Laws to Honor God in Holiness

Leviticus 19:1-22 

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “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. 3 “Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.

4 “Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods: I am the Lord your God.

5 “And if you offer a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, you shall offer it of your own free will. 6 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. 7 And if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination. It shall not be accepted. 8 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.

9 “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. 10 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.

11 “You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. 12 And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.  13 “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. 14 You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

15 “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. 16 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.

17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. 18 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.

19 “You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you.

20 “Whoever lies carnally with a woman who is betrothed to a man as a concubine, and who has not at all been redeemed nor given her freedom, for this there shall be scourging; but they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. 21 And he shall bring his trespass offering to the Lord, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, a ram as a trespass offering. 22 The priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the Lord for his sin which he has committed. And the sin which he has committed shall be forgiven him.

This chapter covers many specific commands on how to live rightly before both God and man.  It begins with the command to be holy, doing as God would do in word and deed.  This means keeping the commandments such as honoring parents and having no other idol gods.  Sacrifices are to be done God’s way because He is holy.  Consideration of the poor is covered, telling and living truthfully and not slandering for gain or revenge, treating disabled with dignity (love) in the fear of God, being fair and impartial to rich and poor, and not gossiping or wanting others dead in hate or spite.  This means loving our neighbor, not seeking vengeance and yet also confronting their sin for correction and reconciliation with God.  We are not to hold grudges, not seek to get back when wronged, but instead keep God’s word.  Sin must be confessed and atonement accepted in all trespasses of these commands we break.  He will forgive!  This is true and even clearer in Christ, for we see the heart of all God said before to Love Him above all, and to love each other without condition or malice from our hearts.  We are therefore to honor God in holiness.