LEVITICUS: Moral and Ceremonial Laws of Holiness and Justice; “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy."

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. (Leviticus 19:1-2) 

This study continues where the previous left off, with our behavior. The Lord God was instructing the children of Israel on how to behave differently from the world around them in order to represent Him before them. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God. According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances." (Leviticus 18:1-3)

Remember, when the children of Israel first set up camp at Mount Sinai, Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.” (Exodus 19:3-6)

It wasn't that the children of Israel were better than any other nation of people, because He said, "if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant"; but He chose them to reveal Himself to the world, to be an example of how people who believe in the One, True, Living God should live. Just as Christ Jesus prayed to God of the kind of example His disciples would be, "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth." (John 17:14-19)

God sanctifies us, sets us apart by His Word, the Truth! And because we are called to be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy, we must obey His voice and keep His covenant, even when it's hard.  Just like in the previous lessons, some of the forbidden sexual practices may be harder to abstain from than others, so will some of the following laws regarding holiness and justice. But Christ Jesus made it very clear, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:17-19)

Christ Jesus didn't come to change these laws or make then null and void. Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace,... (Hebrews 13:7-9) His purpose was to fulfill the penalty required for breaking the laws, death; then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:9-10) Therefore, all of these laws were good for the children of Israel to represent the Holiness of God back then, and they are even more worthy of being obeyed today, considering the rise of amorality in our society now.  

‘Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:3-4) The Lord God is reiterating what He said when He gave the Ten Commandments, And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image... Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. ... Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:1-4, 8, 12)

‘And if you offer a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, you shall offer it of your own free will. It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day. And if any remains until the third day, it shall be burned in the fire. And if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination. It shall not be accepted. Therefore everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned the hallowed offering of the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from his people. (Leviticus 19:5-8) 

When the Lord God first gave Moses the laws regarding the burnt offerings, grain offerings and peace offerings, He said, ‘When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of the livestock—of the herd and of the flock. If his offering is a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it of his own free will at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord.' (Leviticus 1:2-3) These sacrifices were made as an offering of thanks to God for providing for their needs. They were not to be kept past the two days because they had no refrigeration and the meat would start rotting, which would be an abomination, because it was offered to God and should not go to waste, but should be burned in the fire. 

‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the Lord your God. (Leviticus 19:9-10) We've studied this before, but what is true religion? Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)

The purpose of the law regarding gleaning was to provide for the poor, especially the widows who did not have a husband or male children to take care of her, and the orphans who did not have parents or older siblings to take care of them. We'll understand this principle more when we study the book of Ruth. But for now, regardless of our family dynamic, If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. (II Thessalonians 3:10) God made provision for the poor that they would actually "reap" something when they worked, so that they could have a way of meeting their own needs without having to beg and ask.  The person who owned and harvested the crops would have more than enough, so what was left to be gleaned by the poor wouldn't be a major sacrifice, but a freewill offering that would please God.

‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:11-12) Yet again, the Lord God is reiterating from the Ten Commandments, when He said, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. ... You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." (Exodus 20:7, 15-16)

‘You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning. (Leviticus 19:13) In other words, pay people what is fair and don't delay in paying them for any reason. God gives a strong warning to the wealthy people who oppress those that work for them in this way; Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming uponyou! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. (James 5:1-4)

'You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:14)  When the Lord God was preparing to send Moses back to Egypt, He said, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?" (Exodus 4:11) We are all made by God, and He does not make any mistakes. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. (Psalm 139:14) 

‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty. In righteousness you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:15-16) Therefore, we should treat all people the same, For there is no partiality with God. (Romans 2:11) “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality." (Acts 10:34) 

‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:17-18) When the scribes asked Christ Jesus what was the greatest commandment, He replied, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Of all the laws and commandments that the Lord God had given, this specific one Christ Jesus stated was being the second of the two greatest ones. The reason being every law, commandment, decree, precept, statute, ordinance, judgement that the Lord God gave the children of Israel was given out of love.  God so loved, that He gave all this information that which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 18:5) Because man couldn't obey perfectly, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Because God did all of this to show His love for us, we should do the same for each other. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (I John 4:7-11) AMEN!

But let's be very clear, Love does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; (I Corinthians 13:6) Love does not mean we condone, compromise or tolerate anything that goes against the Word of God.  In the previous few lessons and in this lesson, the Lord God has made it very clear what is acceptable and unacceptable, in order for us to represent His Holiness before the world. We will continue in the next study with more of what He commands regarding holiness and justice...