v1-2: The repeated principle, "Be holy"; the reason is "because I the Lord your God, am holy". The people of God must be like the God to which they belong. This principle passes into the N.T. The commands were given for “the entire assembly,” none were exempted from holy living.

In this chapter, we frequently read the phrase, "I am the Lord your God"; that is why the various regulations are given.

v3: Two commands in the Ten Commandments, to honour one's parents, and to honour the Sabbath day.

v4: Since God is jealous, He will not tolerate idolatry. The folly of men is that they make gods for themselves.

v5-8: The fellowship (or peace) offerings had to offered in a way acceptable to God, and accepted by God. This free will offering still had to be offered God's way.

v9-10: The provision for the poor. This was fulfilled in the book of Ruth.

v11-19: Since God has concern for holiness, He condemns that which is unholy;

• He has concern for truth, He condemns lying, deceit, theft (v11);
• He has concern for the Lord's Name, He condemns blasphemy (v12);
• He has concern for justice, He condemns injustice (v13.15);
• He has concern for the underprivileged, He condemns cruelty (v14), gossip (v16), hatred, vengeance, grudges (v17-18); v18 is illustrated in 1 Sam 25, David and Nabal.
• He has concern for separateness, He condemns mixing in three ways (v19); animals not to cross-mate; fields not to be sowed with mixed seed, clothing not to be woven of mixed material.

v23: When they arrived in Canaan, for there was o doubt that they would arrive there, the fruit of the land, and the land itself, was treated as defiled. For three years, they could not eat the fruit of the ground.

v24-25: The command to put God first (as in Prov 3.9-10); the first fruits belonged to God. We would expect that the people would have been blessed abundantly by God when they obeyed these instructions.

v26-29: More prohibitions, presumably reflecting things practised by the Canaanites.

The reference to divination and sorcery covers a multitude ot occult practices. In the ancient world, the nation of Israel was almost unique in its prohibition of magic. The worship of God simply excluded such practices as unclean. Of course, in latter times, Israel did incorporate elements of such practices; and was rebuked and judged for it.

v30: Another reminder to keep the Sabbath day, a special mark of the people of God.

v32: Proper respect for others; 1 Pet 2.17.

v33-34: Although the Israelites had been mistreated in Egypt, they were not to mistreat others. One indication that this was a holy people was to be the way they treated outsiders.

v35-36: The use of false weights and measures was forbidden. Honest weights reflected God's standards.