader principle: You can’t mix the old with the new. In this specific case, you can’t mix the Old Law with the New Law. They don’t fit. One will break.
Paul also used this illustration. In 2 Corinthians 6:15, the question is posed: “What harmony has Christ with Belial? Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?”
There is no companionship between those two sets. Jesus and idols have nothing in common, just as believers and unbelievers operate from drastically different vantage points. If you tied them together, they would go in completely opposite directions.
That’s the real point of Leviticus 19:19. While it’s absolutely a passage that talks about the practical side effects of mixing things together, it also operates as a metaphor for our lives as God’s people. We’re different from everyone else, so watch how much you mix with them.
