Daily Devotion | Leviticus 19:17–25 | 2026 March 02

Title: Daily Devotion | Leviticus 19:17–25 | 2026 March 02
Scripture: Leviticus 19:17–25 (ESV, reference only)
Date: 2026 March 02
Speaker: Rev. John Chen
Transcribed, translated & edited by: Joseph Wang (Yufan)

Alright, dear brothers and sisters, peace be with you. We thank God for His grace that we come to a new day to study our Daily Devotion. Today’s passage is Leviticus chapter 19, verses 17 through 25. Let us pray. Lord, we thank You. We thank You for placing such beautiful laws before us, so that we may know how we ought to walk. In Your holiness, help us. Grant us understanding, that we may understand such a faith; and grant us strength to act, that we may follow such a faith. May You be with us. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Now let us look at Leviticus 19:17. It says, “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.” When we read these two clauses, they seem a little contradictory, don’t they? On the one hand, do not hate; on the other hand, you must rebuke. Someone may ask, then what am I supposed to do? Should I hate or not hate? Should I rebuke or not rebuke?

Actually, two different things are being spoken of here. We must not confuse them. First, you shall not hate your neighbor in your heart. That means you must not harbor hatred toward him. You must not detest him or abhor him. Then what does it mean that you shall surely rebuke your neighbor? It means that if he sins, you must point out his sin, lest you bear sin because of him.

Here Scripture gives us a wisdom from God—to separate these two things. But usually we as human beings do not have this wisdom of separation. We think that we rebuke only because we hate. If I do not hate you, why would I rebuke you? Why would I point out your sin? This is our fallen, sinful reaction. Yet the wisdom God gives us is that these are two separate matters. You may rebuke him, and yet not hate him.

In fact, if we are in Christ, this is not so hard to understand. When we discover that a brother or sister has a problem in his or her life, we indeed may point out that sin, because sin will spread and infect the whole flock. As we have already said, according to the principle in Matthew 18, first it is one-to-one, then two-to-one, then many-to-one, and finally it is told to the church. If we follow that procedure, there is no problem. We should not rebuke casually; that is not appropriate. We must follow the proper steps.

For example, if someone sins and you expose him publicly right away, that easily causes him to lose face. You have not respected him, and you may not even fully understand the situation. So there is a procedure in rebuking, namely the procedure of Matthew 18. Yet indeed, rebuke and hatred are two different things. You can rebuke him, but not hate him. That is the wisdom God gives us—to separate these two. When, without hatred, we speak privately to a brother or sister and say, “This is sin. You must repent. This has affected the church, brought shame to God’s name, and brought loss to yourself,” then, if we are not speaking out of hatred, it can truly build up his life. And it seems that God especially encourages us to point out our brother’s sin so that the church may live a holy life.

That is verse 17. Now verse 18 also gives two things that appear to go together: “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people.” The New Chinese Version translates it as “you shall not harbor hatred against your kinsmen.” It sounds similar to verse 17. I cannot take revenge, and I cannot bear hatred against my people.

In daily life, when a brother sins against me, we all have a natural reaction. First, we may hate him. Second, we may think of taking revenge. But this is not pleasing to God. So verses 17 and 18 are speaking about two situations. First: if your neighbor sins, what should you do? You must not hate him; you must rebuke him and call him to repentance. Second: if someone sins against you, what should you do? You must not take revenge, and you must not bear a grudge.

If he is an Israelite—your own people—what are you to do? You are to love your neighbor as yourself. This commandment, “love your neighbor as yourself,” comes from Leviticus 19. Later in the New Testament, when our Lord Jesus uses this verse, He is quoting from Leviticus. So if your brother offends you, what do you do? You cannot take revenge. You cannot harbor hatred. Instead, you must love him as yourself.

This sounds contradictory, doesn’t it? It feels very normal to want revenge, to complain, to hate. That is our natural reaction. But God says you are to love your neighbor as yourself. Someone might say, “Well then, I cannot help taking revenge; at least I will just hate him in my heart.” No. Not only must you not hate, not complain, not take revenge—you must also love him as yourself.

So Leviticus 19:17–18 sketches for us the ideal state of Israel. Although Israel themselves did not attain this fully, this is the picture God paints for His people. In the church, in the kingdom of heaven, how should we relate to one another? According to verses 17 and 18: if someone sins against God, we do not hate him; we rebuke him to bring him to repentance. If someone sins against me, I do not take revenge, I do not hate him; instead I love him, bear with him, and guide him to repentance. This is God’s law. This is the principle for handling relationships in the church and even in heaven.

Later in the New Testament, these verses are expanded and explained further. Especially when we come to 1 Corinthians 13, we will see how Paul understands “love your neighbor as yourself.” What exactly is love? We will address that more deeply when we preach on those passages.

Now let us move on to verse 19. Verse 19 gives several regulations. First, livestock shall not breed with a different kind. Second, you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed. Third, you shall not wear a garment made of two kinds of material mixed together. From these regulations we see that God especially cares about distinction and separation. There must not be mixture. God hates mixture. Even though mixture may bring certain benefits to us, God hates mixture.

Let us first speak about animal breeding. Livestock were not to be crossbred. Yet people have devised many clever schemes. For example, a horse and a donkey are not supposed to breed according to the law, but people do it. Why? Because the mule born from a horse and donkey has certain advantages. I have not lived in the countryside, so I do not know firsthand; I have only read about it. It says that a mule has strong endurance and is tall and sturdy—stronger than a donkey and more enduring than a horse. It seems to be a superior breed. But a mule cannot reproduce.

