LEVITICUS 19
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. – Leviticus 19:11-17
LEVITICUS 19 WHEN ANGER LEADS TO UNKIND ACTS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you love the Lord your God, you will follow the law of love
You will love your neighbor as yourself and you will obey God’s laws
When someone has done you wrong, abuse or offend you
It is natural to be angry but supernatural to forgive and let it go
When we hold on to anger it can lead to many unkind acts
It can make you bear falsely against others and continue to lie
It can also make you oppress others or steal something that isn’t yours
You may slander or bear a grudge against those who did you wrong
Worst of all, you can avenge yourself and take revenge against them
You may even plot to kill them or continue to hold on to resentment.
The book of Leviticus was written by Moses explaining all the laws of the Lord and how it can show up in the daily lives of the covenant people of God. It is a priesthood handbook. This book was primarily written for all the Israelites chosen by God and were delivered from the Egyptians during their exodus out of Egypt while they were in the wilderness. It was written for the priest to stay holy and undefiled so they can bring offerings to God to appease his anger when they commit sins. These are instructions for the whole people of God to honor so that they can finally receive the Promised land and all of the rest of God’s promises to Abraham and all his people.
These following verses give instructions to God’s people to love their neighbor as themselves. I’d like to tie up anger with regards to these guidelines on how to love our neighbors. Anger in itself is not evil. In fact, God gave us this emotion so we can be able to be kind to those who are experiencing injustice and oppression or neglect. But anger can lead to other sins mentioned in this law of love. When we are angry for no reason at all, we are focused on the “self.” It doesn’t include our neighbor. When it is only the “self” that is the focus, it can lead to many other forms of sins like slander, stealing, oppression and injustice.
REFLECTION
· Give some examples when your anger has led to other unkind acts?
