In Leviticus chapter 18, the LORD commanded Moses to warn the children of Israel against following the ways of the Egyptians and the Canaanites, that Israel "must not do as they do in Egypt, . . . as they do in the land of Canaan".
A long list of those things that Israel must not do is given in verses 6 - 23, as shown below. A further list of things they must not do is given in Leviticus chapter 19, with their corresponding punishments spelt out in Leviticus 20.
- Leviticus 18:1 – 23 New International Version
- 1The Lord said to Moses, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God. 3You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. 4You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God. 5Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord.
6“ ‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.
7“ ‘Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her.
8“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; that would dishonor your father.
9“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.
10“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would dishonor you.
11“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.
12“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative.
13“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative.
14“ ‘Do not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.
15“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her.
16“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would dishonor your brother.
17“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.
18“ ‘Do not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.
19“ ‘Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.
20“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife and defile yourself with her.
21“ ‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
22“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.
23“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.
Two verses in particular, tell us how grave and abhorrent these practices are in the sight of the LORD God Almighty. In Leviticus 18:24 and again in Leviticus 20:23, the LORD told the children of Israel that it was because of such ungodly and highly immoral behaviour that the LORD was driving the Canaanite nations our of their land before the eyes of Israel.
- Leviticus 18:24 – 25; 20:23 New International Version
- 18:24
- Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.
- 18:25
- Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants
- 20:23
- You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.
Brothers and Sisters in the Anointed Lord Iesous, let us beware, lest we fall into the sin of behaving like the the immoral nations around us. Let us be careful not to fall into the ungodly practices like those of the Canaanites described in today's passage.
About three years ago, I made some observations about the commands of the LORD recorded in Leviticus chapter 19, reading from the LXX Brenton, link below:
