You
shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances; which if a man does, he shall live in them. I am Yahweh.
Leviticus 18:5
Leviticus 17 [15.] “‘Every person that eats what dies of itself, or that which is torn by animals, whether he is native-born or a foreigner, he shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the evening: then he shall be clean. But if he doesn’t wash them, or bathe his flesh, then he shall bear his iniquity.’”
Leviticus 18 [1.] Yahweh said to Moses, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘I am Yahweh your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived: and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You shall not follow their statutes. You shall do my ordinances, and you shall keep my statutes, and walk in them: I am Yahweh your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances; which if a man does, he shall live in them. I am Yahweh.
Leviticus 18 [6.] “‘None of you shall approach anyone who are his close relatives, to uncover their nakedness: I am Yahweh.
“‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, nor the nakedness of your mother: she is your mother. You shall not uncover her nakedness.
“‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife. It is your father’s nakedness.
“‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home, or born abroad.
Meaning:
Leviticus 18 opens a section of laws about holy living, especially sexual morality and family relationships. God begins by setting Israel apart from the nations around them: “You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived: and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan” (Leviticus 18:3). This verse states the principle behind all the commands that follow.
- “You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances”
Israel had lived among the practices of Egypt and was about to enter Canaan. God’s people were to be shaped by his word instead of by the customs of their neighbours. The statutes were not arbitrary rules; they reflected the character of the God who gave them.
- “which if a man does, he shall live in them”
Obedience was the path of life: long life in the land, blessing on the family, and fellowship with God. Moses later urged, “I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19). The prophet Ezekiel repeated these words when he recalled Israel’s history: “I gave them my statutes, and showed them my ordinances, which if a man does, he shall live in them” (Ezekiel 20:11), and then described how the people rebelled.
- “I am Yahweh.”
The law rests on who God is. He had already introduced himself as “Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (Exodus 20:2). The commands were given to a people already redeemed. They describe how the rescued should live, not how to earn rescue.
- In the New Testament
When a lawyer summarised the law as love for God and neighbour, Jesus replied, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live” (Luke 10:28), echoing this verse. Paul quotes it to show the difference between law and faith: “The law is not of faith, but, ‘The man who does them will live by them.’” (Galatians 3:12; Romans 10:5). No one keeps the law perfectly, and so Paul adds that “The righteous will live by faith” (Galatians 3:11).
The Significance of Leviticus 18:5
- The law shows our need
The promise of life is real, but our failure to keep God’s commands drives us to his mercy. The lawyer who heard Jesus’ answer immediately tried “to justify himself.”
- Grace makes obedience possible
“For what the law couldn’t do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3). Those who trust Christ receive his Spirit and begin to walk in God’s ways.
Cross-References:
Luke 10:28: “Do this, and you will live.” Jesus echoes Leviticus.
Galatians 3:12: “The man who does them will live by them.” Law and faith contrasted.
Ezekiel 20:11: “which if a man does, he shall live in them.” The promise repeated.
Deuteronomy 30:19: “Therefore choose life.” The call to obedience.
Conclusion: God told Israel to live by his statutes instead of the customs of Egypt and Canaan, promising life to those who keep them. Jesus and Paul both quote the verse: it shows the goodness of God’s law and also our need of the grace that comes through Christ.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible