Leonard Ravenhill wrote, “Many of us are hunting mice – while lions devour the land.” Some parts of the church emphasize sexual purity in dealing with issues like abortion and homosexuality while others focus on social justice to the poor and disenfranchised. God balances sexual purity and social justice while people balance loving God and loving their neighbor.
The Lord told Moses to say to Israel that He is the Lord your God and you should not do what was done in Egypt or Canaan where He is bringing you. Instead of walking in their statutes, live according to His judgments since He is the Lord your God (Lev. 18:1-6). You experience the good life in all areas by keeping God’s statutes.
Uncovering the nakedness of a blood relative is lewdness or apostasy. Do not marry your wife’s sister as a rival to uncover her nakedness. Do not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness during her menstrual impurity. Do not have intercourse with your neighbor’s wife to be defiled with her. Do not offer your offspring to Molech in profaning God’s name. You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination. Do not have intercourse with an animal (Lev. 18:7-23). Sexual sins like immorality, adultery and homosexuality are all an abomination in God’s sight.
Do not defile yourself by any of these things because the Lord casted you out of the nations, which defiled themselves in these things. The land became polluted so God visited its sin and the land spewed out its inhabitants. Keep God’s statutes and don’t do any of these abominations so the land won’t spew you out and be cut off from among your people (Lev. 18:24-30). Abortion, homosexuality, sexual sin and sacrificing your children to idols put a curse on families and communities by negatively affecting the welfare of everyone.
Be holy for the Lord your God is holy. Reverence your mother and father and keep My Sabbaths, I am the Lord your God. Do not turn to idols or make molten gods. When you offer peace offerings to the Lord, eat it that day and the next, but on the third day, burn with fire what remains. You won’t be accepted, you will bear iniquity and you profane the holy thing and will be cut off from your people if you eat the peace offering on the third day (Lev. 19:1-8). Let God be your daily first priority to experience His peace and delight.
Do not gather gleanings of your harvest, but leave the fallen fruit for the needy and stranger. Do not steal, deal falsely, lie, swear falsely, oppress or rob your neighbor, keep wages of a hired man overnight, curse a deaf man or place a stumbling block before the blind, do injustice in judgment, be partial to poor or defer to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly in revering God. Do not be a slanderer among your people, hate your fellow countryman in your heart, but reprove your neighbor so you don’t incur sin because of him. Do not act against the life of your neighbor, take vengeance or bear any grudge against your people. You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Lev. 19:9-18). Love your neighbor as yourself by allowing the needy to glean unused food, while being truthful, compassionate and fair among the rich and poor alike.
Do not breed together two kinds of cattle, sow your field with two kinds of seed or wear a garment mixed with two kinds of material. If man lies carnally with a slave woman not redeemed or given freedom, he shall bring a guilt offering. Enter the land and plant trees for food with three years of fruit forbidden to eat, but the fourth year, its fruit would be holy as an offering of praise to the Lord. In the fifth year, you could eat its fruit so its yield can increase for you (Lev. 19:19-25). Care and consideration of the environment lead to health, good nutrition and abundant food supply.
Do not eat anything with blood, practice divination or soothsaying and make tattoo marks. Do not make your daughter a harlot so the land may not fall to harlotry and become full of lewdness. Keep My Sabbaths and revere His sanctuary for He is the Lord. Do not turn or seek mediums or spiritists to be defiled by them (Lev. 19:26-31). Witchcraft and immorality with family members reap God’s judgment in communities
Honor the aged and revere God. Do not do wrong to the stranger who resides with you but love him as yourself for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. Have just balances in measurement, weight or capacity. Observe all statutes and ordinances and do them (Lev. 19:32-37). Respect for elderly, just treatment of ethnic minorities and honest measurements demonstrate love to your neighbors.
Which of the underlined areas of life does God want your attention right now in practically loving your neighbor as yourself? Let God be first priority in your life.
