Leviticus 19

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Dave Burnette's Commentary

Leviticus Chapter 19

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Moses

Date Penned: (1445-1444 BC)

Overview: A Handbook for the Priests and Levites (c 1-27)

Theme: Living a Holy Life (c 18-27)

Message: Commands for Daily Life (v 1-37)

Leviticus 19 Commentary

(19:1-8) Laws to Help the Poor - This law was a protection for the poor and the strangers living among the Israelites. It was also a reminder that God owned the land--the people were only caretakers. Laws such as this showed God's generosity and liberality. As people of God, the Israelites were to reflect his nature and characteristics in their attitudes and actions. Ruth and Naomi were two people who benefited from this merciful law (Ruth 2:2).

(19:9-10) Providing for the Needy - God instructed the Hebrews to provide for those in need. He required that the people leave the corners of their fields unharvested, providing food for the poor and for foreigners or travelers. It is easy to ignore the poor or forget about those who have less than we do. But God desires generosity. In what ways can you leave the 'corners of [your] field" for those in need?

(19:10-35) Loving Your Neighbour - Thou shalt not.." Some people think the Bible is nothing but a book of don'ts. But Jesus neatly summarized all these rules when he said to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself. He called these the greatest commandments (or rules) of all (Matthew 22:34-40). By carrying out Jesus' simple commands, we find ourselves following all of God's other laws as well.

(19:18) Loving Your Neighbour as Yourself - The Lord instructed the people to "love thy neighbour as thyself." Jesus quoted this passage when he summed up the greatest commandments (Mark 12:29-31). Paul quoted the same passage to show that love fulfills the requirements of the commandments (Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14). James also quoted this and called it "the royal law" (James 2:8).

(19:32) Honoring Your Elders - People often find it easy to dismiss the opinions of the elderly and avoid taking time to visit with them. But the fact that God commanded the Israelites to show respect for the elderly shows how seriously we should take the responsibility of respecting those older than we are. Their wisdom gained from experience can save us from many pitfalls. How do you show respect and honor to your elders?

(19:33-34) Loving F oreigners - How do you feel when you encounter foreigners, especially those who don't speak your language? Are you impatient? Do you think or act as if they should go back to where they came from? Are you tempted to take advantage of them? God says to treat foreigners as you'd treat fellow citizens, to love them as you love yourself. In reality, we are all foreigners in this world because it is only our temporary home. View your interactions with strangers, newcomers, and foreigners as opportunities to demonstrate God's love.

Dave Burnette's Life Application

God's Rules

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue in the book of Leviticus with Chapter 19 and in today's text we see more of what many have labeled the "Holiness Code" because it outlines God's way and God's plan for our lives. It defines sin and where God draws a line between right and wrong. Chapter 19 gives us more instructions from what we eat, what we wear, how we work, how we worship, how we deal with others, and the list goes on and on. In making application we see that God shows us what sin is in our lives. We tend to make our own rules and say that what "I want to do" is not a sin but God lets us know "What is sin." Man makes his own rules but God shows us in His Word clearly - what is a sin and we all are sinners. How about you? Do you agree with what God has placed in His Word about sin or do we ignore certain parts of the Bible because it doesn't fit our opinion on sin? Let us learn from today's text and understand that God has rules. When we disobey these rules we sin. This is why Jesus went to Calvary and why we need to be saved.

Leviticus 19

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Leviticus 19

¹And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

²Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.

³Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

⁴Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.

⁵And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, ye shall offer it at your own will.

⁶It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire.

⁷And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted.

⁸Therefore every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the hallowed thing of the LORD: and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

⁹And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.

¹⁰And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.

¹¹Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.

¹²And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

¹³Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.

¹⁴Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.

¹⁵Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.

¹⁶Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour; I am the LORD.

¹⁷Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.

¹⁸Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

¹⁹Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.

²⁰And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.

²¹And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the LORD, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering.

²²And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he hath done: and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him.

²³And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of.

²⁴But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the LORD withal.

²⁵And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the LORD your God.

²⁶Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.

²⁷Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.

²⁸Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.

²⁹Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.

³⁰Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.

³¹Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

³²Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.

³³And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him.

³⁴But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

³⁵Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in measure.

³⁶Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.

³⁷Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD.