June 12, 2018: Day 59 – Leviticus 19

I am definitely playing catch up so I am not writing this on June 12, but rather on June 20.  Today is recognized as world refugee day, ironically.  I say ironically because I was wondering if you read vs.33 where it states that we are to love the alien as ourselves.  That would actually be the Scripture to quote as opposed to Romans 13 which was quoted earlier in the week to justify the separation of babies from their parents once they cross the border.  I’m not sure we would do that to our own family.  And yet this verse tells us to love the alien as we would love ourselves.

Scripture is full of statements that raise the bar on hospitality to the stranger.  In fact, the result of being inhospitable was to be stoning.  This was fairly serious.  It was also Jesus who told his disciples that if a town did not accept them and treat them hospitably then they were to shake off the dust from their sandals.  He goes on to say that it would be better for Soddom and Gomorrah than it would be for that town because of their refusal to accept them as strangers.  

I know this is only one of the many commandments found in this chapter, and there are many commandments in this chapter, but it seems to be one that is the most poignant for the times in which we live.