Live as God’s Just People (06/10/2012)

June 10, 2012 Background Scripture: Leviticus 19 Lesson Passage: Leviticus 19:9 – 18, 33 – 37 The book of Leviticus hardly makes for a good bible study as a stand-alone book in its entirety. Much of its language reads like a cross between a legal guide and book of ritualistic worship. The book does not present a timeline in Israel’s history as much as it adds details to the timeline in Exodus and Numbers. Therefore, its contents are often referenced in other books of the bible. For example, whereas the book of Numbers presents the calendar event, the Day of Atonement, with its need for a lamb to be used as a sin offering, the book of Leviticus details the entire ritual including the appropriate dress and cleansing of the priests who will participate in the offering. On the other hand, there are passages within the book of Leviticus that convey the word of God in a fashion that is rather unique and do well standing on their own. Such is the case with the background scripture of our lesson today. This scripture presents the expected personal conduct of God’s people that would convey an understanding of the holiness they have been called into. Part of this conduct involved the civic responsibility to care for the poor and the foreigners that dwelled among them. Note that it was not suggesting that everything needed by the poor and foreigners be given to them. Rather, it outlines the proper actions by God’s covenant people that would create an opportunity for the poor and foreigners to work for what they needed. God’s people were commanded to deal fairly and ethically with each other. Even then it was recognized that some were living from one payday to the next. Therefore, those who employed workers were admonished to pay them daily as was expected rather than hold their wages overnight seeing that there were working poor who needed their wages as soon as the work was done. Deuteronomy takes this command a step further and suggests that the withholding of the wages could cause emotional distress in the worker who had set his heart upon receiving the income. God stated that this could lead to sin in the one withholding the wages if the worker, in his state of distress, cries out to the Lord against the person. Likewise, no one was to bring harm to those who had physical impairment among them such as the deaf and blind. Although this seems obvious because of its cruelty, there are those who seem to derive pleasure from abusing the less fortunate. When the legal process has to be employed, nothing short of justice is acceptable. The poor and the rich must be treated the same and afforded a fair trial in a court of law. Hatred for God’s people is not tolerated but must always be replaced by an empathy that causes one to love his neighbor as himself. This attitude was to be expanded to include any foreigners that were living among the people of God as well. All should be blessed by living in the presence of God’s people. All who live among God’s people should readily recognize that God’s people live so as to reflect the knowledge and reverence of God in their lives. Robert C. Hudson May 30, 2012