BE HOLY AND LOVE PEOPLE

Passage: Leviticus 19:1-18

Key verse: 19:2

NIV

Various Laws

19 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel(A) and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God,(B) am holy.(C)

3 “‘Each of you must respect your mother and father,(D) and you must observe my Sabbaths.(E) I am the Lord your God.(F)

4 “‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves.(G) I am the Lord your God.(H)

5 “‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 6 It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up.(I) 7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted.(J) 8 Whoever eats it will be held responsible(K) because they have desecrated what is holy(L) to the Lord; they must be cut off from their people.(M)

9 “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges(N) of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.(O) 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time(P) or pick up the grapes that have fallen.(Q) Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.(R) I am the Lord your God.

11 “‘Do not steal.(S)

“‘Do not lie.(T)

“‘Do not deceive one another.(U)

12 “‘Do not swear falsely(V) by my name(W) and so profane(X) the name of your God. I am the Lord.

13 “‘Do not defraud or rob(Y) your neighbor.(Z)

“‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker(AA) overnight.(AB)

14 “‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,(AC) but fear your God.(AD) I am the Lord.

15 “‘Do not pervert justice;(AE) do not show partiality(AF) to the poor or favoritism to the great,(AG) but judge your neighbor fairly.(AH)

16 “‘Do not go about spreading slander(AI) among your people.

“‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life.(AJ) I am the Lord.

17 “‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart.(AK) Rebuke your neighbor frankly(AL) so you will not share in their guilt.

18 “‘Do not seek revenge(AM) or bear a grudge(AN) against anyone among your people,(AO) but love your neighbor(AP) as yourself.(AQ) I am the Lord.

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

The Lord Is Holy

19 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, (A)You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. 3 (B)Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and (C)you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. 4 (D)Do not turn to idols (E)or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.

5 (F)“When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so (G)that you may be accepted. 6 It shall be eaten the same day you offer it or on the day after, and anything left over until the third day shall be burned up with fire. 7 If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is (H)tainted; it will not be accepted, 8 and everyone who eats it shall (I)bear his iniquity, because (J)he has profaned what is holy to the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from his people.

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

9 (K)“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.

11 (L)“You shall not steal; (M)you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. 12 (N)You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so (O)profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.

13 (P)“You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. (Q)The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. 14 (R)You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall (S)fear your God: I am the Lord.

15 (T)“You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. 16 (U)You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not (V)stand up against the life[a] of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

17 (W)“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but (X)you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you (Y)incur sin because of him. 18 (Z)You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but (AA)you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

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Footnotes
  1. Leviticus 19:16 Hebrew blood
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

First, be holy (1-10). This chapter repeats 15 times, 'I am the Lord.' The Lord their Redeemer is holy and so his people must be holy. These are the Lord's holy commands, echoing and expanding the Ten Commandments. They express a right relationship with God and with people. They admonish us to be mindful of all people, including the poor and foreigners (10). Second, love your neighbor as yourself (11-18). Jesus, Paul and James quoted this royal law (Mt 22:39-40; Ro 13:9; Gal 5:14; Jam 2:8). To love people includes treating them fairly and helping them to see their faults (17), just as I would want to be treated and helped (Mt 7:12). To love people is not to hate, slander, mistreat, or seek revenge, but to uphold goodness, kindness, fairness, and justice.

Prayer: Lord God, you are holy and loving and my Redeemer. Help me to pursue your holiness and love, and forsake and repent daily of all sin that dishonors you and hurts people.

One Word: Pursue holiness and love