Recently I was listening to a sermon on the two greatest commandments. The preacher pointed us back to the original command to “love your neighbour” in Leviticus 19. Something about the context caught my eye and so I’ve come back for a second look.
The command is found in Leviticus 19:18. You;; notice that it is followed immediately by the refrain “I am the LORD.” This refrain punctuates Leviticus here and helps us to see the paragraph breaks. In other words, we are meant to read Leviticus 19:13-19 together. If you want to know how to love your neighbour, then these verses tell you how to.
However, my eyes went further back still. The last little paragraph is found in verse 11-12 and culminates with a reminder of the command not to take the Lord’s name in vain. The rest of that section is a reminder of the commands not to steal or to lie. In other words, there are three kinds of falsehood/deception.
- Deception about our relationship to possession.
- Deception about our relationship to others
- Deception about our relationship to God (swearing falsely).
I would suggest that the three are linked. Firstly because using God’s name in oaths would potentially have been the case when in court to emphasise that you are speaking truly when defending yourself against a charge of theft or making a property claim. You might also swear by the Lord when making an accusation against others.
Secondly, this means that taking God’s name in vain is not just about swear words nor even about making empty oaths and vows. If our lives do not reflect God’s character and truth then we profane his name.
Notice too then that these commands about dealing truthfully with God and each other build towards the second greatest commandment. I cannot love my neighbour if I bear false witness. I cannot love my neighbour if I profane God’s name. The converse is true, if I do not love my neighbour, then I do not love God and so I take his name in vain.
Faithroots 