Be Ye Holy: Leviticus 19 and the New Testament
2000-10-27
Introduction
Since God had called Israel to be His own people, He shows how they should be holy, or set apart, from the rest of the world by giving them His law. He says that they should be holy because He is holy, as He states in the beginning of Leviticus 19. Holiness is a recurring theme throughout the entire book of Leviticus. Erickson defines the word for holy (קָדוֹשׁ) as being “‘marked off’ or ‘withdrawn from common, ordinary use’” (Erickson 311). The common refrain of Leviticus 19 is ‘I am the LORD’, or ‘I am the LORD your God.’ This is to emphasize that these ordinances should be done because He is their God, and the law is the expression of His perfect character. In this chapter, the law served as a pedagogical illustration to set the standard for holiness so that they could be God’s people first, and become God’s model for the rest of the world. This standard of holiness is God Himself, which is the reason for the repetition of His name after many of the ordinances. God’s holiness refers to God as not being a part of His creation; He exists outside His creation for He created the universe ex nihilo (out of nothing). The world that became cursed through the sin of humankind did not defile the holiness of God.
It is important to define what holiness or being set apart means according to this passage. First, God makes it clear that there should not be images of false gods or false god worship (19:4), which was commonplace for their neighbors in the ancient Near East. There was one God for Israel and for the world, and His image could not be represented by anything made on earth; otherwise one would worship part of the creation and not the Creator. People were made in the image of God; therefore, no other image is necessary. In the first half of the chapter up to verse 18, God shows how the Ten Commandments of their own law should be exhibited by inward thoughts and as well as by action.
Secondly, God shows how His people should stay away from the defiled ways of the pagans, yet show love for all other people, including the non-Israelites in their midst. The second part of the chapter examines this. Though God makes it clear that Israel should not get involved with the pagan practices of neighbors, this chapter also stresses that Israel also must be loving toward those in need as well as the stranger that dwells among them. Therefore, this passage points towards its fulfillment in the New Testament in the revelation of the two greatest commandments, which are to love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love one’s neighbor as one’s self.
This passage also revisits the Ten Commandments of Exodus 20, bringing them to new light. Just as Jesus brings the law into a deeper more spiritual level in the Gospels (especially on the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5-7), this passage also does this by illustrating in more detail what the commandments mean. As the first three commandments deal with God-focused worship, the latter six commands deal with living among other people in their community. Following God’s ordinances meant more than just what the commandments said not to do; the ordinances also call for a change of heart.
Leviticus 19:1-2
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.”
This introduction sets the stage for what God is about to tell the Israelites. “Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy” is what He says (Leviticus 19:2). From a New Testament point of view, this is a very profound statement, because it clearly displays the unrighteousness of humankind (Romans 3:10). Who could be holy like God? This is not humanly possible, and this is why there is a dire need for Christ to come and give Himself for all of humanity, who is incapable of saving themselves. These statements show that this law is not a means for salvation, but a standard to learn about the holiness of God and how to live by faith through His instruction. Peter quotes this verse in 1 Peter 1:16 when telling his readers to live out their lives with fear, since they have been bought with the blood of Jesus.
Leviticus 19:3
“Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the Lord your God.”
This verse revisits the fifth (Exodus 20:12) and then the fourth (Exodus 20:8-11) commandments. The fifth commandment is to honor one’s parents. In this passage, the command is to fear one’s parents. Fear (ירא) is more than just the action of honoring (כּבד in piel); this is a call for a specific attitude toward one’s parents. According to Henry, “It includes inward reverence and esteem, outward expressions of respect, obedience to the lawful commands of parents, care and endeavour to please them and make them easy, and to avoid every thing that may offend and grieve them, and incur their displeasure.” Henry also notes that the word mother is unusually listed first, showing that this reverence is equally applied to both parents.
Paul’s teaching in the New Testament upholds this type of relationship in the household. Paul uses the word ‘obey,’ calling for submission of children to parents (Ephesians 6:1). He uses this example in a series of relationships that are models between God and His people.
The Sabbath, which is the sign of God’s covenant at Sinai (Exodus 31:13), was to be honored. This was repeated again in verse 30, showing the significance of this law. This came from the first week in human history where God created the universe in six days, but rested on the seventh day. The Sabbath includes the seventh day and year, the year of Jubile, and the required festivals. The coming of Jesus Christ fulfills this ordinance. Christ was the personification of the festivals, and also the fulfillment of the Sabbath day of rest (Colossians 2:16-17). The new covenant in His blood nullified the old covenant, which was broken by the people (Jeremiah 31:31ff). If the covenant was nullified, then the sign of the covenant (Exodus 31:13) is no longer to be observed.
