Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
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The Questions
1) Why are there so many “do nots”?
2) How does this passage demonstrate honor?
3) Why did God continually say, “I am the LORD” throughout these commands?
Leviticus 19:9-37
9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Do not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the resident alien; I am the Lord your God.
11 “Do not steal. Do not act deceptively or lie to one another. 12 Do not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God; I am the Lord.
13 “Do not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages due a hired worker must not remain with you until morning. 14 Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but you are to fear your God; I am the Lord.
15 “Do not act unjustly when deciding a case. Do not be partial to the poor or give preference to the rich; judge your neighbor fairly. 16 Do not go about spreading slander among your people; do not jeopardize your neighbor’s life; I am the Lord.
17 “Do not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him. 18 Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.
19 “You are to keep my statutes. Do not crossbreed two different kinds of your livestock, sow your fields with two kinds of seed, or put on a garment made of two kinds of material.
20 “If a man has sexual intercourse with a woman who is a slave designated for another man, but she has not been redeemed or given her freedom, there must be punishment. They are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21 However, he must bring a ram as his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 22 The priest will make atonement on his behalf before the Lord with the ram of the guilt offering for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven for the sin he committed.
23 “When you come into the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you are to consider the fruit forbidden. It will be forbidden to you for three years; it is not to be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit is to be consecrated as a praise offering to the Lord. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way, its yield will increase for you; I am the Lord your God.
26 “You are not to eat anything with blood in it. You are not to practice divination or witchcraft. 27 You are not to cut off the hair at the sides of your head or mar the edge of your beard. 28 You are not to make gashes on your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves; I am the Lord.
29 “Do not debase your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity. 30 Keep my Sabbaths and revere my sanctuary; I am the Lord.
31 “Do not turn to mediums or consult spiritists, or you will be defiled by them; I am the Lord your God.
32 “You are to rise in the presence of the elderly and honor the old. Fear your God; I am the Lord.
33 “When an alien resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him. 34 You will regard the alien who resides with you as the native-born among you. You are to love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.
35 “Do not be unfair in measurements of length, weight, or volume. 36 You are to have honest balances, honest weights, an honest dry measure, and an honest liquid measure; I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 Keep all my statutes and all my ordinances and do them; I am the Lord.”
Original Intent
1) Why are there so many “do nots”?
It is important to remember that God creates order and purpose. His purposes always flow from a heart of deep love because He is love. (1 John 4:16) He does not operate from the stance of “controlling dictator”, so we must drop this supposition when we study His words. His purposes for Israel were for them to multiply and live a long life of honor and worship towards Him so other nations would see that Yahweh was the true God. The rules He laid down here in Leviticus were God’s Code of Conduct. In reading Leviticus 19:9-37 it seems as if God thought of everything imaginable His people could, or would, ever consider doing. He created humans, He created the world, He knew the human heart and just what we are capable of. He established His law as a standard to clearly remind Israel to turn aside from the things of the world and “be holy as I (God) am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2) God’s Law drew a clear line of distinction between the practices of surrounding pagan cultures and how Israel was to live. Sin had ruled them, keeping them in slavery since the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden and their choice to sin against God. (Genesis 3) The standard of God’s holy law reinforced their need for redemption and forgiveness from a kind God who could, and would, make all things good and ‘clean’ again. When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, they witnessed a culture that reflected the pagan gods Egyptians worshiped. When the Israelites wandered in the Wilderness, they were witness to many people groups whose cultures also reflected pagan worship. God established His Law so the Israelites would show themselves as set apart while they reflected they were indeed God’s chosen people.
2) How does this passage demonstrate honor?
Living our lives after the pattern of God’s wisdom and loving boundaries is the very best way to live life! Because God is the author of life and is Himself love, we can trust His ways to be the wisest above our own. This Levitical law of honoring is still something to heed today. Although the word “honor” is technically only tied to the command “Honor your mother and father” (Leviticus 19:3), the idea of honoring God and others is woven throughout every command listed in this passage. Honoring neighbors. (Leviticus 19:15-18) Honoring elderly. (Leviticus 19:32) Honoring our children. (Leviticus 18:21, 19:29) Honoring our bodies. (Leviticus 19:27-28) Honoring foreigners. (Leviticus 19:34) All of these actions honor God! Honoring your children means you won’t give them up, by selling them into a lifestyle that will harm them. Honoring your neighbor, and your community, means you will seek their good, and give generously as you care for the poor and the needy. Honor the elders who have come before you. Respect and care for them. As we honor others, we will bring honor to the Lord God as we reflect His heart of love.
