“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 19:18, NKJV).

Leviticus 19-20 contain a number of miscellaneous laws, ranging from the Sabbath, to sorcery, to kindness to strangers. The diversity of these laws shows that God is interested in all aspects of life. He did not give laws only to keep Israel from doing what was wrong, but also to tell Israel what it meant to live as the nation chosen by God and as people who loved God.

Most of the time, all that was needed was a reminder of existing laws; for example, those concerning respect for parents, Sabbath-keeping, worship of idols and eating of sacrificial food. When harvesting, farmers were always to leave something for the poor. Employers had to pay wages promptly, and judges had to be impartial and free of corruption.

People in general were to avoid stealing, lying, and exploiting the disadvantaged. We are to avoid gossip and vengeance, exercise forgiveness and love each other!

Sources:

Halley, Henry H. Halley’s Bible Handbook. ePub Format. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2000.

MySword for Android. Riversoft Ministry, 2011-2019.

Olive Tree Bible Software, 1998-2020.

http://www.biblegateway.com

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