Chapters 18-20: Righteousness

"You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy."

We have finally arrived.  We've moseyed around the walls of the outer court, and are well aware of the separation between the holiness of YHWH - who, nonetheless, has taken up residence among us - and the sinfulness of humans.  We've been warned that getting closer to the presence of the Holy Place comes at a price.  And we understand that if we're going to go through that screen into the sanctuary - not all the way into the holiest place but still edging closer to God's electric presence - it's going to mean an entirely new way of life.  It's going to include how we interact with all living things - flying and creeping, swarming and swimming - how we live in our bodies and what we put in them, and how we shape the day to day processes of life.  And we've decided to take the risk.

So as we enter this new room - the sanctuary, or the Holiness Code - the first three chapters act as a unit to help us get our bearings.  Remember those pagan gods of Egypt and Canaan, the ones your friends and neighbors and bosses and - maybe even you - worshipped?  Forget about them.  Remember how you treated one another back there, acting out the ways of the false gods you served in your very bodies?  No more.  And above all, don't forget: you're not in Egypt any more.  "I am the Lord your God WHO BROUGHT YOU OUT of the land of Egypt."  This is a whole new way of life, and it includes all of life.

"You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy."

If there is anything we ought to take away from these chapters it is this:

• Remember who you were, and who you now are.
• Remember who YHWH is.

Oh, and by the way, don't forget that holiness equals wholeness - that which is consistent with God and his character.  Everything we talk about from here on out is about the holiness of God, and so it is also about the holiness of God's people.  

"You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy."

I.  Chapters 18 and 20: "You are not to do... " - Pillars Defining Righteousness
        I think it's time for some pictures.  Are you ready?!  And by pictures I mean a picture:


That's right, take a good long look.  As a matter of fact, if you look at it long enough I don't think there's much else I need to say.  This lovely illustration, the handiwork of yours truly, helps us visualize how chapters 18-20 function as a unit to highlight 1) that YHWH is Israel's god, not the gods of Egypt and Canaan, 2) what the Israelites are not to do, and 3) what the Israelites are to do to embody YHWH's righteousness, liberty, and justice. 

So chapters 18 and 20.  We should already be comfortable with the idea that we don't get a linear progression of ideas - we don't progress through chapters 18 and 19 to reach the glorious definition of righteousness in chapter 20.  Nope.  We read about all the sins of Egypt and Canaan in chapter 18, skip over chapter 19, and hear them again - this time complete with the consequences those sins evoke - in chapter 20.  Three things about chapters 18 and 20:

• First, these are anathemas against evil things done in Egypt & Canaan (cf. 18.2-5), focusing on idolatry and sexual immorality.  Remember the Levitical theme of inappropriate "mixtures"?  It also applies to relationships.  Furthermore, paganism in the ancient world and the world of the bible is synonymous with sexual immorality - anytime we come to material dealing with sexual immorality, we can pretty much put our money on it not being about defining Israelite relationships but specifically defining the Israelite's relationship with YHWH.   These sins, should you choose to engage them, are a clear indication of religious infidelity.
• Second, these are not laws about everyday relational structures - just like the dietary laws are not about health and skin disorders are not about hygiene, these lists exclude some important things we might think would have been important for the Israelite community: what about divorce, inheritance laws, or succession?  How should marriages be organized, and marriage partners chosen?  How should family life and sexuality be structured?  Leviticus has nothing to say - well, except "I am the Lord."  If the list we're looking for is inadequate, then maybe we should look for another one - and sure enough, we find that the context is inescapably religious (or cultic).  Two more things: 1) when scripture mentions the defilement of the land (18.24-28, 20.22) it is always the result of idolatry; behavior that is so disgusting that the land itself is envisioned as having a physical reaction of revulsion, and 2) the mention of Egypt and Canaan usually equals Egyptian and Canaanite cults; this makes sense of the denunciation of the use of mediums, seers, and divination also included in these chapters.
• Third, a conclusion: "The effect of these unedifying sexual deviations framing chapter 19 is to show up the concepts of righteousness, liberty, and justice which it expounds in the middle.  These chapters contrast the pure and noble character of the Hebrew God with ... the very strange false gods" (Leviticus as Literature 238)

