11 And the man that lieth with his father’s wife hath uncovered his father’s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 

12 And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them. 

14 And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.

Today’s verses cover the familial sexual relationships that warranted a death penalty, and they all have to do with parent-child relationships, including parent and child in-law. Continuing with the pattern noted in the last post, these are the sorts of relationships that would destroy a bloodline, creating confusion in the natural and orderly way God has given us to know our heritage and our ancestry.

Families are given to us in what is naturally a hierarchal chain, with grandparents, parents, children, grandchildren and so on. It tells us where we have come from and where we are going. It makes each person both the hope and succession of all that came before, and the guardian and progenitor of all that will follow. It ensures that each member is born with both great support and great responsibility, every member a part of something greater than the self, but also each self is essential to the continued existence of the whole.

It is a beautiful design, but when parents and children fold the chain back onto one another, it becomes a meaningless mass of ambiguous heritage and vague responsibility. So, it is a death of the line, and accordingly a death penalty is assigned to it.