The Foreigner Residing Among You Must Be Treated As Your Native-Born

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.

“‘Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.

“‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.

“‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up. If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted. Whoever eats it will be held responsible because they have desecrated what is holy to the Lord; they must be cut off from their people.

“‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.

Leviticus 19:1-9

“‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 19:33-34

God’s people know what it means to be far from home. For several hundred years, the Israelites were literal foreigners – and slaves – in Egypt. In Leviticus 19, alongside familiar instructions like “Respect your mother and father” and “Do not steal,” God reminded His people to empathetically care for foreigners, because they knew what it was like to be be foreigners and afraid.

To whom can I show hospitality?

Our Daily Bread – July 11, 2018