Leviticus 19:14-18: a reflection

14“‘You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind; but you shall fear your God. I am the LORD. 15“‘You shall do no injustice in judgment. You shall not be partial to the poor, nor show favoritism to the great; but you shall judge your neighbor in righteousness. 16“‘You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people. “‘You shall not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the LORD. 17“‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. 18“‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

This section of Leviticus is a cluster of laws about how to treat our neighbor, and it reaches into the heart. It forbids injustice and partiality, slander and endangering others; and then it turns inward: You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Rather than nursing hidden hatred, we are to deal honestly, even to rebuke where needed, and to let go of grudges, and to love.

Notice how these laws address not only outward acts but the hidden attitudes of the heart. It is not enough to refrain from harming our neighbor outwardly; we are told not to hate him in our heart, not to nurse grudges, not to carry resentment inwardly. Hidden hatred and quiet grudges are forbidden along with open injustice; God cares about the resentment we harbor within, not only the harm we do without. And the alternative to hidden hatred is not mere silence, but honest dealing and love.

That searches the heart. It is possible to do our neighbor no outward wrong while harboring hatred, resentment, and grudges against him inwardly, nursing our grievances in secret. But God forbids the hidden hatred as well as the outward harm, and calls us instead to deal honestly and to love. Examine your heart for the grudges and resentments you may be nursing against others, the hidden hatred you carry while outwardly civil. Do not hoard these inwardly; let them go, deal honestly where there is a real wrong, and love your neighbor as yourself. God cares about what you carry in your heart toward others; put away the hidden grudge and the secret hatred, and let love take their place.

Lord, your law reaches into the heart, forbidding not only outward harm but hidden hatred: you shall not hate your brother in your heart, nor bear a grudge, but love your neighbor as yourself. Search my heart by that. It is possible for me to do my neighbor no outward wrong while harboring hatred, resentment, and grudges against him inwardly, nursing my grievances in secret. But you forbid the hidden hatred as well as the outward harm, and call me instead to deal honestly and to love. Show me the grudges and resentments I may be nursing against others, the hidden hatred I carry while outwardly civil. Help me not to hoard these inwardly, but to let them go, to deal honestly where there is a real wrong, and to love my neighbor as myself. You care about what I carry in my heart toward others; help me put away the hidden grudge and secret hatred, and let love take their place. Cleanse my heart, Lord.