What to Do and Not Do

Scripture Reading: Leviticus 17-19; Mark 2; Psalm 44\

A friend who subscribes to First Light messaged me the other day. He wrote, “Brother...reading Leviticus is tough stuff.” He is right about that. But if you think that is tough, wait until we get to Numbers. (This is where I should insert a laughing emoji if I knew how).

Nevertheless, let me encourage you not to give up or skip the tough stuff. I was reading this text from Leviticus at just the right time. (If you are following the reading schedule, I am ahead of you so that I can have the devotionals written in a timely fashion). I was struggling with some feelings I was having toward another person who I found out was slandering me in a very unkind and unbiblical way. There is a way to handle accusations we might have against a brother, and this was not that way.

The morning I was going to be talking to someone involved in the situation about it, I read today’s text from Leviticus. Thankfully, our meeting was put off a day or I wouldn’t have read this before the meeting and I really needed to read it before then.

The text is from chapter 19:

You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. (verses 17-18)

After reading that I prayed for grace to obey. I determined what I would not do. With God’s help I would not hate, seek vengeance, or bear a grudge. What I would do, by God’s grace, is love.

I have had to pray for grace to overcome my natural inclinations about how to deal with this matter. God has been kind. I was able to speak frankly, without any animosity, any desire to get back, and without any after affects of holding a grudge. I’ve been able to love.

Amazingly, I got that from Leviticus. Who would have thunk it!