Laws of Love

Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18

It has always been interesting to me how some people choose which Levitical laws should be adhered to without question, while others are shunned as not important or irrelevant to today's culture. Take for instance the laws about homosexuality and how they are to be adhered to regardless of circumstances. Then there's the laws about infidelity and extra-marital encounters which we are told don't apply in today's culture. On the one hand we're told of how homosexuality will decay the moral fiber of the world, while on the other hand we're told that being unfaithful to your partner or engaging in pre-marital relationships are okay.

Today's passage shows us a grouping of laws from Leviticus which most definitely would enhance today's societies as much as it was meant to enhance the Hebrew societies for which it was written. Yet, we don't hear these laws preached about, nor are they heralded as something which would better the moral fiber of our world as much as it would better the lives of the people within the societies of our world.

Laws such as not taking everything for profit and giving some of what's produced to the poor or the stranger for free sound good to me. The other laws which make good sense in this passage are the ones about not stealing or telling lies; not profiting at the expense of others; being fair and just with our neighbors; and not hating, taking vengeance, or slandering others. All good laws to follow, but laws which aren't being followed or preached as being important. Our culture has made it so that as long as we're successful it doesn't really matter who we hurt along the way - as long as we don't get caught.

It's true that the laws within the Hebrew Bible were written a long time ago, in a time when these laws were necessary to hold together a society that was oppressed and dispersed. The laws in Leviticus were especially written as a moral code for the Levite priests to live by and uphold. It's also true that some of these laws are outdated, while some still make sense for us today. What's important to note is how today's passage ends in order to help understand which laws are still relevant - "you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself."

Love for others, love for self, and love for God are the main focus for any "laws" we choose to follow as a society. If the ways we govern our lives don't include at least one of those commands, then maybe it shouldn't be something we live by.