The biblical command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) has inspired generations of believers, theologians, and ethicists. It echoes through the teachings of Jesus, undergirds social justice movements, and is often viewed as a universal moral principle. But when placed in its original Old Testament context, this command raises unsettling questions. How can a God who commands His people to love their neighbors also command the destruction and enslavement of other people groups?
In Deuteronomy 7 and 20, God instructs the Israelites to annihilate seven Canaanite nations and enslave other pagan groups outside that specific list. These instructions include the death of men, women, and children. At first glance, this seems irreconcilable with the call to love. Did God contradict Himself? Did He change His mind? No. God does not change (Malachi 3:6). The problem, then, may lie not in God’s consistency, but in our assumptions—especially our assumptions about who qualifies as a “neighbor.”
A Closer Look at the Command
Leviticus 19:18 reads:
“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”
This command is part of a larger section of Leviticus often referred to as the Holiness Code, where God lays out how Israel is to live as a distinct, holy nation. At first, it seems that “neighbor” refers specifically to fellow Israelites. But just a few verses later, God says:
“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:33–34)
Suddenly, the circle of “neighbor” expands. Foreigners—those not ethnically or nationally part of Israel—are to be loved with the same standard as the Israelites. So which foreigners are being spoken of here? Surely not the Amalekites, Moabites, or Canaanites who worshiped false gods and practiced human sacrifice.
This brings us to an important distinction: the difference between “foreigners” who aligned themselves with the God of Israel and those who actively opposed Him.
Foreigners Who Became Family
Throughout the Old Testament, there are clear examples of non-Israelites who turned to YHWH in faith and were welcomed into the covenant community.
Ruth the Moabite
Ruth, a Moabite woman, is perhaps the clearest example. The Moabites were a pagan people who worshipped Chemosh (considered an abomination by the Israelites and later referred to as "the abomination of Moab") and had a history of hostility toward Israel. Yet Ruth famously tells her Israelite mother-in-law Naomi:
“Your people will be my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16)
Ruth not only joins the people of Israel, but also becomes the great-grandmother of King David and is named in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1. Her Moabite origin does not disqualify her from being a neighbor—her faith in YHWH does the opposite. She is embraced, honored, and loved.
Rahab of Jericho
Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute, also turns to YHWH. She hides Israelite spies, declares her belief in the God of Israel, and is spared when Jericho is destroyed. She too becomes part of God’s people and is listed in the Hebrews 11 “hall of faith” and in the genealogy of Jesus.
These women stand in stark contrast to the nations God commanded Israel to destroy. What sets them apart is not their ethnicity or geography—it’s their allegiance. They rejected their gods, their cultures, and their nations’ hostility toward YHWH. As a result, the Lord commanded the Israelites to love them as their own.
Ebed-Melech the Cushite: Another Neighbor
This same theme continues into the later prophets. In the book of Jeremiah, we meet Ebed-Melech, a foreign palace official from Cush (modern-day Sudan or Ethiopia). He courageously rescues the prophet Jeremiah from a cistern, risking his position and safety.
God honors his faith and action. In Jeremiah 39:18, God says:
“Because you have put your trust in Me, I will rescue you... you will not fall by the sword.”
Ebed-Melech was not an Israelite, yet he feared God and acted righteously. And like Ruth, Rahab, and others, he became a member of the community of God: one who trusts YHWH and responds with loyalty and faith.
When Destruction Was Decreed
So why did God command the annihilation of certain peoples?
In Deuteronomy 7:1–6, God instructs Israel to destroy the Canaanite nations. The rationale is not rooted in race or land acquisition alone. It’s moral and spiritual:
“They will turn your children away from following me to serve other gods.” (Deuteronomy 7:4)
The Canaanites practiced idolatry, ritual prostitution, and even child sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12:31). Their destruction was a form of divine judgment—long delayed, as Genesis 15:16 hints that God gave the Amorites centuries to repent.
This was not ethnic cleansing. It was judicial action against societies deeply entrenched in evil and unrepentance. And yet, even within these doomed societies, individuals who repented—like Rahab—found mercy.
God's mercy is never denied to those who turn to Him in faith. His justice, however, falls on those who persist in rebellion and violence.
The Foreigner Within the Gates
The foreigners who were to be loved “as yourself” were not generic non-Israelites. They were those who had entered Israelite society, adopted its laws, and pledged allegiance to Israel’s God. They were called ger—resident aliens who lived within the community, observed the Sabbath, and in some cases even participated in Passover (Exodus 12:48–49).
These were not passive outsiders; they were integrated, covenant-respecting individuals. God consistently commands that they be treated with justice, equity, and compassion—not just tolerated but embraced— because they belonged to Him and to the other covenant members.
God's commands in the Torah anticipate the diversity of the Church—the New Covenant people made up of Jew and Gentile alike. And while many foreigners in the Old Testament did come to faith and were received, others hardened their hearts and stood against God, earning divine judgment.
This dual trajectory—of mercy for the repentant and judgment for the wicked—is a consistent theme throughout Scripture. God's character is not split between compassion and wrath; these are two expressions of His holiness and justice.
The Shadow and the Substance
The Old Testament often presents literal realities that foreshadow spiritual truths revealed more fully in the New Testament.
Think of it like a tree and its shadow: the shadow reflects the shape and structure of the tree, but it’s not the tree itself. In the same way, Israel’s physical nationhood, battles, and laws give us a silhouette of greater spiritual truths that Christ later fulfills and expands.
In the New Testament, Jesus removes the tribal, and national boundaries around God’s people. He affirms that the covenant is available to all who believe—Jew or Gentile, male or female, slave or free (Galatians 3:28). The pattern remains: God welcomes anyone who turns to Him in faith and repentance. And He judges those who persist in rebellion, regardless of their background.
So, Who Is My Neighbor?
When Jesus was asked this very question (Luke 10:29), He responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan—a story that deliberately flips cultural and religious assumptions. The hero of the story was not the priest or Levite, but the Samaritan, and the man he helped was outside his religious and ethnic circle. But just the command to not murder in OT became the command to not be angry in the NT, so we also see the call to care for our neighbor get expanded and heightened. You can read more about that here.
We must remember that when Leviticus says to “love your neighbor as yourself,” the command is for God’s covenant people to care for covenant people, regardless of origin. It points to a beautiful picture coming in the NT: the church.