Leviticus 19:4
“Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord your God.”
Carved images and worshipping of idols were discussed in the first two commandments (Exodus 20:3-6). The invisible God cannot be likened to anything that is of stone, wood, or gold (Isaiah 44:9-20); the image of God was reserved for the human race (Genesis 1:26), and ultimately Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:15). To compare the living God, who is all-powerful and all-knowing, to something powerless, blind, deaf, dumb, and dead is an insult to Him.
Leviticus 19:5-8
“And if ye offer a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord, ye shall offer it at your own will. It shall be eaten the same day ye offer it, and on the morrow: and if ought remain until the third day, it shall be burnt in the fire. And if it be eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted. Therefore every one that eateth it shall bear his iniquity, because he hath profaned the hallowed thing of the Lord: and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.”
The instruction for the peace offering was given in Leviticus 7. The instruction here omits the portion of performing this sacrifice if it were a sacrifice of thanksgiving, in which the flesh of the sacrifice had to be eaten the same day. The voluntary, freewill peace offering is mentioned, which could be eaten for an additional day thereafter. God stresses that a sacrifice for a peace offering should be done on one’s own freewill. He also goes on to say that anyone who eats of the offering after the initial two days will be cut off from the community.
Christ fulfilled the sacrificial system at Calvary. Much of the specifics of a peace offering were left out of this passage. One reason is probably because they were just mentioned a few chapters before. The focus of this verse, however, is that sacrifice should be done on one’s freewill. By today’s standards, worship should come from the heart, and not from action without faith. If the food were not to be eaten on the third day according to the law, why would one continue to eat it? Worship is to be taken seriously with God, and such careless worship is similar to the profane incense of Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu (which just happened in 10:1-2) and the offerings of Ananias and Sapphira much later (Acts 5:1-10). Likewise it is for the believer to take Holy Communion seriously, for “he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body” (1 Corinthians 11:29).
Leviticus 19:9-10
“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 thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the Lord your God.”
These two verses forbid the reaping of the corners of one’s fields and the gleaning of vineyards so that the underprivileged, the poor and the stranger could take part in what was there. These verses anticipate verses 18 and 34. This would be something to do for the sake of others, and not because the commandment was the law of the land. This is an example of how one should treat another, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger. The Pharisees recognize this law in Matthew 12:2 when the disciples pluck ears of corn. They declare their conduct unlawful because they were doing this on the Sabbath.
Leviticus 19:11-13
“Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another. And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord. Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.”
The eighth commandment that forbids stealing is accompanied with lying and dealing falsely with others. Deception of another was not acceptable. But God then ties this back to swearing by His name and profaning His name, which is forbidden in the second commandment. In the New Testament world, oaths should not be spoken at all (Matthew 5:34). A ‘yes’ should be ‘yes’ and a ‘no’ should be ‘no,’ because the swearing of oaths got many people in trouble throughout history (such as Jephthah in Judges 11:30-40 and Saul and Jonathan in 1 Samuel 14:24-45). This New Testament teaching ties these all together, that one should speak the truth regardless, and never by swearing by God’s holy name.
Verse 13 also falls into this set of laws. God states that one should not cheat or rob his neighbor, which is just as verse eleven. The next sentence elaborates on this: that one should not hold back a day’s wages until the next day. One should not hold back something from his neighbor that would sustain his life. A worker depends on his wages to live.
Leviticus 19:14
“Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord.”
One should not take advantage of someone’s weaknesses, as the blind and the deaf are used here. Likewise, this could be tied to verse sixteen. Just because one does not know about the maliciousness of your deeds, it does not mean that it will not affect them at all. God looks out for people such as these that were disadvantaged, as Christ did heal many of these people while He was on earth. People might not see how we might hurt them, but God knows and sees everything.
Leviticus 19:15
“Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.”
Righteousness should be the standard for judgment, and one should not be biased at all when making judgment. From a New Testament standpoint, God is the righteous judge that will judge the world (2 Thessalonians 1:5), and if people are to be like God as they are called to be (19:2), then they cannot be sympathetic to the poor when judging or be swayed to any bias and make corrupt judgment.
Leviticus 19:16
“Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour; I am the Lord.”
This verse raises the standard of the sixth commandment (Exodus 20:13) that jeopardizing anybody’s life or even speaking malicious things about one is forbidden (cf. Matthew 5:22). This law does not only judge the action of murder, but also the malicious intent of one’s heart.
Leviticus 19:17-18
“Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.”
