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Laws of Holiness and Justice
Leviticus 19.1-2 and 15-18
Good News Translation (GNT)
1 The Lord told Moses
2 to say to the community of Israel, "Be holy,
because I, the Lord your God, am holy.
15 "Be honest and just when you make decisions
in legal cases; do not show favoritism
to the poor or fear the rich.
16 Do not spread lies about anyone, and when
someone is on trial for his life, speak out if
your testimony can help him. I am the Lord.
17 "Do not bear a grudge against others, but
settle your differences with them, so that you
will not commit a sin because of them.[a]
18 Do not take revenge on others or continue to
hate them, but love your neighbours as you
love yourself. I am the Lord.
Footnotes
Leviticus 19:17 so ... them;
or so that you do not commit this sin
against them.
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Taken from 'word-on-the-web' supplied by the
Scripture Union
Right relationships
A rabbi once told me you could throw away the whole of Leviticus and its rituals except for chapter 19.
By any measure it is one of the great ethical chapters of the Bible.
It contains immense wisdom, and obeying it would enhance the quality of any community.
Its main purpose, however, is to show God's children what being holy looks like (v 1).
The chapter may appear to be a random jumble of laws, but it isn't.
Changes in Hebrew terminology give more shape to it than may be apparent to us.
The first section (vs 1-10) lays some fundamental spiritual building blocks.
It starts by mentioning three of the Ten Commandments (vs 3,4); the rest are mentioned elsewhere in the chapter.
This chapter weaves together respect for God and for people, worship and welfare, the spiritual and the political; it does not compartmentalise them as we often do.
The second section (vs 11-18) also contains some of the Ten Commandments and is about relationships.
It calls for a commitment to uncorrupted justice (vs 15,16) - all contemporary themes - before dealing with motives (vs 17,18).
It summarises everything in 'love your neighbour as yourself', the second great commandment and the basis for Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan
(Mark 12:29-31; Luke 10:25-37).
Holiness is about the whole of life.
The contemporary church often measures holiness by sexual purity, but pious Christians who neglect the poor, or have broken relationship with their parents, or who engage in exploitive business practices or who lack love for their neighbours are not holy in God's book.
Derek Tidball
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