This is a condensed version of a longer study.
WHO IS my neighbor?
Leviticus 19:17-18 (KJV)
17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.
18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Here it is: God has Covenant with Israel. Moses went up a mountain and came down a mountain with the two tablets of stone with the writing of the hand of God Himself who wrote the first of four commandments on one stone tablet, and six commandments on the other stone tablet. This became The Law of Moses aka the Law of God.
There were other laws God gave to His people and Moses wrote them all down.
Here, in Leviticus God continues to instruct and command His people Israel in Covenant with Him how to conduct themselves in and around the Tabernacle where they were encamped. Three tribes of the children of Israel [Naphtali, Dan, and Asher] were placed by God to the north of the Tabernacle. And three tribes of the children of Israel [Manasseh,
Three tribes of the children of Israel [Issachar, Judah, and Zebulun] were placed by God to the east of the Tabernacle.
Three tribes of the children of Israel [Gad, Reuben, and Simeon] were placed by God to the south of the Tabernacle.
And three tribes of the children of Israel [Manasseh, Ephraim, and Benjamin] were placed by God to the west of the Tabernacle.
Thus, God's Covenant people Israel have a new temporary home and God gives them His Word. The command in Leviticus instructs Covenant Israel in love.
The Word was not given to the heathen nations that surrounded Israel - and believe me they were far, far, away from this people after hearing what their God did to the sole world power Egypt in destroying that people and their Pharoah. So, they could not be considered a "neighbor." God's Word is for Israel in Covenant. So let's look at what God was instructing and commanding His people in love:
Leviticus 19:17-18 (KJV)
17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother [member of the same tribe] in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour [member of another tribe], and not suffer sin upon him.
18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people [member of any of the other eleven tribes], but thou shalt love thy neighbour [member of any of the eleven other tribes] as thyself: I am the LORD.
The lesson? God is Immutable. God does not change. God's Word is for those in Covenant with Him and the people we are commanded to love in Covenant with God is another Covenant believer.
The world is enemy against God, and God is not a hypocrite. He will and does not command His Covenant people - in this case, His Elect Church - to love the world and then He turns and love the world. The instruction is clear. We are instructed to love our Covenant brethren ONLY.
1 John 2:15 (KJV)
15 Love not the world [non-Covenant people], neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Paul teaches that love comes with profit. You cannot give holy love to an unholy people. They cannot give holy love back to you to profit from as a Covenant brethren can and would. We are commanded to not cast our pearls to swine. God is not a hypocrite to do something He instructs and commands His people to do.
Not even God casts His Pearl, Jesus Christ, to swine. He gives Christ to His Elect people: Israel and spiritual Israel. Christianity is Judaism Completed.
WHO IS my neighbor?
Leviticus 19:17-18 (KJV)
17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.
18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Here it is: God has Covenant with Israel. Moses went up a mountain and came down a mountain with the two tablets of stone with the writing of the hand of God Himself who wrote the first of four commandments on one stone tablet, and six commandments on the other stone tablet. This became The Law of Moses aka the Law of God.
There were other laws God gave to His people and Moses wrote them all down.
Here, in Leviticus God continues to instruct and command His people Israel in Covenant with Him how to conduct themselves in and around the Tabernacle where they were encamped. Three tribes of the children of Israel [Naphtali, Dan, and Asher] were placed by God to the north of the Tabernacle. And three tribes of the children of Israel [Manasseh,
Three tribes of the children of Israel [Issachar, Judah, and Zebulun] were placed by God to the east of the Tabernacle.
Three tribes of the children of Israel [Gad, Reuben, and Simeon] were placed by God to the south of the Tabernacle.
And three tribes of the children of Israel [Manasseh, Ephraim, and Benjamin] were placed by God to the west of the Tabernacle.
Thus, God's Covenant people Israel have a new temporary home and God gives them His Word. The command in Leviticus instructs Covenant Israel in love.
The Word was not given to the heathen nations that surrounded Israel - and believe me they were far, far, away from this people after hearing what their God did to the sole world power Egypt in destroying that people and their Pharoah. So, they could not be considered a "neighbor." God's Word is for Israel in Covenant. So let's look at what God was instructing and commanding His people in love:
Leviticus 19:17-18 (KJV)
17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother [member of the same tribe] in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour [member of another tribe], and not suffer sin upon him.
18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people [member of any of the other eleven tribes], but thou shalt love thy neighbour [member of any of the eleven other tribes] as thyself: I am the LORD.
The lesson? God is Immutable. God does not change. God's Word is for those in Covenant with Him and the people we are commanded to love in Covenant with God is another Covenant believer.
The world is enemy against God, and God is not a hypocrite. He will and does not command His Covenant people - in this case, His Elect Church - to love the world and then He turns and love the world. The instruction is clear. We are instructed to love our Covenant brethren ONLY.
1 John 2:15 (KJV)
15 Love not the world [non-Covenant people], neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Paul teaches that love comes with profit. You cannot give holy love to an unholy people. They cannot give holy love back to you to profit from as a Covenant brethren can and would. We are commanded to not cast our pearls to swine. God is not a hypocrite to do something He instructs and commands His people to do.
Not even God casts His Pearl, Jesus Christ, to swine. He gives Christ to His Elect people: Israel and spiritual Israel. Christianity is Judaism Completed.