Leviticus 18-19

“You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God” (19:34).  God told the Israelites that as His own people, they were called to holiness (19:2).  Their everyday lives should reflect His presence among them: sexual purity (ch 18), giving to the poor (19:10), honesty and fairness (19:11-16), and treating foreigners “as the native among you” (v34). 

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD” (19:18).  Just as Israel was called to holiness, Jesus’ authority as our Lord means that His character shapes our lives and His love rules our hearts.