◄ Leviticus 18:2 ►
"Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the LORD your God.
Study Bible
Speak
The Hebrew word used here is "דַּבֵּר" (daber), which is a command to communicate or declare. In the context of Leviticus, this is not merely a suggestion but a divine imperative. God is instructing Moses to convey His laws and statutes to the Israelites. This highlights the importance of communication in the covenant relationship between God and His people. It underscores the role of Moses as a mediator and prophet, tasked with delivering God's word to the nation of Israel.

to the Israelites
The term "Israelites" refers to the descendants of Jacob, also known as Israel. This designation is significant as it identifies the recipients of God's laws and covenants. Historically, the Israelites were chosen by God to be His people, set apart from other nations. This phrase emphasizes the special relationship and responsibility the Israelites have in adhering to God's commands. It also serves as a reminder of their identity and calling as a holy nation.

and tell them
The phrase "tell them" reinforces the directive given to Moses. The Hebrew root "אָמַר" (amar) implies not just speaking, but conveying a message with authority and clarity. This is a continuation of the command to "speak," emphasizing the necessity of ensuring that the message is understood and internalized by the Israelites. It reflects the seriousness with which God's instructions are to be communicated and obeyed.

I am the LORD your God
This declaration is foundational to the entire passage. The use of "I am" (אֲנִי) is reminiscent of God's self-revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:14, where He declares, "I AM WHO I AM." It asserts God's eternal and unchanging nature. The term "LORD" (יהוה, Yahweh) is the personal name of God, signifying His covenantal relationship with Israel. "Your God" personalizes this relationship, reminding the Israelites of their unique bond with the Creator. This phrase serves as both a reassurance of God's presence and authority and a call to obedience based on their covenantal relationship. It is a powerful reminder of who God is and why His commands are to be followed.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Israelites
The chosen people of God, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were delivered from slavery in Egypt and are now receiving God's laws and commandments.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal existence and faithfulness to His promises. He is the one true God who has established a relationship with the Israelites.

3. Moses
The prophet and leader of the Israelites, through whom God communicates His laws and commandments to His people.

4. Mount Sinai
The place where God gave the Law to Moses, including the instructions found in Leviticus.

5. The Covenant
The agreement established between God and the Israelites, where God promises to be their God, and they are to be His people, following His laws and commandments.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty and Authority
Recognize that God is the ultimate authority in our lives. Just as He declared to the Israelites, "I am the LORD your God," He calls us to acknowledge His sovereignty and submit to His will.

Covenant Relationship
Understand the importance of the covenant relationship between God and His people. This relationship is based on God's promises and our response of obedience and faithfulness.

Call to Holiness
Embrace the call to holiness in our daily lives. As God is holy, we are to reflect His character in our actions, thoughts, and relationships.

Identity in God
Our identity is rooted in our relationship with God. Just as the Israelites were identified as God's people, we too are called to live out our identity as followers of Christ.

Obedience to God's Commands
Obedience to God's commands is a demonstration of our love and commitment to Him. It is through obedience that we experience the fullness of life that God intends for us.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God as "the LORD your God" influence your daily decisions and actions?

2. In what ways can you strengthen your covenant relationship with God in your personal life?

3. What are some practical steps you can take to pursue holiness in your current circumstances?

4. How does your identity as a follower of Christ shape the way you interact with others in your community?

5. Reflect on a time when obedience to God's commands led to a positive outcome in your life. How can this experience encourage you to continue walking in obedience?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 20
The giving of the Ten Commandments, which establishes the foundational laws for the Israelites, emphasizing God's authority and the call to holiness.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5
The Shema, which reiterates the centrality of God as the LORD and the call to love Him with all one's heart, soul, and strength.

1 Peter 1:15-16
The call for Christians to be holy as God is holy, reflecting the holiness code found in Leviticus.

Romans 12:1-2
The call for believers to present themselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which echoes the call to holiness in Leviticus.
Sermons
Two Aspects of SinW. Clarkson Leviticus 18:1-4
Obedience EnjoinedS.R. Aldridge Leviticus 18:1-5
Safety in the Observance of God's LawsBp. Babington.Leviticus 18:1-5
Abominable DoingsJ.A. Macdonal Leviticus 18:1-30
The True Morality is Based Upon the True ReligionR.A. Redford Leviticus 18:1-30
UnworldlinessR.M. Edgar Leviticus 18:1-30
People
Israelites, Molech, Moses
Places
Canaan, Egypt, Teman
Topics
Hast, Israelites, Sons, Speak
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Leviticus 18:1-5

