One Year Bible Readings and Commentary for Sunday, April 3rd "Who Is My Neighbor???"
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Regulations Concerning Worship
The Ammonites and Moabites were not permittted to enter into the assembly and worship with the Israelites.
The Moabites and the Ammonites not only treated Israel cruelly on their way to the Promised Land, but they also were a people with a disgraceful beginning. Moab and Ammon were the two sons born to the daughters of Lot through their incest with their father (Genesis 19:30-38).
Because of their background and connection with Israel, the Lord commanded the Israelites not to detest the Edomites or the Egyptians. I am surprised that even though the Egyptians subjected the Israelites to slavery that they received favorable treatment.
The Edomites were ethnically related to Israel, because Israel’s brother Esau was the father of the Edomite peoples. Therefore, Israel was commanded to not abhor an Edomite. (Guzik)
The Egyptians were also to receive more favor than the Moabites or Ammonites, because Israel was a guest in Egypt for almost 400 years. Though the years Israel spent in Egypt were hard, God had a great purpose for them. Egypt was like a mother’s womb for Israel; they went in as a large family and came out as a distinct nation. (Guzik)
Miscellaneous Regulations
Many of these regulations have to do with cleanliness. We know that purity and cleanliness were important to the Lord. Many of the other regulations have to do with special provisions for those in need.
1. Let escaped slaves stay with in their household, giving them essentially refugee status
2. No interest should be charged to a fellow Israelite.
3. You can eat from your neighbors vineyard or grain fields, but only take what you need. I.e. Don't take basketfuls away.
4. If a woman is divorced because she did not please her husband, she is free to remarry.
5. A newly married man was not required to serve in military, but spend the first year of his marriage with his wife.
6. If a poor person loans you his cloak as a security, give it back to him if it is cold out.
7. Orphans were to be treated fairly and widows did not have to give up property as a pledge for a loan.
8. When they were harvesting grain, gleaning grapes from the vines, or beating olives from the tree, they were to leave some out in the field for the poor among them.
9. Someone who was convicted of a crime and sentenced for flogging, must be flogged no more than 40 times to save him from public humiliation.
10. Widows were free to marry brother in laws so that any sons would be the family name.
11. Always use honest weights and scales so as to cheat nobody.
You can see God's heart for the downtrodden and these regulations preserved their rights even though they did not have the resources for the necessities of life. By observing all of these regulations the Israelites would honor and glorify the God they served to their own children, and the foreigners among them.
When the disciples return from their mission trip they are full of joy and can't believe even the demons submitted to them in Jesus' name. Jesus relished their enthusiasm but reminded them that the ultimate joy was that their names were written in the book of life. One day they would enjoy eternal life, which was better than any experiences on this planet.
We see how much joy his disciples brought to him when he heard their reports. Like a father being so proud of their children, Jesus gives thanks to His father for his disciples. He was grateful that God had hidden these things from wise and learned people, but gave them to little children like his disciples. It was a reminder that God revealed His Son to those He chose regardless of their worldly status. Many prophets and kings had longed to see what the disciples had the chance to see and experience in Jesus.
Jesus told a story about an expert in the law who asked Jesus about what he needed to DO to inherit eternal life. Though he knew the Law of Moses which answered this question, he still asked Jesus the questions, perhaps to bait Him. Jesus gave him a clear answer from Deuteronomy 6:4, "To love the Lord with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength." And "Love your neighbor as youself" from Leviticus 19:18. The lawyer seemed to think he had satisifed the first command, but asked, "Who is my neighbor?" Since everyone knew the Samaritans were the neighbors of the Jews, perhaps he wanted to know if this command even applied to loving the Samaritans.
Jesus answer his question with a parable. He told the story of a man who was attacked and beaten by bandits on the dangerous road from Jericho to Jerusalem. Though the man was Jewish, his fellow Jews, including a Pharisee and Levite, went out of their way to avoid the man. If they would have been seen near the man, they probably would have had to help him, so they went to the other side of the road.
But the kicker to the story is that a Samaritan man stopped to help. The despised Samaritan had more compassion on the Jewish man than the religous professionals. How is that for irony? Not only did the Samaritan man stop to help, he put oil on his wounds and bandaged him up. Then, he went even further by taking him to an inn, where he could rest and recover. To top things off, he came in the day after and paid for the man's stay.
Jesus checked in to see if the religious expert got what he was saying. He now knew that loving God and your neighbor were equally important. The two go together. You can't have one without the other. 1 John 4:20 puts it quite succinctly,
"Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen."
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