Does love of neighbor include such diverse things as their possessions, gender clarity, caring for birds, workplace safety, not mixing things, reminders and sexual relations? Do our ideas of loving our neighbor differ greatly from God's? Let’s look at Deuteronomy 22.
Does the love of our neighbors extend to their possessions?
Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep go astray, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt in any case bring them again unto thy brother. And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek after it, and thou shalt restore it to him again. In like manner shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his raiment; and with all lost thing of thy brother's, which he hath lost, and thou hast found, shalt thou do likewise: thou mayest not hide thyself. Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again. (Deuteronomy 22:1-4 KJV)
Does love of neighbor extend to eliminating gender confusion?
A woman shall not wear man’s clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh your God. (Deuteronomy 22:5 LSB)
Does love of neighbor extend to caring for bird’s nests?
If you happen to come upon a bird’s nest along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs in it, and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young; you shall certainly let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, in order that it may go well for you and that you may prolong your days. (Deuteronomy 22:6-7 NASB)
Does love of neighbor extend to construction and workplace safety?
When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof. (Deuteronomy 22:8 NIV)
Does love of neighbor mean not mixing things that should not go together?
You shall not sow your vineyard with different kinds of seed, lest the yield of the seed which you have sown and the fruit of your vineyard be defiled. You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. You shall not wear a garment of different sorts, such as wool and linen mixed together. (Deuteronomy 22:9-11 NKJV)
Does love of neighbor include reminders sewn into our clothing?
You must put four tassels on the hem of the cloak with which you cover yourself—on the front, back, and sides. (Deuteronomy 22:12 NLT cp. Numbers 16:32-41)
Does love for a neighbor begin at home with family?
If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her, hates her, accuses her of shameful things, gives her a bad name, and says, “I took this woman, and when I came near to her, I didn’t find in her the tokens of virginity;” then the young lady’s father and mother shall take and bring the tokens of the young lady’s virginity to the elders of the city in the gate. The young lady’s father shall tell the elders, “I gave my daughter to this man as his wife, and he hates her. Behold, he has accused her of shameful things, saying, ‘I didn’t find in your daughter the tokens of virginity;’ and yet these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity.” They shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. The elders of that city shall take the man and chastise him. They shall fine him one hundred shekels of silver, and give them to the father of the young lady, because he has given a bad name to a virgin of Israel. She shall be his wife. He may not put her away all his days. (Deuteronomy 22:13-19 WEB)
What if the husband’s accusations against his wife are true?
However, if the claim is true and proof of the young woman’s virginity can’t be produced, then the city’s elders will bring the young woman to the door of her father’s house. The citizens of that city must stone her until she dies because she acted so sinfully in Israel by having extramarital sex while still in her father’s house. Remove such evil from your community! (Deuteronomy 22:20-21 CEB)
Does love of neighbor include maintaining sexual purity?
If a man is found having sex with a woman who is married to someone else, both of them must die—the man who was having sex with the woman and the woman herself. Remove such evil from Israel! If a young woman who is a virgin is engaged to one man and another man meets up with her in a town and has sex with her, you must bring both of them to the city gates there and stone them until they die—the young woman because she didn’t call for help in the city, and the man because of the fact that he humiliated his neighbor’s wife. Remove such evil from your community! But if the man met up with the engaged woman in a field, grabbing her and having sex with her there, only the man will die. Don’t do anything whatsoever to the young woman. She hasn’t committed any capital crime—rather, this situation is exactly like the one where someone attacks his neighbor and kills him. Since the man met up with her in a field, the engaged woman may well have called out for help, but there was no one to rescue her. If a man meets up with a young woman who is a virgin and not engaged, grabs her and has sex with her, and they are caught in the act, the man who had sex with her must give fifty silver shekels to the young woman’s father. She will also become his wife because he has humiliated her. He is never allowed to divorce her. A man cannot marry his father’s former wife so that his father’s private matters are not exposed. (Deuteronomy 22:22-30 CEB)
How important is loving our neighbor to the teachings of Jesus?
Jesus answered, “What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?” The man replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’ They also say, ‘Love your neighbors as much as you love yourself.’ ” Jesus said, “You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life.” (Luke 10:26-28 CEV)
Does love of neighbor include such diverse things as their possessions, gender clarity, caring for birds, workplace safety, not mixing things, reminders and sexual relations? Do our ideas of loving our neighbor differ greatly from God's? You decide!
