Leviticus 19:19-37
Set Apart from the Nations
Read the passage
19You are to keep My statutes. You shall not crossbreed two different kinds of livestock; you shall not sow your fields with two kinds of seed; and you shall not wear clothing made of two kinds of material.
20If a man lies carnally with a slave girl promised to another man but who has not been redeemed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. But they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed.
21The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting as his guilt offering to the LORD.
22The priest shall make atonement on his behalf before the LORD with the ram of the guilt offering for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven the sin he has committed.
23When you enter the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you shall regard the fruit as forbidden. For three years it will be forbidden to you and must not be eaten.
24In the fourth year all its fruit must be consecrated as a praise offering to the LORD.
25But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit; thus your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD your God.
26You must not eat anything with blood still in it. You must not practice divination or sorcery.
27You must not cut off the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.
28You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.
29You must not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity.
30You must keep My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD.
31You must not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out, or you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
32You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, honor the aged, and fear your God. I am the LORD.
33When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him.
34You must treat the foreigner living among you as native-born and love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
35You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume.
36You shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37You must keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and follow them. I am the LORD.”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
The LORD gives Israel further statutes that mark the people as distinct. They are not to mate different kinds of animals, sow a field with two kinds of seed, or wear a garment made from two kinds of material. Even their fields and clothes come under His direction. The passage does not explain the reason for every restriction, so we should be careful about supplying explanations of our own.
The next law concerns a man who sleeps with an enslaved woman promised to another man. It requires punishment but rules out putting them to death because she has not been freed. The man must bring a ram as a guilt offering. The priest makes atonement for his sin, and he is forgiven. The law both names his guilt and provides a way for him to receive forgiveness from the LORD.
Fruit from a newly planted tree is forbidden for three years. In the fourth year it is consecrated as a praise offering to the LORD, and in the fifth year it may be eaten. Israel must learn to wait and honor God with what the land produces.
The commands also govern food, worship, and treatment of the body. Israel must not practice divination or seek out mediums. They must keep God's Sabbaths and reverence His sanctuary. These are instructions to a people whose life together belongs to Him.
That belonging reaches their treatment of other people. They must honor the elderly, refuse to make a daughter a prostitute, and use honest scales and weights. A foreigner is to be loved as a native-born neighbor because Israel knows what it is to live as foreigners. The LORD reminds them that He brought them out of Egypt. His rescue gives them a reason to remember the outsider and deal fairly with the person across the counter.
Questions
1 What must the man in verses 20–22 do about his sin?
AnswerHe must bring a ram as a guilt offering to the LORD. The priest makes atonement on his behalf, and God promises forgiveness. His wrongdoing must be faced rather than ignored.
2 When could fruit from a new tree be eaten?
AnswerIt could be eaten in the fifth year. The first three years' fruit was forbidden, and the fourth year's fruit was consecrated as a praise offering to the LORD.
3 How was the foreigner to be treated?
AnswerThe foreigner was to be treated as native-born and loved as a neighbor. Israel was to remember its own experience of living as foreigners in Egypt.
4 What must merchants use?
AnswerThey must use honest scales, weights, and measures. A customer should receive the amount promised, because doing business also comes under God's command.
What This Means for Us
Israel's distinctness is meant to produce faithful community, not superiority. The same passage that sets Israel apart commands honest trade and love for the outsider. God reminds His rescued people to care about what life is like for someone who does not yet belong.
Think of someone new to your school, church, or neighborhood. A welcome can be as practical as learning a name, explaining something unfamiliar, or inviting that person to join you. And when you owe someone money, time, or work, give what you promised. Faithfulness to God reaches these ordinary encounters.
Prayer
God, thank You for Your mercy toward guilty people and Your care for the outsider. Help us live distinctly without pride, deal honestly with others, and welcome those who are finding their way among us. Amen.