Leviticus 18.6-18

“None of you shall approach any one of his close relatives to uncover nakedness. I am the LORD. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether brought up in the family or in another home. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son’s daughter or of your daughter’s daughter, for their nakedness is your own nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, brought up in your father’s family, since she is your sister. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s relative. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s relative. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother, that is, you shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, and you shall not take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are relatives; it is depravity. And you shall not take a woman as a rival wife to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive.”

 Matthew 5.27, 28

 Sin begins in the heart, as we have seen already. The Law of God sought to protect the people of Israel from their hearts getting out of control, and the laws against “uncovering nakedness” are an example of this. While the phrase can mean actual fornication, for the most part it seems to carry just the meaning the plain reading of it implies.

To uncover the nakedness of another was to look upon the unclothed body. In the close community of ancient Hebrew society, care had to be taken to ensure that the provisions of this rule would be observed, both on the part of the one who might be unclothed as well as the one who might observe. Thus, modesty on the part of the one, and respect on the part of the other were to be standard practice.

It’s not difficult to see how this statute speaks into our society. Sexual titillation has become so much a part of our culture that we have almost given up declaiming against it. Pop culture, fashion, advertising, and, of course, pornography all profit from the appeal of lust. Christians are not immune to these practices; we must take care, in a sexually-charged society such as ours, to guard ourselves in the area of modesty as well as in that of respect.

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