Love Thy Neighbor

In short

Leviticus 19:18, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” Did you expect this to be a lesson from the Old Testament? And it’s not just this one verse; the Torah and proverbs are riddled with commands about this.

Why it is important

The apostle Paul in the New Testament says why:

“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments… are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’” Romans 13:8-9.

Old Testament examples of loving strangers and friends

1. Two commandments (Ex 20:16,17)
2. Don’t cheat him out of money (Lev 6:2, 19:13)
3. Be fair in court (Lev 19:15-16)
4. Leave some food for the poor and helpless (Lev 19: 9-10)
5. You can’t gobble up ALL of the land (Lev 25:23,13)
6. You have to set indentured servants free at the given time (Lev 25:39-40,54)
7. You can’t redraw the property lines (Deut 19:14)
8. Even be kind to immigrants among you (Lev 19:33-34)
9. Immigrants can worship right alongside you (Num 15:13-16)
10. And be forgiven as well (Num 15:26)

Many of the best examples in the Old Testament were men who were exceedingly kind to neighbors. Like Abraham (Gen 18:1-8), Boaz (Ruth 2), and David.

David honors Mephibosheth

I bring up this lesson today because of a cool story in 2 Samuel about a man named Mephibosheth. I encourage you to read it (it is all of chapter 9), but in short:

• Saul was David’s mortal enemy (quite literally)
• But David’s best friend was Saul’s son, Jonathan
• Saul and Jonathan died on the same day; apparently most of Saul’s family had died at this point
• But Jonathan had a surviving son named Mephibosheth
• One day, David says, I feel like being nice to Saul’s family today! (v. 1)
• Yes, the family of Saul, who kept trying to kill David
• David learns of Mephibosheth, who is crippled, which would have been devastating in those days
• And David gives him a ton of land (v. 9); commands Saul’s old servant that the servant’s family will serve Mephibosheth now and work his land (v. 10); and had Mephibosheth to eat at the king’s table all the rest of his life (vs. 7, 11)