I Am the Lord thy God

June 10, 2012

Lesson: Leviticus 19:9–18, 33–37

Key Verse: Leviticus 19:34

 rg

Introduction

The Law of the Lord is the same in the New Testament as it is revealed in the Old Testament. God’s redemptive congregation, His chosen people, are one, revealed in both Testaments; for all of Scripture is written and preserved by Him: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:16). It is the same Lord who said, “thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deut. 6:5)—who spoke to His disciples, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matt. 22:37–40). This is the same Jehovah, “Yahshua=Jehovah is salvation” who is the Son of God, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). When we come to the book of Leviticus, we come to the Word of God, even Christ Himself: “the Lord thy God.”

 sg

Be a Blessing to Others—Leviticus 19:9–18

We are to love God and love others with the greatest of motivations, the declaration of our Creator: “I am the Lord thy God.” Jehovah is ever-present with His people, revealed in the ever presence of the Messiah, Christ the Son. For in Him alone is revealed the glory of the Godhead. “For me to live is Christ” is the testimony of both the Old and New Testament congregations.

To illustrate our love for God and others in the Lord, this third book of Moses (calling the Lord’s people to serve Him, to be taught how to live morally and ethically as those created in the image of God), it is written, “And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of the vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger”—why”—“I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD.” Our moral character and actions are given by the Lord to whom we belong, who has chosen for Himself a people: “Having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Eph. 1:5). Having been justified in and for Christ, our Lord sanctifies us that our faith may produce good works to His glory: “They who are effectually called and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them, are further sanctified, really and personally, through the virtue of Christ’s death and resurrection, by His Word and Spirit dwelling in them: the dominion of the whole body of sin destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified; and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord” (Westminster Confession of Faith).

We who belong to the Lord are enabled to die to sin: “Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until morning. Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, thou shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord.” When we transgress the moral Law of God, we not only blaspheme the Word of God in our disobedience, we bring an affliction upon others, rather than a blessing. We are not to place a stumbling block before those who are weak, with little understanding or knowledge (the blind and deaf), feeling that we are superior to them.

We are enabled to do that which is righteous: “but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor. Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor: I am the Lord. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt not in any way rebuke thy neighbor, and suffer sin upon him. …but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the Lord.” James (Ch. 3) encourages congregations to be strong in persecution, writing, “He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law.” We must not judge one another in an evil way. We are not to judge: to condemn and punish, as if we are judge and jury. When we judge a brother in an unrighteous way, we are also judging God’s law, making the law fit the judgment. The emphasis is on the person who enjoys smearing the name of another, thus raising himself above another. John Calvin comments: “We see how much James takes in correcting the lust for slandering. For hypocrisy is always presumptuous, and we are by nature hypocrites, fondly exalting ourselves by (slandering) others. There is also another disease innate in human nature, that every one would have all others to live according to his own will or fancy. This is presumption that James suitably condemns in this passage, that is, because we dare to impose on our brethren our rule of life.”

We ought to show the love of Christ for one another: “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves him who begot also loves him who is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments” (1 John 5:1–3).

Discussion: In what ways are we to be a blessing to one another?

 asdfd

Observe the Statutes of God—Leviticus 19:33–37

The Lord gives us further understanding on the application of His statutes in our relationship with Him and others: “And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” Again we are reminded that our lives rest upon the truth that the Lord is our God; not that we chose Him but that He has chosen us to be holy as He is holy: “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Eph.:4). We too were strangers to God before the Spirit’s regeneration of our lives brought us into the household of God: “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world: but now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ” (Eph. 2:12–13).

Therefore, “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or measure. Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.” Whether it is in business office, or the selling of food by the pound, it must be of an honest way, an honest price. We, who have been delivered from the darkness of the sin of this world, must be so trusted that we might witness to the glory and honor of our Deliverer. Let us treat the stranger with justice and mercy, with righteous acts in the knowledge of truth delivered to us by the Spirit; that they may be made willing to hear the Gospel that we have heard.

“Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and my judgments, and do them: I am the Lord.” Shall not our obedience reveal our love for Him who first loved us? Mathew Henry wrote: “We are not likely to do God’s statutes, unless we observe them with great care and consideration. Yet it is not enough barely to observe God’s precepts, but we must make conscience of obeying them. What will it avail us to be critical in our notions, if we be not conscientious in our conversations? An upright heart has respect to all God’s commandments, Though in many instances the hand fails in doing what should be done, yet the eye observes all God’s statutes. We are not allowed to pick and choose our duty, but must aim at standing complete in all the will of God.” He gives us this verse for our meditation: “Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all the commandments” (Psa. 119:6).

Discussion: Why and how should we obey the commandments of our Lord?

aff

Lessons are based on the International Sunday School Lessons for Christian Teaching, copyright © 2012 by the Committee on the Uniform Series.