One of the outstanding sins of antiquity was immorality, and the land of Canaan was not exempt. Marriage was held in low esteem and women were treated as cattle. This chapter gives a true picture of conditions as they were among the heathen (vs. 24-27), and against all this God warned Israel. The fact that God found it necessary to issue such a warning, with all its stark details, emphasizes the danger that confronted them and of which they must beware.

 In the beginning God created one man and one woman, thus establishing ideal conditions for man’s blessing and comfort. God’s plan would preserve the home, the nation, and the chastity of both sexes. Marriage is not dishonorable; it is not sinful, a thing to be shunned, as some would have us believe. It was ordained by God Himself and is honorable (Heb. 13:4). It is a divine institution as much as is the Sabbath, and like it is to be held in high esteem. As the Sabbath demands reverence and holiness for its proper observance, so does marriage. Both can be desecrated, or both can be a blessing. Reverence for the body and its functions is the theme of this chapter, reverence for one’s own body and for the bodies of others.