“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.”

Leviticus 19:18 (NIV)

When you have children you soon realize that telling them one time is never enough. Children need constant reminders to form good habits. It is frustrating as a parent. “How many times must I tell you?” But I wonder if God ever feels the same way about us.

In Leviticus 19, God reminds the children of Israel about what He already told them in the Ten Commandments. Obviously, they needed to be reminded. All these commandments come under the umbrella, “Be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” Then God reveals what His holiness looks like. It is demonstrated in the ordinary affairs of life by loving and respecting one another. God never intended the kind of self-righteous “holiness” that the Pharisees would later exemplify. Instead, God defines holiness as treating others the way we want to be treated–loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.

God’s bar of holiness is extremely high. I mean who can be holy as God is holy? Obviously, this is something we aim at, realizing that we will never completely achieve it. However, if we love then we are pursuing holiness. This is why Jesus said that all the Law and the Prophets hang on the two commandments of loving God and loving people (Matthew 22:37-40).

It’s sad that God had to tell them not to curse the deaf nor put a stumbling block before the blind (v. 14). I mean how cruel can you be? But God specified these things because people do them. The rule of thumb is to fear God.

Yes, I suppose we are all children who must often be reminded to cling to what is good and to turn away from what is evil. Thankfully, God is patient with us, as a father is compassionate with His children.

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