Epiphany
February 13, 2017
Scripture Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18
You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God.
You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and you shall not lie to one another. And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God: I am the Lord.
You shall not defraud your neighbor; you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a laborer until morning. You shall not revile the deaf or put a stumbling-block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. –Leviticus 19:2b, 9-13
The Hebrew word for holy or sacred as translated in Leviticus 19:2 means separate from human infirmity, impurity, and sin.* It is of God and set apart from what might be considered normal human responses to life situations. Our scripture today outlines examples of such behavior. Leaving some grain in the fields for the poor to eat hearkens to the story of Ruth who was gathering such grain in Boaz’s field when she caught his eye, and he ordered his workers to be generous with what was left.
One of the challenges of being holy is not becoming holier than thou. By trying to live in a manner set forth by a higher power, it is too easy to equate being holy with being better than those who do not practice the holy ways. God’s recommended way corresponds to the way best suited for our well-being since God designed and created us. Being holy makes us whole not better than someone else.
We must find the root purpose in the stories of God’s ways described in the Bible and apply them to current practices. If one tried to glean grain in a field today with a scythe, he or she might be run over by a combine. We continue to feed the hungry while trying to maintain their dignity. Stealing, cheating, and lying are still in vogue today. I guess some things never change. It seems we do not take them as seriously as God does. It’s a human thing I guess.
Prayer: Lord, make us whole and humble in all aspects of our lives. Amen.
*Strong’s Concordance see at http://biblehub.com/hebrew/6918.htm