What does it really mean to love my neighbor? Quoting from this Old Testament passage, Jesus told us that showing love to our neighbors summed up a big portion of what the Law of Moses was all about. And today’s passage helps us see that love for our neighbors goes far beyond warm feelings for them. In fact, here we find several practical ways that we can express such love, particularly where it comes to our words and our property.

Now, it’s obvious that if we love someone we won’t steal their things. But verse 13 shows us that love goes beyond mere theft. If we owe something to someone, we should be prompt in paying it. After all, some folks live from paycheck to paycheck, so any delay could cause them big problems.

But we must go beyond simply paying what we owe. In order to help the poor, verses 9 and 10 tell us that the best thing to love the poor is to give them a job. Even if it costs us something, or if it means passing up the opportunity for personal profit, love for our neighbors means giving the needy an opportunity to make a living.

But Moses also tells us that love for our neighbors must include being honest with them. If we are to give the poor a hand up, we must not put our thumb on the scales of justice in order to do so (v. 15). Love not only means avoiding slander (v. 16), but also reasoning frankly with one another (v. 17) – something we Southerners tend not to do so well.

But Moses reminds us that such generosity and honesty tends to diffuse all kinds of personal tensions (v. 17) – after all, if we really love others, we want our relationships with them to be free from misunderstandings, right? We need to nip those problems in the bud, before we have a desire for vengeance or a chance to hold a grudge (v. 18).

So today, how can we create opportunities for others to prosper? How can we use our words to pursue justice and to bring healing to broken relationships? In short, how can we seek to love one another?

Leviticus 19:9-18 (ESV)

9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest.
10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.
11 “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another.
12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.
13 “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning.
14 You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.
15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.
16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the LORD.
17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.
18 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.