Leviticus 19-21 (Psalm 50)

Leviticus 19 is a chapter that contains various laws, many reiterations or variants of the original moral law found within the decalogue with consistent emphasis on holiness because the LORD God of the Israelites is holy. Much of the instruction in this chapter have implications that impact interpersonal relationships between different people within society which has significant crossover today in modern civility and societal order, here are just a few excerpts:

  • 19:9-10 "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and foreigner."
  • 19:14 "Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind..."
  • 19:15 "Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly."
  • 19:35-36 "Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah [22 liters] and an honest hin [gallon]."
  • 19:33-34 "When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt."
Much of the treatment of others is central to the teaching of Jesus which asserts the greatest commandment is to love the LORD your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength with the second most important to love your neighbor as yourself, or as Leviticus 19:34 could be paraphrased, 'Love others as yourself.' In a western culture where preserving national pride, Biblical morality and values have been replaced with subversively destructive post modern pro authoritarian hateful anti-God deceptions we are seeing an uptick in violence and lawlessness. As we see throughout scripture in both the old and new testaments that God seeks a people who do not just honor Him with their lips or blood sacrifices, rather God seeks a consecrated people who make a covenant with Him by sacrifices of thank offerings: mercy and love. 

Psalm 50:13-15 (NIV) "Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

Jesus reiterates this message in his instruction to the Pharisees who criticize him for eating with sinners, quoting God in Hosea "For I delight in faithfulness, not simply in sacrifice" (NET translation). This is consistent with Mosaic law, God desires love, mercy and faithfulness in covenantal relationship, to that end the sin and burnt offerings function simply as a reminder of mankind's separation and fallen nature from a holy God. The beautiful truth and reality is that God made a way with the old covenant for man to be restored and an even better new covenant through His son Jesus in 33 A.D. We can be made holy in Christ alone because the LORD our God is holy, all we must do is repent from wrong doing and believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Offering a sacrifice of thank offerings through genuine sacrificial worship, true repentance/turning from sin, is an outward expression of moral and spiritual obedience which is pleasing and acceptable to God - it is what he desires from us.

Psalm 40:6-8 (NIV) "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire - but my ears you have opened - burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, "Here I am, I have come - it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, my God."


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