This statute is guards against a violation of marriage on two levels – a man’s own marriage and that of his mother-in-law. The fact that God considered such a rule necessary indicates His understanding of the depths of human depravity. He knows that what, for the most part, we may consider unthinkable, is hardly that, so strong is the law of sin in our hearts.

Doubtless among the pagan nations, this practice was not uncommon. It was not to be permitted among the people of Israel. Here again the Law erects a hedge for marriage, which, as we have seen, is the foundational institution of a just and ordered society. The penalty for this act of depravity, being especially severe, was intended to have the effect of squelching even the thought of so depraved a transgression.

T. M. Moore

The Law of God is the soil which, fertilized by the rest of God’s Word and watered by His Spirit, brings forth the fruit of Christian life. If you’d like to understand this process better, and how to make best use of the Law in your walk with and work for the Lord, order the book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, from our online store.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.