K'Doshim - Holy Ones

From time to time I'll be posting a Bible teaching.

Todays Parashiot+ has an interesting point that I'd like to expound on for a minute. Leviticus 19:33, 34 states:

"When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. "The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God."*

Sometimes we as Christians have forgotten that we are commanded to love those who are not Christians; to treat them fairly and honestly, as we would treat ourselves.

That doesn't mean we overlook sinful behavior. For example, Leviticus 19:18, 18 states:

"You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD. "

The Lord indicates we are to reprove our neighbor if they are sinning, not turn our back or ignore them, but in doing so we are not to sin against them. This admonition is bracketed by commands to love and not hate them and I believe this command has preminence.

Yeshua extended this principle as recorded in Matthew 5:43-47:

"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?"

We are to love our neighbors and the strangers who live around us even if they hate us. That is one of the hardest things to do. We want to be treated as we treat others, but that is not God's command: We are to treat others as we wish to be treated, regardless of what they do.

Why do this? Because, God is our Lord and most holy and we as his followers and people are to be holy like him.

God Bless.
Kevin.

*all Bible quotes NASU, from PC Study Bible*
+Todays Parashiot readings from the Torah, Haftarah and B'rit Chadashah are Lev 10:1-20:27, Amos 9:7-15, Ex. 20:2-20, Matt. 5:43-48. A complete listing of 2004-05 Parashiot readings can be found here.+