Lev. 18: Sex! Sexy Sex and Unsexy Sex!

Another way Israel was commanded to separate itself from the surrounding lands was through their sexual behavior, in Leviticus 18. God, who refers to himself as "I am the LORD your God," tells them not to act like the people do in Egypt, or in Canaan. They were not to fall into those practices. They were taken out of Egypt, ("Exodus" being more than just a description of their physically leaving Egypt) and were promised a home in Canaan. God's laws were so separate for the people of Israel. And one could think, "Maybe God had different laws for these other lands," but then God condemns how they live. To obey God's commands was to live.

Close relatives were off limits when it came to sexual relations. Seems like a softball nowadays, but in the earliest days of the Bible, and again with Noah, it was the only way to populate and repopulate the earth. In the Israelites' current state, there was no danger of man going extinct, to say the least.

Blood relatives were the first to be off the list, including:

• Your mom
• Your father's wife - not a repetition, as multiple wives were still normal, if not outlawed - remember what happened to Reuben (Gen. 35:22, Gen 49:3-4)
  
• Your sister (either the daughter of your father or mother)
• Your son's daughter or daughter's daughter
• Your father's wife's daughter, born to your father
• Your father's sister
• Your mother's sister
• Noticeably absent, your daughter...? Why would she be left out? I suspect this omission has nothing to do with one's daughter being fair game. Lot's daughters got him wasted in Gen. 19. Wasn't his fault, but he did lose self control.
  

Other non-blood relatives related by marriage were next to be forbidden, including:

• Your father's brother's wife
• Your daughter-in-law
• Your brother's wife
• Both a woman and her daughter
• Both a woman and her son's or daughter's daughter
• What about your son's wife...as in Judah and Tamar? Although Judah did think she was a prostitute. Which...you know...makes it ok.
  

Other regulations were commanded by God, including:

• Taking your wife's sister as a wife and having sex with her while your wife is still alive
• Having sex with a woman on her period - (unclean, according to in Lev. 15:24)
  
• Defiling yourself by having sex with your neighbor's wife - (Ex. 20:17)
  
• Giving any children to be sacrificed to Molek, which would not only be scary for the kids, but profanes the name of God - (Presumably a demon)
  
• Having sex with a man (no distinction is made as to whether or not the man was a relative) as one would with a woman, specifically referred to as destestable
• Having sex with an animal, specifically referred to as a perversion.

Presumably, for the ladies out there, the same is true with the genders reversed.

All of the behaviors listed above were defiling to the people. These were practices that were common to Egypt and Canaan, pagan nations that were separate from Israel, and would soon have their land taken away for the above practices. A person separate from the world, and consecrated to God wouldn't participate in these impure acts, described as detestable, defiling, dishonoring, perverted and unclean.

A forbidding threat was also given here, that if people didn't keep God's decrees and laws, the land would vomit Israel out as it vomited out the nations before them. Vomiting happens when something is where it shouldn't be, and is forcibly ejected as a natural instinct.