TREAT YOUR NEIGHBOR WITH LOVE
Leviticus 19:9-19, 34-37
God is holy and He commands His people to be Holy.
Leviticus 19:1-10
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.
We are commanded to practice righteousness in all we do. Believers are role
Models to the rest of the world. None believers should see in our ways that are
Pleasing to God. It\’s our actions and attitude that draw others to Christ. We
Have the power to influence others in God’s ways.
PROVIDE FOR THE NEEDS OF THE POOR
V:9 \”\’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. 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the Lord your God.
The Israelites, still in the desert were being prepared by the Lord in the
Practical ways of living as free people in the promised land. Successful
Relationships with each other and strangers were to follow God’s commands.
God commanded the Israelites to treat everyone with love and respect.
Acts of kindness show our love for God and our love for our neighbors.
God promised the Israelites that all their need would be provided if
They were obedient to His commands. There was no reason for any
Israelite to be poor.
Let me suggest that the only reason an Israelites became
poor was their disobedience in dealing with one another.
God knew their sinfulness, there He made allowances for their
Recovery.
Deuteronomy 28:10-12
All the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. 11 The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity — in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground — in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.
Today God’s gives us the same promise. We are commanded to put our
Trust in the Lord.
Romans 15:13-14
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Not only did God make provisions for the Israelites who fell on hard times,
But he made provisions for the none Israelites who attached themselves to
Them.
God’s welfare system starts with the generosity of His people. He commanded
Those who prospered to leave in the fields produce for the poor
And the aliens to harvest. Notice it was not a hand out but a hand up.
Those who were poor were given the opportunity to go reap what
Was purposely left for them in the fields.
Because of their own failure, the poor had to wait until the best was
Harvested by the owner, before they could go in the fields. Despite
Our sinfulness, whatever God does for us is sufficient.
NO NEED TO TAKE WHAT OTHERS HAVE
V:11 \”\’Do not steal.
\”\’Do not lie.
\”\’Do not deceive one another.
Because of the abundance promised by the Lord for our obedience,
No Christian has any reason to steal, lie, or deceive another person.
Satan came to steal, kill and destroy. When we resist God’s commands
For righteousness, we fall into Satan’s trap.
When we fall into Satan’s trap, we hurt ourselves first. We break fellowship with
The Lord and are no longer under God’s full protection. To lie, steal or
Deceive another person is to take our eyes off God and focused on
The flesh.
To restore fellowship with the Lord requires more than a prayer of
Forgiveness, but repentance and confession of our sins to the one
We hurt.
James 5:16
Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
DO NOT USE GOD’S NAME IN VAIN
V:12 \”\’Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.
We should always consider the Lord’s name as Holy. We should never use
The Lord’s name in idle conversation. God is not common, and we should not
bring Him low in daily conversation.
Don’t use expressions like “My God” or swear by His name to prove your
Worth. When you swear by God’s name, you bring Him low and involve Him
In your lie. It is wrong to lie. But to use God to prove your lie is worst.
We must get in a habit of only using God’s name in prayer and in
Conversations to uplift, build up, and comfort others in the Word.
God is not your buddy, He is your Lord.
STEALING OF ANY KIND IS SINFUL
V:13 \”\’Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him.
\”\’Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight.
In todays society, robbery occurs everyday in every element
Of our lives. Robbery occurs on the internet, by telephone,
In our corporate offices, and in the streets. We even rob God
Of His tithes and offering in worship (Mal 3:10).
The first thing believers should strive for is an attitude of honesty.
We first must be honest with ourselves before we can be honest
With our neighbors. Dishonesty starts in the heart, and moves into
Action as we pursue selfish desires.
We can rob someone of their self-esteem and confidence with hurtful
Words and lies. Our words have power, therefore we should consider
The well being of others before we speak.
DON’T DISRESPECT A PERSON BECAUSE OF THEIR NEEDS
V:14 \”\’Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.
We need to be kind to everyone regardless of their disability. It is a sorry state
Of mind to use someone’s disability for our personal pleasure. We all have
Some disabilities in some area. Some are obvious and some are hidden.
What we need to remember is what goes around comes around
Mark 4:24-25
\”With the measure you use, it will be measured to you — and even more.
God has a way of getting revenge in a way we can’t think of.
Doing wrong will not go unpunished. Some punishments are designed to teach
Us valuable lessons about relationships.
SHOW LOVE, NOT FAVORITISM
V:15 \”\’Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
God is no respecter of a person. Poor or rich are just human conditions.
Some pride themselves on what they have. Others devalue themselves
For what they lack. God sees everyone as equal. Likewise, we are to see
Everyone is equal. All should be judged by God’s righteousness.
Justice should be blind to position, status, or money.
DON’T SPREAD GOSSIP
16 \”\’Do not go about spreading slander among your people.
\”\’Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor\’s life. I am the Lord.
17 \”\’Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt.
Let love govern your actions toward others.
If you love your neighbor, you will lift them up and spread good works about
Them. Christians are in the business of drawing others to Christ, not driving
Them away. Each of us is dependent on others. You never know who
God has put in your life what their purpose is. The very person you hate
Maybe the person God placed in your life is your help in times of need.
If others are going astray, we have a job to rebuke them with God’s Word.
God gave us the first example outside the garden when He rebuked Cain prior
Killing able.
Genesis 4:6-7
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, \”Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.\”
BE KIND, LET GOD BE THE REVENGER
V:18 \”\’Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
When we are hurt, the tendency is to get even. But vengeance is the Lord.
Deuteronomy 32:35
35 To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.
We are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves. Love overlooks any
Wrongs done. God has forgiven us, therefore we must forgive others.
Leviticus 19:34-37
34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
God reminds us of the grace and mercy He has shown. We aliens while
On this earth. By the grace of God through the atoning blood of Jesus
He treats us as sons and daughters.
Love is the equalizing factor that allows us to treat everyone as we
Want God to treat us. God commands us to treat everyone as
Brothers and sisters. God does not see race or nationality, but each
As His children.
HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY
V:35 \”\’Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight, or quantity. 36 Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt.
Robbery includes not giving someone all that they paid for.
Honesty is always the best policy. Worship of the Lord includes being
Truthful in every way we deal with others. When we use dishonest
Scales, we breaking the command not to lie. We can lie in words and
Lie in actions.
God treats us with respect even when we are disrespectful. We should
Show the same love to others.
V:37 \”\’Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the Lord.\’\”
The Lord said He would rather obedience than sacrifice
1 Samuel 15:22
\”Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice.
We reverence the Lord with our obedience. While we will never be totally
Obedient, we strive for it. God looks at our hearts and knows our intentions.
It is far easier to make a sacrifice than to be totally obedient.
Rev. M. Mitchell
