Reflections on Leviticus 18

Leviticus 18 (Contemporary English Version)

1. The LORD told Moses
   
2. to tell the people of Israel: I am the LORD your God!
   
3. So don't follow the customs of Egypt where you used to live or those of Canaan where I am bringing you.
   
4. I am the LORD your God, and you must obey my teachings.
   
5. Obey them and you will live. I am the LORD.
   
6. Don't have sex with any of your close relatives,
   
7. especially your own mother. This would disgrace your father.
   
8. And don't disgrace him by having sex with any of his other wives.
   
9. Don't have sex with your sister or stepsister, whether you grew up together or not.
   
10. Don't disgrace yourself by having sex with your granddaughter
    
11. or half sister
    
12. or a sister of your father or mother.
    
13. (SEE 18:12)
    
14. Don't disgrace your uncle by having sex with his wife.
    
15. Don't have sex with your daughter-in-law
    
16. or sister-in-law.
    
17. And don't have sex with the daughter or granddaughter of any woman that you have earlier had sex with. You may be having sex with a relative, and that would make you unclean.
    
18. As long as your wife is alive, don't cause trouble for her by taking one of her sisters as a second wife.
    
19. When a woman is having her monthly period, she is unclean, so don't have sex with her.
    
20. Don't have sex with another man's wife--that would make you unclean.
    
21. Don't sacrifice your children on the altar fires to the god Molech. I am the LORD your God, and that would disgrace me.
    
22. It is disgusting for a man to have sex with another man.
    
23. Anyone who has sex with an animal is unclean.
    
24. Don't make yourselves unclean by any of these disgusting practices of those nations that I am forcing out of the land for you. They made themselves
    
25. and the land so unclean, that I punished the land because of their sins, and I made it vomit them up.
    
26. Now don't do these sickening things that make the land filthy. Instead, obey my laws and teachings.
    
27. (SEE 18:26)
    
28. Then the land won't become sick of you and vomit you up, just as it did them.
    
29. If any of you do these vulgar, disgusting things, you will be unclean and no longer belong to my people. I am the LORD your God, and I forbid you to follow their sickening way of life.
    
30. (SEE 18:29)
    
    

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    Chapter 18 begins a section on morality and nonconformity to pagan practices. It is no accident that pagan religious practices and morality are mentioned together, for the two go together in practice. One's morality is a product of his theology - his concept of God. It may often be stated in reverse as well: one's theology is a product of his morality. Though one's world view (his view of life and all its parts) is undoubtedly a product of how he views God, man often goes full circle to form a religion based on his world view. Though man has a naturally formed perception of the existence of a god, this perception does not naturally take on an accurate perception of that God. Satan sees to that. This was a reality God was addressing by choosing a special people for Himself. Though even this chosen people did not remain faithful to God, it was through them that God provided a means for mankind to be made right with Himself and to walk faithfully with Him.  That means was the Messiah - Jesus Christ.
    
    In this chapter God began instructing His chosen people concerning a lifestyle that would bring them happiness and avoid bringing a curse. It was in sharp contrast to the lifestyle of both the Egyptians whom they had left and the people living in the land to which they were going and which was to become theirs. It was because of the perverse lifestyle of these people that God was removing them and giving the land to the Israelites. He did not want Israel to follow in their footsteps with a similar result.
    
    The first restriction was summed up in verse 6: "You are not to come near any close relative for sexual intercourse." Several verses following this statement define who is considered a close relative.  Furthermore, they were not to have sexual intercourse with someone of the same sex, which God considers "detestable," or with an animal, which He considers a "perversion." (18:22, 23)  There is only a very brief reference in this chapter to pagan religious practice and it is found in verse 21: "You are not to make any of your children pass through the fire to Molech." This is a reference to a pagan religious practice of sacrificing children.
    
    These were the practices of the people who would be driven out of the land of Canaan. It was because they "defiled themselves by all these things" that the land would "vomit out its inhabitants." (18:24, 25) Israel was not to commit "any of these abominations." Otherwise the land "will vomit you out as it has vomited out the nations that were before you." (18:28)