There is also hybrid rice. I have not lived in the countryside, but I have heard that hybrids may live longer and combine the strengths of two varieties. And regarding clothing, mixed fabrics—blended materials—are said to be more comfortable and more attractive. I do not understand this deeply; I only read it in books. If you understand more than I do, you know these things even better.

The point is this: although such mixtures may bring benefits—for example, the mule may seem better—God hates such hybridization. God wants donkey to be donkey, horse to be horse. He does not want the existence of a mule, a man-made creature. Even if it appears beneficial outwardly, God hates this mixing.

In 2 Samuel 18:9, Absalom was riding a mule. In the hill country, the mule was quite useful. A donkey is small; though strong and enduring, it lacks power and height. A horse is suited for the plains; in mountainous terrain it is not as agile. So the mule fits perfectly in the hill country of Judah. Yet God hates this mixture. Absalom rode a mule. So we can clearly see that this was against the law of God.

Hybrid rice may increase yield. Mixed fabrics may be comfortable and beautiful. But brothers and sisters, do not think that whatever brings us practical benefit is necessarily good. If God’s command says not to use such things, then we must ask why. Why no hybrid animals, plants, or mixed fabrics? It is to teach us to hold fast to the truth. The way of Christ is the way of Christ; the way of Satan is the way of Satan. Do not mix faith with the world. God is teaching us the principle of being set apart.

You may say, without mules, will there be disadvantages? Perhaps. You must bear those disadvantages. From this perspective, worshiping God may indeed cause us to lose certain visible, fleshly benefits. But God’s will is that we become more godly.

Now we come to verses 20–22. These verses present a case of mercy. It concerns a female slave who is betrothed to a man, but she lies with another man who is not her fiancé. How should this be handled? In the ancient Near Eastern laws, such a case would typically result in death. But verses 20–22 are actually very merciful and lenient.

Why? The assumption here is that when the slave woman was betrothed, perhaps she did not want that husband. For example, she is a maidservant in a household, and her master betroths her to someone—let us say Zhang San or Li Si. In her heart she is unwilling. In ancient times she had no freedom, so she could not say she did not want it. Then she falls in love with another young man. They fall in love, and in passion they come together. What then?

According to other ancient codes, she would be put to death. But verses 20–22 provide a merciful provision. If she lies with another man, they are not to be put to death. Why? Because she was not free. She did not love her betrothed. What is required? The man shall bring a ram for a guilt offering, offer it, and atonement shall be made. Then they are forgiven. That means they may be together.

So verses 20–22 show God’s mercy. In a situation where other ancient laws would demand death, God gives a much more lenient provision. It almost seems as though God is not strict enough, but in fact He is very considerate of human feelings. The maidservant does not want to marry the man chosen for her. What then? A guilt offering is made, and she has a certain freedom in marriage.

Of course, this is not saying the behavior is good; a guilt offering is required. But the very presence of this law warns masters: be careful how you treat your maidservants. If you betroth her to someone she does not love, she may invoke this provision. She may unite with another, and once a guilt offering is made, she is free. So masters should treat their maidservants well and not force them into unwanted marriages. This reveals God’s mercy and completeness in His law—strict in restraining sinful desire, yet merciful concerning a woman’s lifelong happiness.

Finally, let us look at verses 23–25. These verses teach Israel to rely fully on God for their provision. When they enter the land and plant fruit trees, they may not eat the fruit for three years. It is considered uncircumcised, unclean. In the fourth year, all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. Only in the fifth year may they eat.

Our human thinking is the opposite. We do not care about clean or unclean; if there is fruit, we want to eat it. Otherwise, it seems like waste. But God values holiness and purity more than immediate supply. The first three years, you may not eat. The fruit may fall to the ground. The fourth year, you offer it to the LORD. The fifth year, you may eat, and then He says, your yield shall increase. God blesses His people in places of holiness.

Here I think of tithing. We often feel that when we give a tenth, our money decreases. We think, “God is so demanding. I have so little, and I must still give a tenth.” We are reluctant to give from our own possessions. Small amounts are fine, but when it is significant, we hesitate.

But tithing is a blessing from God. I say this not because our church lacks money. I say it to remind you how your finances may be preserved. When you give the tithe that belongs to God, you declare that all you have is from Him. You receive blessing in Him, and He preserves the remaining nine-tenths.

In fact, God’s requirement includes not only the tenth but also freewill offerings beyond the tenth. Why? So that through giving, you learn the relationship between you and God. You confess that everything you have is from Him, you seek His protection, and He promises that if you do so, He will preserve your possessions. This is the interactive relationship God establishes with His people.

If you say, “I will not do this,” then you are robbing God. If we rob God, we will be disciplined. We may suffer financial loss. And more than that, our relationship with God deteriorates. We begin to look at God with suspicion, thinking He does not provide for us. We insist on protecting ourselves—“My ability is mine; my job opportunity is mine.” We tell God not to interfere.

Then God may say, “Very well, take care of yourself.” And you will find holes everywhere. Your life will be filled with discipline and even curse. So we must return to God’s right way. As pastors, we guide you back to that path. You must give faithfully, declaring that your possessions belong to God, not to yourself or your own ability.

I know many brothers and sisters struggle with the tithe, even covenant members feel pressure in this area. But it is not a curse; it is a blessing. God is building our spiritual life and our proper relationship with Him. Do not think God is asking for your money. Even our lives belong to Him. When you gradually understand this, your giving will become willing and joyful, and you will truly receive heavenly blessing—spiritual and material preservation—from Him.

Alright, we will stop here for today’s sharing. Thank you, everyone.