This isn't the first time that God has made this stipulation (Leviticus 19:9-10) nor will it be the last. (Deuteronomy 24:19) What is fascinating about His stating it this particular time is its location. As God is going through a list of the religious festivals that Israel will observe, seemingly in the middle He just sort of pops in this admonition. He explains the observance of the Sabbath, the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, inserts this admonition, then details the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Booths. Did an ancient editor damage a scroll and put it back together wrong or something?
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Of all the false religions, that of Molech was the worst. It required one to offer their own child as a burnt offering. Among many other justifiable reasons for this to be singled out as bad by God, one of the most prominent is how this practice was an almost opposite mirror of what God would do through giving His only Son, an unholy twisting of God's ultimate plan. Worship of Molech was not just going after a false religion, it was following something that twisted the very foundations of God's ways into the most offensive version possible.
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Isn't it fascinating when we read famous Bible quotes within their whole context? Human nature—being what it is—often provides images and definitions of phrases according to one's own individual vision of what they might mean rather than seeking to know the originator's precise meaning. I am convinced that quite a few people would argue that "you may surely reprove your neighbor" has no business being within a thousand miles of "love your neighbor as yourself". Biblical love is defined by accountability to God's Truth on the part of both parties involved. But we seem to have embraced the notion that love can't exist in the same sphere as criticism.
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We are saved out of our old life—symbolized often in the Bible by "Egypt"—and are supposed to live according to a different set of rules going forward. But now that our path has been redirected with a new destination appointed by God, we're also not to embrace the new customs and behavior of those we encounter going forward. We're not supposed to exchange the values of the bad influences of the old life for the values of the bad influences that will cross our path in the new; BOTH are equally wrong and unacceptable. In fact, our obedience is not limited to just changing us personally, but changing every place we visit.
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It stuns my sensibilities when the same Christian parents who allow their children to own over-the-top, violent video games and to go to movies with excessive violence and gore, object to Sunday School lessons and sermons concerning the "gruesome" topic of crucifixion and Christ's blood. The one is leading the pack down the wide path to hell, the other the narrow path to heaven. What we need are far more discussions concerning the blood. It's the whole point.
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This verse sort of jumps out at you in the middle of God's discourse on the laws for sacrifices. We know the Israelites had obedience issues from time to time, but having just come from Egypt, having received the Law and built and begun to operate the Tabernacle, we might mistakenly believe the Israelites have left all forms of idolatry and false worship behind; but we'd be wrong.
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Western civilization has taken the concept of the sabbath, expanded and called it "weekend", and purports that this is a time to "rest" from work. It's interesting that throughout Scripture when God speaks of "rest" as an extension of "the sabbath" that it's described as having a kind of "rest" that's very different from that of a "weekend". Whereas the weekend is really about fun, play, and getting away from it all, God qualifies His definition of rest with "solemn" and further explains that it's purpose is "that you may humble your souls".
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