- You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:14 – God never gave laws that were without purpose or reason. What then is revealed to us through laws like this is where the people of Israel were at after centuries of living as slaves of a pagan nation. They were the type of people that needed laws telling them to not be cruel to those in need. They needed a law telling them to not purposefully put an item in front of a blind person just to see them fall. Yet the Lord is one who sees the individuals needing help and makes way for them to have the help they need. What a difference we are seeing between where man was as and where God was at. How different though is humanity from what we are seeing in this passage? For certain the whole of humanity are not ones that would harm those in need or do some of the other despicable things outlined with the laws given, but even with the kindest of people there is still a gap between their goodness and the goodness of God. God’s goodness is far greater than anything we could achieve by our own power, but we are called to take steps daily to imitate God’s goodness as far as we are able. This is what God is meaning by being holy as He is holy. However God is different than the world, we are to seek to be different. If He treats ones in need with respect, we will to. If He make provision for the needy, we will to. If He lives counter to the pagan world, we will to. God’s call for Israel was to end their imitation of the pagan world and begin imitating Him. Such is the call for followers of Him today. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3221
- Leviticus 19 Daily DEVO 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. Leviticus 19:18 – See how God finishes that very familiar statement about loving your neighbor as yourself. He says “I am the Lord.” He is calling Himself your Lord, the law maker, the rule giver, the sovereign one. This was not just a suggestion God decided to speak one day in hopes we’d listen to. That was a law given to His people on how He was commanding them to live. Jesus then carries this same message into His words to us. We are to love our neighbors as ourself. Keep this in mind, this isn’t a suggestion God has given you. This is a command you are to live your life by. Ask yourself then how you love the following: the person of another religion, the person in prison, the person struggling with a sin you don’t, the person of a different skin color. All these and more fall into the neighbor category; love them. It’s ok if you’re not perfect at that, neither am I, let’s just know what we need to work on and begin working on that. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac- Daily DEVO 901
- When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. Leviticus 19:9 – I love how God shows His heart for those in need. God tells His people that when harvesting their produce to leave some behind and not pick up what fell to the ground. They were to leave that behind for those without food. While the focus of this passage is on God taking care of those in need, we must not forget that God is clearly still taking care of those harvesting. Yes, they were to leave the edges alone, but the rest of the harvest was theirs! It’s like the conversations over tithing. Yes, we talk about the 10% to be given, and while that’s a sacrifice for sure, remember God is still blessing you with 90%. When giving to God remember how much God allows you to enjoy. Even when we give 100% to God, God never leaves you without. So yes, today God is asking you to give to Him. What we must not focus on is the “edges” of the harvest we don’t get to enjoy. We must focus on the rest of the harvest that God blesses us with. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1942
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