These verses come to the middle of the passage where one of the underlying themes is revealed. One should not hate another, but only reprove another of sin if the same committed a wrong (Matthew 18:15-17). Retaliation was not tolerated, nor was anyone allowed to hold bitterness for anyone. The command “love thy neighbour as thyself” follows, which shows the basis of the latter six of the Ten Commandments. The fragments of laws that are shown here illustrate the elevated stature of the law that has been revealed to this point. Jesus quoted this verse in the Gospels as the second most important commandment (Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27), as it is quoted frequently in the epistles (Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8).
Leviticus 19:19
“Ye shall keep my statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.”
From the point of loving one’s neighbor without any hate in the previous verses, God commands Israel to keep His statutes. This shows that the law is sovereign not only over the actions of humankind, but also the thoughts and motives of the heart. Next is God’s charge for purity among His people. Even their livestock and garments are not to be impure, but of one breed or of one material. One could say that this should also carry over to their own lives, that they should not mix their faith with the idolatrous practices of their neighbors. This would not be a law that would bind us today, but from the principle we still can learn. In Ephesians 4, Paul writes about putting off the old lifestyle to follow Christ. There is no benefit for either God or for us to mix the old lifestyle of lawlessness with the new life in Christ.
Leviticus 19:20-22
“And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free. And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the Lord, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, even a ram for a trespass offering. And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the Lord for his sin which he hath done: and the sin which he hath done shall be forgiven him.”
This is a model of coveting, and how action on desires should be punished. This shows a man’s concubine who has had intercourse with another man. There is no death penalty involved because a concubine is not free. In the New Testament, in Christ there is no difference between the slave and the free (Galatians 3:28), and if such a situation were to arise, they are guilty of sin. These types of sexual immoral acts are still models of adultery in the New Testament because even the thought of lust in the mind makes one guilty of adultery (Matthew 5:28).
Leviticus 19:23-25
“And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be as uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten of. But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to praise the Lord withal. And in the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you the increase thereof: I am the Lord your God.”
When the land was to be inhabited by the Israelites, they were to let the land rest for three years after they had planted trees there. Since the pagans had defiled the land by participating in horrible worship practices to fertility gods, the land needed to rest for three years. The fourth year the fruit was to be considered clean, and to be dedicated to God because the first fruits, the best, are always His. Thereafter, they may eat the fruit of the trees. The model, however, still holds as true. One should abhor uncleanness, and desire to be pure and holy, as God is pure and holy. God also should get our best, as the first fruits of the land are the best, to be given to the Lord. The same goes today: the best of our efforts should be done in everything, “as to the Lord” (Ephesians 6:5-8). Likewise, the widow gave all that she had in the Temple gave much more than that of the rich men in Mark 12:41-44.
Leviticus 19:26-28
“Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times. Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard. Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord.”
Drinking blood was something forbidden since the time of Noah, because life is in blood. When Christ died, His spilled blood gave us life. Dietary issues became very different since the Advent of the Lord. When Christ came, He declared all foods could be eaten (Mark 7:19). Just as the Jew-Gentile chasm had been filled, there is no more distinction between animals that are clean and unclean (Acts 10:9-16). Eating food sacrificed to idols was permitted unless somebody else would be offended (1 Corinthians 8). Likewise, we know that blood carries oxygen throughout the entire body, the blood is our life. However, this was also fulfilled when Jesus died for us, for it is truly His blood that is our life.
The next practices pertain to pagan processes of worship, some of which were for times of mourning for the dead. Once again God calls them to separate from paganism, and not to mourn in a self-destructive way. Verse 31 is similar in nature that such sordid activities would defile one’s self.
Today, we should not mourn in the same way. Death is not the end; those who die will either be with the Lord, or face His judgment. God will be just in His judgment. Those who die in the Lord before His return, as Paul tells the Thessalonians, will be raised from the dead (1 Thessalonians 4:13ff).
Leviticus 19:29
“Do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore; lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.”
Sexual immorality does not merely affect the people that do it; it affects the whole community. Likewise, in the church community, destroys its witness of Jesus Christ to the world. The whole world engages in sexual immorality; if we engage in the same things that God hates, what makes us any different? This is why the Jerusalem Council found it necessary to add it to their edict to the Gentiles (Acts 15:20).
Leviticus 19:30
“Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.”
The emphasis on the Sabbath returns, but also God declares that all should have reverence for His sanctuary. This is very important in the New Testament, for the most important commandment is to love God with all of one’s heart, soul, mind and strength. This is like the first time the Sabbath is mentioned; except the fear of parents has been replaced with the reverence for God’s sanctuary. Though the Temple had been destroyed over 1,930 years ago, the true sanctuary of God exists in heaven (Hebrews 8:2, cf. 1 Kings 8:27).
