Thesis Statement:
In order to properly understand what the New Testament presents about the place of the
Mosaic Law in the lives of Christians, it is necessary to first determine the role it played under
the Old Testament.1 In covenantal fashion, the law was God's standard for those who would, and
did, adhere to His covenant.
Leviticus 19:18b
The Old Testament points out the Law prescribed complete and unqualified love for God:
"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
might" (Deut. 6:5 ESV), and similarly commanded love for one's neighbor: " You shall not take
vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your
neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD" (Lev. 19:18b). Personal fulfillment of these laws was
required of the Old Testament; the successful adherence to them resulted from obedience lead by
the Spirit of God.
Reference usage in Leviticus was presaged by Moses in the book of Law, Exodus:
Do not mistreat of oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt. (Ex. 22:21).
Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because
you were foreigners in Egypt. ( Ex 23:9).
''If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites…do not be hardhearted or tightfisted
influence of covenantal Law throughout the Pentateuch was sanctioned by God's
threatened judgment of disobedience. A feature of the Torah is that love is commanded,
1 Gary Edward Schnittjier,BOld Testament Use of Old Testament: A Book-by-Book Guide (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan Academic, 2021), 181.
not suggested. It is an act of personal will, demonstrated through obedience to God's
commands.
Leviticus 19 offers an illustration of God's model of moral purity for His chosen people.
Beginning with the theme of the entire book, holiness. Chapter 19 has God saying, “Be holy
because I, the LORD your God, am holy” (19:2). Examples that concrete demonstrations of
holiness can be worked out is provided.2 Chief among these is in v 19:18b, showing deference to
the stranger within your parameter, treating those outside your tribe and community as equals,
and, in essence, loving them as you love your own. In following God's moral law and His
societal commands, God's people would establish a good and just society reflective of His
holiness.
Leviticus 19:18b centralizes God's commands in the last five commandments He gave to
Moses on Mt. Sinai, found in Exodus 20: 13-15. Societal laws and those of cultural adherence
can be found in Exodus 21-23, and also are incorporated into the one over-arching decree from
the Lord in Leviticus 19:18b. The grammatical construct within both these areas is remarkably
similar.3 "Loving your neighbor" encompasses the whole moral law revealed in Exodus 20.
Without directly referencing particular verses or passages, this command brings into focus a
structure of covenantal whole drawn from the second half of Exodus and from the Genesis story
of Creation in Genesis that demonstrates the unconditional love of God. Leviticus 19:18b,
solidifies the theme of holiness that is presupposed in Genesis. 4
2 Gordon Wenham,BThe Book of Leviticus, vol.4, New International Commentary of the Old Testament
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014), 141.
3
Jay Sklar, Leviticus: A Discourse Analysis of the Hebrew Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2023), 288.
4 Nobuyoshi Kiuchi,BLeviticus, vol. 3, Apollos Old Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove:
InterVarsity Press, 2007), 203.
The theme of holiness, first that of God himself, and then, of his ordered creation,
is the theme of Leviticus, the book of sacrifice and redemption. The standard to be reached and
measured is the holiness of the Lord, evidenced by the repetition of "I am the Lord" throughout
Chapter 19. Hence, this verse is the summation of relationships with God and with others,
expressed throughout the first two books of Moses, where God creates, provides, forgives.
Implications for Congregational Usage
The implications and outcome of teaching from this Leviticus verse is that we are called
to mirror the holiness of the Lord, to respond to God's gracious redemptive purpose in every
aspect of daily living. We are called to this, after having been redeemed from sin. When
teaching or preaching on “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18b), we must remember
that God redeemed Israel with perfect love and commanded them to reflect the same in their
relationships with Him and with others. Jesus demonstrated this type of radical love in his
fulfillment of this verse. he lesson from Leviticus 19:18 is that as Christians, we are to be
inexhaustive in mercy and forgiveness, as the holiness of God was to his chosen people.
Bibliography
Kiuchi,BNobuyoshi, Vol 3, Apollos Old Testament Commentary Series. Downers Grove:
InterVarsity Press, 2007.
Schnittjier,BGary Edward, Old Testament Use of Old Testament: A Book-by-Book Guide.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2021.
Sklar, Jay, Leviticus: A Discourse Analysis of the Hebrew Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
2023.
Wenham,BGordon, The Book of Leviticus. Vol.4, New International Commentary of the Old
Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014.
Gordon Wenham,BThe Book of Leviticus, vol.4, New International Commentary of the Old Testament (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014), 141.
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