Do unto others. . . .
The religions of the world have really been beating this one for a long time. I don’t see that this has improved the world.
Let us look at the examples of the text.
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0319.htm JPS 1917
Leviticus 19:18 Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
“ thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”
This has a number of ramifications and willful (by humans) re-interpretations.
King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.) http://bible.cc/matthew/7-12.htm
Matthew 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
New International Version (©2011)
Matthew 7:12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
But it is only a piece of the text, so there is no context, which allows all of this carnage occurring in the execution of this phrase. Let us take a closer look at the original text –in English. JPS1917 again.
Leviticus 19:
17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart; thou shalt surely rebuke thy neighbour, and not bear sin because of him.
18 Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
In Hebrew:
יז .לֹא-תִשְׂנָא אֶת-אָחִיךָ, בִּלְבָבֶךָ; הוֹכֵחַ תּוֹכִיחַ אֶת-עֲמִיתֶךָ, וְלֹא-תִשָּׂא עָלָיו חֵטְא
יח .לֹא-תִקֹּם וְלֹא-תִטֹּר אֶת-בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ, וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ: אֲנִי, יְהוָה
This is to the point as I see it. Treat your family carefully, have mercy on them because they are your family. Each of us makes mistakes from time to time, and so each of us will also need them to have mercy.
But, everyone keeps expanding this to mean everybody. So if you want to know how to treat those that are not your family, take a look at this:
Exodus 22:
20 And a stranger shalt thou not wrong, neither shalt thou oppress him; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
We love to take pieces of text to get a meaning. So what else to the LORD say about the stranger? Who are these strangers?
Exodus 12:
18 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even.
19 Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses; for whosoever eateth that which is leavened, that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he be a sojourner, or one that is born in the land.
26 And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you: What mean ye by this service?
27 that ye shall say: It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S passover, for that He passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses.’ And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
38 And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle.
43 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron: ‘This is the ordinance of the passover: there shall no alien eat thereof;
44 but every man’s servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.
45 A sojourner and a hired servant shall not eat thereof.
47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it.
48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land; but no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.
49 One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you.’
Numbers 15: http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0415.htm
13 All that are home-born shall do these things after this manner, in presenting an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.
14 And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever may be among you, throughout your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD; as ye do, so he shall do.
15 As for the congregation, there shall be one statute both for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you, a statute for ever throughout your generations; as ye are, so shall the stranger be before the LORD.
16 One law and one ordinance shall be both for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.
From these Laws regarding PASSOVER(The LORD’S PASSOVER) for all time. From this we can learn that the stranger among us is to be held to the same Law’s that are require of the Homeborn. Yet, if the stranger desire to offer the Passover, when he(the Stranger that lives among us) and all of his males are circumsized, then they are equal to the Homeborn. NO where in this are we required to accept the stranger into our community, nor are we required to let them stay, while they are here, you will not abuse them and they are to KEEP THE LAW. But, if we let them in, then they must abide by the LAW’S Written by the Hand of Moses. We are not allowed to steal, cheat, or otherwise harm according to those laws. They must also abide by those laws.
So you may ask: Why is the stranger mentioned? My answer is that in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, we have family lands which are inherited. It is more difficult for the stranger that cannot own the land. We are to remember those that live among us, by their desire and our consent
The Lord God says what is right and what is wrong. HE will take care of both sides, rewarding good for good and evil for evil. This reward system may not happen in your time frame, but it will happen at the perfect time and the perfect amount based on HIS JUDGMENT. Remember this is, ALL HIS. HIS Heavens and Earth, HE Created it and keeps it going or not.
Is anyone listening? You still have breath and life, you can return and repair your deeds. You just need to Do It while you have time.
I can not save you, no one can., you must Return and do that which is Right.
I can show you the way, if you want to know.
IT is to our benefit to HEARKEN until the LIVING GOD OF ISHRAEL/ISRAEL, and to our pain and shame to do otherwise.
My prayer is that The LORD grant you eyes that see, ears that hear and an understanding heart, then you return unto HIM soon!(Isaiah 6: 9 And He said: ‘Go, and tell this people: hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. 10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they, seeing with their eyes, and hearing with their ears, and understanding with their heart, return, and be healed.’)
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Shalom,
Yaakov