II.  Chapter 19: The Meaning of Righteousness

        There are a couple of clues in chapter 19 that point to it as the most important chapter we've yet encountered.  First, we are smack in the middle of our literary representation of the tabernacle - the sanctuary is the middle room, between the outer court and the holiest place.
        Second, we hear a familiar refrain that has been popping up ever since Exodus: "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt" (19.36).  Every time we hear this refrain it is a signal that YHWH is defining his holiness and singularity over against some other competitor - in this case, the gods of Egypt and Canaan.  It is a reminder that YHWH is our God because of what he has done for us - we are no longer slaves in Egypt, and their gods we no longer serve.  If there was any doubt after chapter 18 that "idolatry" is the theme of the day, there should be none now.  The first thing we have to understand about holiness and what it means to be the people of YHWH is that YHWH alone is God, and there is room for no other.  Sound familiar (cf. Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 6)??
        Finally, chapter 19 is central because it defines what is central to true religion.  All throughout the Hebrew Bible, the high points of the revelation of YHWH's character converge on these very same themes:

• "What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" - Micah 6.8
• "Shall not the judge of the whole earth do what is right?" - Genesis 18.25
• "I will make justice the line and righteousness the plumb line." - Isaiah 28.17

So how is justice defined?  I suggest that you make a list of everything that is addressed in chapter 19 - point by point, what are the themes that we find?  Highlight the things with common threads and see if you can find a pattern or if certain things are usually mentioned in close proximity to one another.  Above all, slow down and pay attention.  Take in the landscape.  Imagine life in a society like this.  

Here are a couple of key themes that I noticed:

• Appropriate Boundaries: there is to be no "mixing" of gods.  It's YHWH, and YHWH alone, and in case you forget - "I am YHWH your God" is repeated no fewer than twenty-five times in these three chapters alone!  There is also to be no mixing of crops in the field, of materials in clothing, of animals in breeding - just as there is to be no mixing of Israelite with other idolatrous nations (20.24-26)
• Just Dealings: you are to deal justly and fairly not only among your own family but with your neighbors, with the non-Israelite travelers just passing through, with those disadvantaged by blindness or deafness.  You are not to show favoritism to family members or those in power.  You are not to tip the scales in your own favor.  What's more, you are even to give of what is rightfully yours to those who are in need - leave the edges of your fields for the poor to glean.  "I am YHWH" and this is what I am like. 

Finally, note the proximity of Sabbath keeping, idolatry, and covenantal eating in verses 3-8 and then again in 23-30.  Coincidental?  Take a look at Exodus 20 - somehow, welcoming the day of rest and ceasing from our labors - just like YHWH did - is connected to recognizing that YHWH alone is God.  We are not in control.  And it is also connected to what goes into our bodies - it is YHWH who will provide it for us, and we demonstrate our trust and covenant faithfulness even in the way that we eat.  

     

At the conclusion of chapter 20 we are reminded once again that these three chapters are a hinge between the two sections of the book - carefully read verses 22-26 and you will hear echoes of chapter 11 and a preview of chapter 26.  It is all held together here, right in the middle, right in the center of it all.

And not surprisingly, Jesus agrees.  When asked what the greatest of all the commandments is, Jesus answers from Deuteronomy 6 - "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength" - AND from Leviticus 19 - "and you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mk. 12.28-34).  Upon these two commandments stands the whole law.  Upon these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.  And it has always been here, right in front of us, right in Leviticus - don't serve the gods of Egypt and Canaan, and demonstrate righteousness and justice in all that you do, because you are mine and this is what I am like.

That is all.