"You shall not do according to the custom of the land of Egypt, in which you dwelt: neither shall you act according to the manner of the country of Chanaan, into which I will bring you, nor shall you walk in their ordinances." (Leviticus 18:3)
Leviticus 18 further clarifies how people were living outside of God, building upon what began to be revealed in Leviticus 17. Of course, this isn't brand new information. In Genesis we learn of, for example, the Sodomites and their atrocious practices. It was probably pretty commonplace for the ancient Israelites to be aware of what was going on outside their circle. And it appears it was a constant concern that too many of God's chosen ones were being drawn to the pagan lifestyle of the surrounding nations. It's clear that the people outside of God, the Egyptians, the ancient Canaanites, and so on, represent the world. And it is also clear that God does not want His people to be of the world. He wants them to be a holy nation, set apart from the worldly nations around them.
Leviticus 18, on the surface, is nothing but a long list of forbidden marital and sexual practices. It is directly stated that the mentioned acts and customs are practiced by the pagan nations, to which my commentary elaborates: "The Persians married their own mothers, daughters, and sisters [and] the Egyptians took their sisters to wife." God makes it clear that those acts are condemned. They are in violation of the natural law, which is why it is stated: "For all these detestable things, the inhabitants of the land have done that were before you, and have defiled it. Beware then lest in like manner, it vomit you also out, if you do the like things, as it vomited out the nation that was before you" (Leviticus 18:27-28). The imagery in this passage is striking. According to Haydock's notes, it is as if the "earth [is] sick and disgusted with the crimes of its inhabitants." The natural law was violated so heinously that the earth (which is subject to the natural law) became disgusted and "vomited" out the evil-doers.
It is interesting what is going on here. For on the one hand, God clearly declares these corrupt marriages as a violation of a natural code, yet on the other hand, He repeatedly states throughout this chapter, "I am the Lord your God." After many of these ordinances, instead of explaining why a man can't marry his sister, or his step-mom, or his daughter (etc.), He simply says, "I am the Lord your God," as if to say, That is all you need to know. As God, He has a right to make laws and He doesn't have to explain His reasons to us. It is somewhat like a father telling his child "No." The child may want an explanation, but the father may simply reply, "because I said so." Of course, the father does have a reason why he said no, but he doesn't tell his child the reason because maybe the child wouldn't understand or isn't mature enough to appreciate the decision made by the father. So when God tells us "no," who are we to demand a reason why?! However, as previously mentioned, God does leave us with a vision of the earth spitting out those who break the natural law, and so we can get a peak at the severity of such a transgression.
Lastly, there is an enigmatic reference in Leviticus 18 to possibly another known demon of the ancient world, Moloch. After reading up on it, it appears Moloch was possibly a "deity" that demanded children as sacrifice. It is debated, though, just how this was done. Some think living human children were consumed in the flame dedicated to Moloch, while others think the children weren't killed in the ritual, just "passed through" the flame in a sort of initiation rite. At any rate, we see here another glimpse of the horrors of the world outside of God. And the children of Israel are specifically told not to partake in any of these sacrifices that were going on around them. It is also interesting that Moloch (or his concept) seems quite like the deity known as Saturn. Saturn (and his counterparts) was worshipped throughout the pagan lands of that day, and he was known for devouring his children. The images of Moloch are likewise those of a monstrous god consuming children. Could it be the work of a singular evil force? Just something to ponder.
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