seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Leviticus 19:1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.
3 “‘Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.
4 “‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.
5 “‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 6 It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up. 7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted. 8 Whoever eats it will be held responsible because they have desecrated what is holy to the Lord; they must be cut off from their people.
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 foreigner. I am the Lord your God
3 “‘Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.
4 “‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.
5 “‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 6 It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up. 7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted. 8 Whoever eats it will be held responsible because they have desecrated what is holy to the Lord; they must be cut off from their people.
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 foreigner. I am the Lord your God
There are generally "working preacher" commentaries for verses. They are the preachiest commentaries generally. This morning, the "working preacher" commentaries were really interesting. If Leviticus is the book about the Levites, Chapter 19 seems to be the chapter about how to be holy people.
The Israelites have been set apart. They are a family 2+million strong that strive to do what is right. It's that striving to do what is right that makes them a holy people. A lot of the preachy commentaries lament the loss of holiness in society.
These comments come from the easy English commentary.
‘Be holy, because I am holy’. This is the most important thing that the Book of Leviticus teaches. Jesus also teaches this in Matthew 5:48. God’s people cannot do whatever things they themselves want to do. They must do the things that God wants them to do. They must be separate because they are God’s people. They belong to him. So they cannot behave as other people behave.
Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us to love God. But Leviticus does not tell us to love God. That is because Leviticus tells us to obey God. Jesus said this: ‘If you love me, you will obey me’, John 14:15. So they are both the same thing. We show our love for God when we obey his laws.
The Hebrew word for ‘images of false gods’ is similar to the Hebrew word for God. But it does not mean the same. It means ‘something that is empty’, as in Isaiah 44:10.
Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us to love God. But Leviticus does not tell us to love God. That is because Leviticus tells us to obey God. Jesus said this: ‘If you love me, you will obey me’, John 14:15. So they are both the same thing. We show our love for God when we obey his laws.
The Hebrew word for ‘images of false gods’ is similar to the Hebrew word for God. But it does not mean the same. It means ‘something that is empty’, as in Isaiah 44:10.
The same commentary has this to say about the fellowship offering.
The rules for the peace offering are in Leviticus chapter 3 and 7:15-18. People brought this type of offering when they wanted to have fellowship with God and with other people. They did not have to make these sacrifices. But if they did, they had to obey the rules. And the rules said that they had to eat the meat immediately. Otherwise, they had to share it with other people. They could not dry it or use salt to store it for a future occasion. They had to eat it that day, or the next day. God would 'cut off’ the person who did not obey these rules. This probably means that that person will die.
Gotta say, eating bad meat might make you want to die.... so this rule was a "keep me safe" kind of rule.
And finally the commentary says this about harvesting the fields and leaving some behind.
God wants his people to care about poor people. He told them that they must leave part of the harvest for poor people to gather. This part is called the ‘gleanings’. You can read more about this in Ruth chapter 2. Poor people still had to work to gather this food.
Christians must also care about poor people, Galatians 2:10. And God still wants people who can work for their food to do that, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12.
Christians must also care about poor people, Galatians 2:10. And God still wants people who can work for their food to do that, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12.