     1235   God, the LORD
     7258   promised land, early history

Leviticus 18:1-22

     5714   men

Leviticus 18:1-24

     8273   holiness, ethical aspects

Library
General Character of Christians.
"And they that are Christ's have crucified the Flesh, with the Affections and Lusts." St. Paul is supposed to have been the first herald of gospel grace to the Galatians; and they appear to have rejoiced at the glad tidings, and to have received the bearer with much respect. But after his departure, certain judaizing teachers went among them, and labored but too successfully, to alienate their affections from him, and turn them form the simplicity of the gospel. The malice and errors of those deceitful …
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects

"They have Corrupted Themselves; their Spot is not the Spot of his Children; they are a Perverse and Crooked Generation. "
Deut. xxxii. 5.--"They have corrupted themselves; their spot is not the spot of his children; they are a perverse and crooked generation." We doubt this people would take well with such a description of themselves as Moses gives. It might seem strange to us, that God should have chosen such a people out of all the nations of the earth, and they to be so rebellious and perverse, if our own experience did not teach us how free his choice is, and how long-suffering he is, and constant in his choice. …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Doctrine of Arbitrary Scriptural Accommodation Considered.
"But the Righteousness which is of Faith speaketh on this wise,--Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into Heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) or, Who shall descend into the deep?' (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth; and in thine heart:' that is, the word of Faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from …
John William Burgon—Inspiration and Interpretation

Epistle Lxiv. To Augustine, Bishop of the Angli .
To Augustine, Bishop of the Angli [174] . Here begins the epistle of the blessed Gregory pope of the city of Rome, in exposition of various matters, which he sent into transmarine Saxony to Augustine, whom he had himself sent in his own stead to preach. Preface.--Through my most beloved son Laurentius, the presbyter, and Peter the monk, I received thy Fraternity's letter, in which thou hast been at pains to question me on many points. But, inasmuch as my aforesaid sons found me afflicted with the …
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

The Two Sabbath-Controversies - the Plucking of the Ears of Corn by the Disciples, and the Healing of the Man with the Withered Hand
IN grouping together the three miracles of healing described in the last chapter, we do not wish to convey that it is certain they had taken place in precisely that order. Nor do we feel sure, that they preceded what is about to be related. In the absence of exact data, the succession of events and their location must be matter of combination. From their position in the Evangelic narratives, and the manner in which all concerned speak and act, we inferred, that they took place at that particular …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Obedience
Take heed, and hearken, O Israel; this day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do his commandments.' Deut 27: 9, 10. What is the duty which God requireth of man? Obedience to his revealed will. It is not enough to hear God's voice, but we must obey. Obedience is a part of the honour we owe to God. If then I be a Father, where is my honour?' Mal 1: 6. Obedience carries in it the life-blood of religion. Obey the voice of the Lord …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

The Blessings of Noah Upon Shem and Japheth. (Gen. Ix. 18-27. )
Ver. 20. "And Noah began and became an husbandman, and planted vineyards."--This does not imply that Noah was the first who began to till the ground, and, more especially, to cultivate the vine; for Cain, too, was a tiller of the ground, Gen. iv. 2. The sense rather is, that Noah, after the flood, again took up this calling. Moreover, the remark has not an independent import; it serves only to prepare the way for the communication of the subsequent account of Noah's drunkenness. By this remark, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Meditations for Household Piety.
1. If thou be called to the government of a family, thou must not hold it sufficient to serve God and live uprightly in thy own person, unless thou cause all under thy charge to do the same with thee. For the performance of this duty God was so well pleased with Abraham, that he would not hide from him his counsel: "For," saith God, "I know him that he will command his sons and his household after him that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Appendix ii. Philo of Alexandria and Rabbinic Theology.
(Ad. vol. i. p. 42, note 4.) In comparing the allegorical Canons of Philo with those of Jewish traditionalism, we think first of all of the seven exegetical canons which are ascribed to Hillel. These bear chiefly the character of logical deductions, and as such were largely applied in the Halakhah. These seven canons were next expanded by R. Ishmael (in the first century) into thirteen, by the analysis of one of them (the 5th) into six, and the addition of this sound exegetical rule, that where two …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Leviticus
The emphasis which modern criticism has very properly laid on the prophetic books and the prophetic element generally in the Old Testament, has had the effect of somewhat diverting popular attention from the priestly contributions to the literature and religion of Israel. From this neglect Leviticus has suffered most. Yet for many reasons it is worthy of close attention; it is the deliberate expression of the priestly mind of Israel at its best, and it thus forms a welcome foil to the unattractive …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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