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
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