Leviticus 19:31
“Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.”
Seeking diviners is an anathema to God. He wants His people to seek Him for guidance, not something He created. Saul attempts to use such a witch at Endor, to seek the departed spirit of Samuel for advice (1 Samuel 28), and it was his doom. Likewise for us we should shun such practices, because it is seeking the advice of demonic powers (Acts 16:16-18).
Leviticus 19:32
“Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord.”
To respect an older person is central in most cultures, and ancient Israel is no different. In the New Testament, this verse has amplified meaning. The older person has more wisdom, knowing best that he or she is a sinner before God. To illustrate this, when Jesus challenges those who accuse the woman caught in adultery, that the one who has no sin should cast the first stone, it is the oldest who leave first (John 8:3-11). Such reverence is also the command of Paul in 1 Timothy 5:1-2. In 1 Timothy 3:6, Paul, though not specifying the age of an elder, says that such a man ought not be a ‘novice’ (3:6). Life experience and having spent many years with God is something that ought to be honored.
Leviticus 19:33-34
“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.”
These verses deal with strangers among the Israelites. They should be treated as native Israelites and should be loved and accepted by them. Israel should understand the position of the foreigner since they were treated cruelly in Egypt as slaves. This law is fulfilled in the New Testament as Galatians 3:28 states that all are one in Christ Jesus, as for the Jew and the Gentile.
Leviticus 19:35-36
“Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight, or in 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.”
Verse 35 echoes verse 15, that no one should do any injustice in judgment. In this case, honesty in measurements was important as not to cheat another person. This is an expansion of the commandment not to steal (Exodus 20:15). In the New Testament, Ananias and Sapphira kept back from giving the whole amount they sold a piece of land for, claimed they had given the whole amount, and therefore were accused of lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-10). When not being honest in the giving of money in the church, the penalty was death for these two, and we are called to take seriously such matters, so that we do not have a similar fate.
Leviticus 19:37
“Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the Lord.”
The concluding verse echoes that Israel should observe all the statutes of the Lord, echoing verse 19. The verse concludes also with the refrain ‘I am the Lord.’ This, as in the other times, is a reminder why they should keep the ordinances of the Lord: that Israel should be set apart from the world’s sin just as the Lord is. This is written to those who already trusted in God, so by living out God’s ordinances did not win them salvation. Instead, since Israel was the community of God’s people, they were to live out holy lives that the fallen peoples around them would turn to the living God.
Conclusion
The general pattern of the chapter is a glimpse of the true meaning of the law. The essence of the law is summed up in Leviticus 19:18, according to Paul (Galatians 4:14). People that have been called to the Gospel were called to serve others in love, as God had loved them first to send Christ to the cross.
This chapter builds up first by restating many of the Ten Commandments, often with stronger words than what was used in Exodus 20. In verse 4, God declares again that no other gods should be served. After this, He chooses an example of a sacrifice to show how He ought to be worshipped. By one’s own desire one should serve the Lord, yet also worship Him correctly, according to God’s design.
The next group restates some of the commandments of how one should treat others. Stealing is brought to a new level when He describes the model of the wages.
From this, God gets more specific as He approaches the theme of the passage in Leviticus 19:18. There should first be no maliciousness toward one’s neighbor, and then that there should be no hatred at all toward a neighbor. Then the commandment is simplified, that “thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
A list follows of different ways Israel should remain pure from the profane things the pagan peoples do. First, there must be purity with their livestock and clothing, and being free from covetousness, defiled fruit, pagan customs, and prostitution. The latter half of the chapter commands that no one shall be even remotely involved with the sins of the pagans in the land.
God reiterates the keeping of the Sabbath. The first time He dealt with the Sabbath in the passage He commanded Moses to tell the congregation to revere their parents and follow the Sabbath, the second time He declares for Israel to keep the Sabbath and revere His sanctuary. The former is a model of God’s relationship with His people, the Father and the children.
Then, the theme is stated again in verse 34, being specific this time to strangers in the land as opposed to fellow Israelites spoken of in verse 18. This is stated after a long list of laws that have to deal with pagan customs, that even though one should detest the action of the pagans, they should not treat them unfairly or despise them. Gentiles are not to be shunned, for God does not shun them, but He shuns their activity. God’s love for all people is seen again in the New Testament, and the Gentiles, lost in godless sin, were more responsive to the Gospel then the Jews were.
Sources
Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998.
Henry, Matthew. “Commentary on Leviticus 19.” Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible. Blue Letter Bible. 01 Mar 1996. 22 Apr 2005. <http://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mhc/Lev/Lev019.html>.