Daily reading assignment – Leviticus 19-21
* This is the first of two devotionals for today’s scripture reading.
Leviticus 19 introduces a detail review of the commandments of the LORD beginning with the sum of all the commandments: “Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).
From that command flows a series of laws that define the essence of what it means to be a holy, sanctified, people. For brevity, I will offer a summary of three series of commandments (19:9-37).
Leviticus 19:9-18 – Moral Guidelines Concerning One’s Neighbor
A holy people will:
19:3 – Fear and revere father and mother and keep the Sabbath holy.
19:4 – Not worship idols
19:9-10 – Be compassionate to the poor
19:13 – Pay day laborers their earned wages at the close of a work day
19:14 – Show kindness to the disadvantaged (deaf and blind)
19:15 – Be impartial in judgment
19:16-17 – Not gossip, slander, or hate another
19:18 – “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”
Leviticus 19:19-32 – Natural Laws
A holy people will:
19:20-22 – Not disgrace a slave
19:29 – Shelter and protect a daughter’s virtue
19:32 – Stand in reverence and honor the elderly
Leviticus 19:33-37 – Judicial Matters
A holy people will:
19:33-34 – Be compassionate and loving to a stranger and a foreigner
19:35-36 – Be fair and just in business and commercial matters
God’s command for His people to be holy is practical, instructive, and clearly stated.
21st century believers would do well to recognize the LORD’S command for His people to be holy touches every area of life…marriage, family, neighbor, employee\employer, even business principles of just and fairness.
How do you measure up to God’s holy standard?
Copyright 2020 – Travis D. Smith
