Today, I am reading and commenting on Leviticus 19-21.

I have a Youtube video of me reading the Scripture passage and my comments. Please check it out and let me know your thoughts.

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During my video reading the passage I commented on how verse 21 in chapter 20 was the reason that John the Baptist confronted Herod about Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, according to Mark.

I really like the way this passage is laid out (recording the passage in a video really helped me realize that).  It starts out by telling the people of Israel, and I believe us, to be holy because the Lord our God is holy.  Then throughout the passage it repeats regularly after giving a commandment, “I am the Lord your God.”  This repetition reminds us that we should obey these commands in order to be holy as God is holy.  For me, the centerpiece of the commands to be holy as God is holy starts in chapter 19 verse 9 where God tells the Israelites not to reap their fields right up to edge, nor to gather the gleanings after the harvest.  Those were to be left for the poor or the foreigner temporarily living among them.  This reminds me of a saying I have heard about business today, “Don’t leave money on the table.”  However, this is the opposite of that saying.  This passage says that when we have a successful business, we should “leave money on the table.”  We should not attempt to squeeze every last dime out of our business dealings.  We should leave room for those less fortunate than ourselves to support themselves.  A little further into the passage it says to pay out the wages of a hired worker at the end of the day.  Again, this reminds me of a practice which many companies have adopted where they delay paying invoices  in order to gain a small advantage from interest.  This is another example of “Don’t leave any money on the table.”  Again, God tells us that we should “leave some money on the table.”

What I wrote above is something I have seen for quite a few years in this passage.  The lesson being, do not build your economic success on the economic failure of others.  In fact, use your economic success to leave opportunities for others.  However, there are other lessons here: don’t be partial to the poor and don’t defer to the rich and powerful.  Instead judge righteously.  Another one being: don’t slander others.  Then the one which jumped out at me in verse 17, do not hate your brother…but reason frankly with your neighbor.”  This means listen to what people say about why they believe what they do.  Use reason to explain why you hold a differing viewpoint and allow them to do likewise.  All of these are summed up in in verse 18 of chapter 19, where it says, “but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”  As Jesus tells us in the New Testament, that is the second most important commandment.  That last sentence, “I am the Lord,” contains a reminder of the most important command, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”    This is what it means to be holy as the Lord our God is holy.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.