Leviticus 19

“Holy” means one thing when talking about people and another thing when talking about God. “The Holy One” is a title of God. Scholars say that when the Bible says God is holy, it’s saying there is nothing like him; he’s unique, “wholly other” scholars say, and he’s perfectly loving and just and pure. When the word “holy” describes people or sacred objects in the tent worship center, for example, it’s talking about someone or something devoted to God and reserved for him. Worship utensils such as lampstands were considered holy because they were reserved for sacred use, devoted to God. People, too, were considered holy when they devoted themselves to God and to his goodness. They wear goodness like a skin and they begin to resemble the Bible’s description of their Father: “God is love….We know God loves us. We believe it with all our hearts because God is love. Everyone who embraces a life of love embraces God, and God embraces them. Love unites them” (1 John 4:8, 16).

The Sabbath day, from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday, was a sacred day of rest and worship. Even the cooks in the house got a day off because Israelites didn’t even cook on the Sabbath. They ate food prepared ahead of time (Exodus 16:22-30).

This sacrificial offering goes by various names: peace offering, fellowship offering, elevation offering, symbolic offering, special offering, and wave offering. The Hebrew word can mean to wave, lift, or blow. A peace offering, also described in Leviticus 3, is one of several prescribed offerings in Jewish tradition. When Jewish people wanted to thank God for something, such as good health or safety, they would sacrifice a sheep, goat, cow, or bull. They would burn part of the animal, including the kidneys and the fat covering the intestines. The officiating priest got to keep the breast and the right thigh, apparently as payment for their work (Leviticus 7:30-32). Those who brought the sacrifice got to eat the rest in celebration, often with family and friends. It takes a fair number of hungry people to eat a bull. But people were eager to eat meat because it was rare in Bible times for common folks to eat meat, many Bible scholars say. They had two days to finish it. But they had to burn any leftover on the third day.

More literally, the person “should be removed from the community” or “cut off.” This is a consequence repeated throughout these early books of the Bible. It’s unclear how and by whom the offenders were removed. Perhaps they could no longer worship at the tent worship center, or they lost their rights as citizens of this emerging nation that Moses seemed to be organizing. Maybe they were executed. Or perhaps the community let God deal with the person. Scholars seem uncertain about what happened.

The original Hebrew word describing the people is ger. It can mean foreigner, stranger, someone passing through, immigrant who is living among the Israelites.

The Hebrew word for neighbor is rēa.ʽ It has wide meaning. Examples: someone living near you, friend, associate, companion, lover, advisor. With the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus seemed to teach that anyone we come into contact with can be our neighbor—even if they are complete strangers (Luke 10:30-37).

It’s unclear why. One theory: What God created was pure, unadulterated, and holy. If people start messing around with it, they’re going to mess it up. Folks will end up eating beefalo and hybrid spinach—and wearing polyester.

In older lingo, the guilt offering was called the trespass offering, as in, “Forgive us our trespasses” or sins. In fact, scholars can’t seem to figure out what the difference is between a “sin offering” and a “guilt offering.” One guess is that guilt offerings are more serious and often involve making restitution. Leviticus 5:14-7:7 talks about when a person needs to make a guilt offering. Leviticus 7:1-10 talks about how to make the sacrifice.

More literally, “don’t practice divination and soothsaying.”

Some people, in expressions of grief or extreme urgency, cut their hair and beards. It was a way of calling out to the gods for help or for conjuring up spirits of the dead.

See note above, the second 19:26 note.

This holiest place on earth to Israelite ancestors of the Jewish people is where they kept the gold-plated box that held the two stones containing the Ten Commandments. The box is best known as the Ark of the Covenant. A curtain separated this room from the main room in the tent worship center sometimes known as the Tabernacle and sometimes as the Meeting Tent. The Sacred Room was the main sanctuary inside the tent worship center. Aaron’s sons were allowed to go into this room. But the Most Sacred Room was off limits to everyone but Aaron and Moses. That’s where God met with Moses to give him instructions.

Okay, God didn’t say the words “Don’t you forget it.” But 15 times in 37 verses he reminded the people that he’s the LORD. That was not likely for poetic effect as much as it was for making a point with reminders of smoke on the mountain, thunder in the valley, and the Egyptian army floating face-down in the sea while the Israelites munched on free food in the desert.