A bunch of instructions to Israelites about how to live in light of the freedom God has procured for them. Not instructions for 21st Century NZ, not directly anyway, though many of the same principles will apply to us given us sharing our humanity and our Creator with these Israelites - or that's how I read the laws in Leviticus anyway.
Leviticus 18 is awkwardly detailed and repetitive; I think it's okay to acknowledge that parts of God's word are more accessibly written than others. The main message in any case is that Israel was not to be like the nations they were replacing, in particular with regards to their expressions of sexuality. The next chapter has various rules on how to organise one's actions are interactions. As a whole they strike me as rather humane; some are a bit odd and seem mostly about emphasising Israel's distinctiveness, but only one strikes me as reflecting a different moral vision to the kind that would appeal to most in our society - I'll let you guess which one, near the middle of the chapter.
Child sacrifice was the epitomy of the evil actions of the former inhabitants of the land Israel had taken over. It's a pretty horrendous thing. The close link between 'religious ' or spiritual issues like mediumship and more practical things like sex and family life are interesting, and challenge our culture's separation of spiritual and ordinary life. Sin deserves death, we're told - it's not a nice message, but if it's true it's probably worth knowing.
The priests had particular additional rules; the central point of this that I take away being that mediating a relationship with God is a tough job - I'm glad I have someone to do it for me, who unlike the priests of Leviticus is perfect.
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