3) Why did God continually say, “I am the LORD” throughout these commands?
When you see “Lord” in all capital letters, it signifies the personal name God, Yahweh. It was deeply intimate, and regarded as so holy that Hebrews would not even write all the letters, instead abbreviating it as “YHWH”. Using the phrase “I am the LORD” throughout this passage in Leviticus is God’s way of grounding the Israelites and continuously reminding them of God’s personal love and His mighty character. As they lived out this lifestyle of love and honor, they were representing the very name and character of the God who passionately loved them, Yahweh. He alone brought them out of slavery in Egypt. It was Yahweh who sustained, provided, and led them as they wandered in the wilderness. God did not create these laws to be a dictator and make life difficult, He created them as a pattern for the best way to reflect His heart of love. God wanted His people to always be aware of Him.
Everyday Application
1) Why are there so many “do nots”?
Sinfulness was not an ancient Israel problem, but runs just as rampant in our own hearts and cultures today. Jesus knew we could never attain to the perfect standard of righteousness set out by the Old Testament Law. Our nature is to sin. Our DNA is to choose self over a Savior. One only needs to begin comparing ourselves to even a handful of commandments to see our sinful bent. Have we ever lied? Have we ever lusted (Jesus’ equivalent to committing adultery in Matthew 5:27-28)? Have we ever been angry (Jesus’ equivalent to murder in Matthew 5:21-22) One slight step away from the commands, is our own condemnation, resulting in eternal separation from the Holy God because we are not blameless before Him. When you read of God’s “do nots” let them remind you of His holiness, our own nature to sin, and our desperate need for a Savior, which God graciously and lovingly provides in Jesus Christ. The Lord’s list of “do nots” are also meant to safeguard our lives by creating wise boundaries. Our welfare, our physical health, our mental and emotional state require adherence to most of these “do nots” even today. God’s wise pattern for living is intended to show those around us that we are set apart (1 Peter 2:9-11) as followers of Christ just as Israel was set apart as God’s chosen people. Though we still have this Code of Conduct for righteous living, our only hope in attaining righteousness is found in Jesus Christ who came and perfectly fulfilled every requirement of the Law for us! He became our righteousness!
2) How does this passage demonstrate honor?
Honoring God and others isn’t solely an Old Testament concept; even Jesus talked about esteeming others above yourselves and giving to the poor. He elevated the idea of honoring others when He said loving your neighbor as yourself was the 2nd greatest commandment, second only to loving the Lord Himself. (Mark 12:31) We often think of Leviticus as different than the Ten Commandments, and wonder how those laws all relate to Jesus Christ and His life, or the times we are living in now. All the laws can feel overwhelming or obsolete. In Jesus’ day, Jews observed all regulations of the Old Testament, but Jesus brought the focus on two laws that encompassed every other one. Keeping God first and loving your neighbor as yourself. To love and honor are similar concepts. If you love someone (even yourself), you will honor and respect them. Paul reiterated the Levitical command when he wrote in Ephesians that by honoring parents, a long life was given. (Ephesians 6:2-3) To some of us, honoring our parents feels difficult and complicated as relationships often are. Perhaps we were mistreated or conflict constantly raises its voice in the relationship dynamics. However, if we are born again and have come to know Jesus as our Lord and Savior, His Spirit will give us the power to forgive and supernaturally love those who have mistreated us or are difficult to communicate with. When we seek to love the Lord first, He will empower us to love others.
3) Why did God continually say, “I am the LORD” throughout these commands?
While God’s name carried more heavy significance in the Old Testament culture, we can begin cultivating the same awe and respect for His name. Read through today’s passage and speak out loud the four words, “I am the LORD.” Or maybe say, “I am Yahweh”, and remember this name that carried such significant intimacy for ancient Israelites is the exact same for us! All who come to Christ and trust His work on the cross for our salvation are still God’s chosen people just like Israel! In similar fashion, we become set apart to reflect His name, His character, and His love to the world around us. Peter applied the Old Testament command to New Testament believers like us, “Be holy as I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) We can only be made holy and new in deeper ways by coming to Him in repentance and seeking Him daily. He deserves to be honored and prioritized first in whatever we do whether it’s in our long-term goals and dreams or our day to day moments. The more we submit to His Holy Spirit to reshape our hearts, the easier it becomes to live in such a way that we more clearly reflect the depth and intimacy of our relationship with Yahweh!
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
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in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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