Leviticus 19

Leviticus 19

After listing several series of laws, God reminds them of the reason that they are to keep these laws. They were expected to be holy before Him. He declares Himself as holy in this chapter and tells them that they are supposed to live in the same way. The New Testament expands this idea when it tells us to mimic Christ. We are supposed to live our lives as Christ would, which is very similar to what God commanded in this chapter. He also reminds them of a few of the laws He had already given them.

The rest of the chapter focuses on the second greatest commandment, loving your neighbor. God lays out several commands, looking at various situations, which show the Israelites how to love and respect one another. For instance they were to not go back over their fields once they had harvested, leaving what they missed to the poor (so that they would have something to eat). Also, God expected them to deal fairly with their neighbors. They were not to steal or bear false witness or hate or spread rumors about their neighbors. Our lives are to reflect Christ, and if we do not treat our neighbors properly, what message does that send them? We must remember that they are watching us, and if they see us mistreating fellow believers or mistreating non-believers, then they are going to receive a bad image of Christianity. So we must be careful as to how we live, making sure that our lives are lived holy before God and before man.

The closing verses of Leviticus 19 list a bunch of miscellaneous laws, but that does not mean that they are any less important. Some of these laws connect into some of the topics discussed previously in the book, and they all serve as a reminder of how the Israelites were expected to live. I know it seems as if I keep repeating myself in saying this, but they point to living a holy lifestyle before God. After many of these laws, as well, as many laws mentioned previously, God concludes by saying “I am the Lord.” It is as if He is saying that you should follow this (sub any command mentioned) law because I am your Lord. I think that is exactly what He means. We should desire to follow His commands because of His status over us. He is our Lord, He is the one who has saved us, and He deserves our obedience. So even today, when we look to any of the commands mentioned in Scripture, we should desire to follow them because of who God is.

Matt