레위기 Chapter 19

Translation: ESV

1

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

Key Message

Holiness is not an abstract concept but is practiced concretely in every relationship of daily life.

▸Leviticus 19 is called the heart of the Holiness Code, containing commands for holiness spanning Israel's social, economic, and religious life as a whole.

Leviticus 19 is called the heart of the Holiness Code, containing commands for holiness spanning Israel's social, economic, and religious life as a whole. This chapter can be seen as an expansion and specification of the Ten Commandments.

Related Verses

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
2

"Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.

Key Message

God's people must be a holy community that resembles the character of their God.

▸Leviticus 19 begins with the command to be holy.

3

Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

Key Message

Holy life begins with reverence for God (Sabbath) and honor for family (parents).

▸Revering parents (the Fifth Commandment) and keeping the Sabbath (the Fourth Commandment) are commanded side by side.

9

"When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest.

Key Message

Possessions are not entirely one's own; sharing with the poor is God's command.

▸The gleaning regulation was a social safety net for the poor.

11

"You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another.

Key Message

Honesty is the core of holy living that reflects God's character, and one must be truthful in all relationships.

▸The Eighth Commandment (prohibition of stealing) and the Ninth Commandment (prohibition of false witness) are applied to everyday commerce and relationships.

14

You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

Key Message

How one treats vulnerable people when no one is watching reveals true fear of God.

▸This is a command protecting the disabled.

15

"You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.

Key Message

God's justice must be applied equally to all people regardless of status or economic standing.

▸This is a command concerning fair judgment.

16

You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.

Key Message

Both harming a neighbor with words and standing by indifferently when a neighbor is in crisis violate holy living.

▸'You shall not go around as a slanderer' forbids gossip and defamation.

17

"You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.

Key Message

True love for one's neighbor is not overlooking wrongdoing but includes the courage to rebuke with love.

▸Hatred in the heart is forbidden, and one is also commanded to rebuke a neighbor who has done wrong.

18

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.

Key Message

Love for one's neighbor must be expressed with the same level of care and concern as for oneself; this is the fulfillment of the law.

▸This is the heart of Leviticus 19 and one of the most famous verses in all of the Old Testament.

33

"When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.

Key Message

The experience of one's own suffering should become the motivation for empathizing with and protecting the suffering of others.

▸This is a protective regulation for the foreign sojourner (ger).

34

You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Key Message

Love of neighbor is a universal command applying to all people across ethnic and cultural boundaries.

▸The command to love one's neighbor from verse 18 applies equally to the foreign sojourner.