Leviticus 18:1

Leviticus 18:1 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Verse two adds, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God.  The first thing that God told Moses to do was to remind them that He was their God.  Before we can obey God today, we must first acknowledge that He is our God.  This is not true because of who we are or where we were born, but because of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Verse three continues, After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.  God told Moses to tell the people of Israel that as they weren't to follow the ways of the Egyptians while they were there but were to follow God, neither were they to follow the ways of the people of Canaan.  Verse four states, Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God.  God said that they were to keep His ordinances and walk in them.  In this case, the people of Israel were to create their own country and establish their own laws.  We today as followers of Christ must first follow God's laws, though we are told to be obedient to the government unless doing so conflicts with God's law.  Verse five adds, Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.  This was not an option; just as obeying God's law today is not an option for Christians.  We must live by God's law first.  The next several verses deal with God's law concerning incest, and there is little to add, so I will simply list them.  Verse six states, None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.  Verse seven adds, The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.  Verse eight continues, The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father’s nakedness.  Verse nine says, The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.  This would have seemed to include half-sisters and maybe even what we would call stepsisters.  Verse ten adds, The nakedness of thy son’s daughter, or of thy daughter’s daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness.  This would be grandchildren.  Verse eleven continues, The nakedness of thy father’s wife’s daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.  Again, I believe this would be a half-sister, who God said would be the same as any of the man's sisters.  Verse twelve states, Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s sister: she is thy father’s near kinswoman.  This would have been an aunt.  Verse thirteen adds, Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister: for she is thy mother’s near kinswoman.  This also would have been an aunt on the mother's side.  Verse fourteen continues, Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.  Verse fifteen says, Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son’s wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.  Verse sixteen adds, Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: it is thy brother’s nakedness.  Verse seventeen continues, Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness.  Verse eighteen states, Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.  This was a law against polygamy, especially when it concerned two sisters.  Of course, in God's law, marriage was always to be between one man and one woman.  Verse nineteen adds, Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.  That was God's law then, and I believe that it still applies today.