Leviticus

Leviticus 19: Love your neighbor as yourself

Begin in prayer

Before you read Leviticus 19, where God says, You shall be holy, for I am holy, and commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves, bow your heads. Ask the Lord to show us our need of Jesus' righteousness and His love.

A false balance is an abomination to Yahweh, but accurate weights are his delight.

Proverbs 11:1

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Show us how Your holiness reaches every corner of our daily lives, and lead us to trust Jesus, who loved us and gave Himself for us. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

In Leviticus 19 the LORD tells the whole congregation of Israel to be holy, because He is holy. They must respect their mother and father, keep His Sabbaths, turn from idols, and eat the peace offering within two days. At harvest time they must leave the corners of the field and the fallen grapes for the poor and the foreigner. God forbids stealing, lying, false oaths, holding back a worker's wages overnight, cursing the deaf, tripping the blind, partiality in court, slander, and grudges. Instead, verse 18 commands, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. After laws on mixtures, fruit trees and mediums, God commands Israel to honor the elderly, love the foreigner, and use honest scales.

As you read Leviticus 19, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

The holy LORD teaches His people to love their neighbor, and Christ fulfilled that law of love.

Leviticus 19 opens with the central call of the book, “You shall be holy; for I, Yahweh your God, am holy” (verse 2). Fifteen times in this chapter God repeats His name, “I am Yahweh,” showing that every part of daily life belongs to Him. Notice how the Ten Commandments are woven right into everyday work. Respecting mother and father, keeping the Sabbath, and shunning idols come first (verses 3 and 4). In the fields, reapers had to leave the corners and gleanings “for the poor and for the foreigner” (verses 9 and 10). Workers had to be paid promptly, judges had to be fair, and merchants had to use “just balances, just weights” (verses 13 and 36). Some laws here were ceremonial shadows of separation, like not mixing seed or cloth (verse 19), while the moral law of love abides forever. Verse 18 crowns them all, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself,” and verse 34 extends that love to the foreigner. Whoever stumbles in one point is guilty of all, so we need Christ, who kept this law of love (James 2 verse 10).

How does Leviticus 19 show us that the holy LORD teaches His people to love their neighbor, and Christ fulfilled that law of love?

God's holiness reaches the home, the harvest field, and our daily words.

God says, “You shall be holy,” starting at home with respect for mother and father (verses 2 and 3). At harvest, farmers left the corners and fallen grapes “for the poor and for the foreigner” (verses 9 and 10). Verses 11 to 14 forbid stealing, lying, false oaths, keeping wages overnight, cursing the deaf, or tripping the blind. Only Christ kept all these commands without stain and gives believers hearts that fear God (verse 14).

Instead of holding grudges, God's people must love their neighbor as themselves.

In court, judges could neither favor the poor nor flatter the great (verse 15). God forbade slander, hating a brother in the heart, taking vengeance, or bearing a grudge (verses 16 to 18). Instead, verse 18 gives the command Jesus called the second greatest, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22 verse 39).

God commands honor for the aged, love for the stranger, and honest scales.

Ceremonial laws on mixed seed, cloth, and fourth-year fruit pictured Israel's separation, while God's moral commands abide (verses 19 and 24). God forbade mediums and told the young to “rise up before the gray head” (verses 31 and 32). Israel had to love the foreigner as themselves and keep “just balances, just weights” (verses 34 and 36).

Memorise

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 Yahweh.

Leviticus 19:18

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, have I loved my neighbor as myself, or do I need Jesus' forgiveness?

In Leviticus 19, the LORD says, “You shall be holy; for I, Yahweh your God, am holy.” He commands us to honor parents, leave gleanings for the poor, never steal or lie, never hold a grudge, honor the elderly, and use honest scales. And at the heart of the chapter stands verse 18, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh.”

When we measure our hearts against Leviticus 19, not one of us can claim to be righteous. We have been selfish, spoken lies, held grudges in our hearts, and failed to love our neighbor as ourselves. As James 2 verse 10 says, whoever stumbles in one point has become guilty of all, so keeping the law can never save us. That is why God sent His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus loved His Father with all His heart and loved His neighbor without a single flaw. Then He went to the cross, took the guilt of our selfishness and sin upon Himself, and died in His people's place. He rose from the dead on the third day, and nothing is missing from His righteousness or sacrifice.

Stop excusing your grudges or trusting your own decency. Turn from your sin and trust in Jesus today. Everyone who trusts Him is forgiven and taught by His Spirit to love others.

Parent's note

Tell your children that none of us has loved our neighbor perfectly, so we need Jesus to forgive us and change us. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God that Jesus fulfilled the royal law of love and died to forgive our sins, and bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

However, if you fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well.

James 2:8

Father in heaven, You are holy, and Your command to love our neighbor as ourselves is holy and good. We confess that we have often been selfish, dishonest, and slow to forgive. Thank You that Jesus loved us and gave Himself on the cross for our sins. Please forgive us through faith in Jesus, and fill our home with Your love and honesty this week. Amen.