Readings for today: Leviticus 24-25, Mark 1:29-45
Leviticus 25 is one of my favorite chapters because it gives us a snapshot of what life looks like under the reign and rule of God. If you’ve ever wondered what life will be like once heaven comes to earth and Jesus returns again, spend some time meditating on these verses. Consider the care God exercises for His creation. Ponder God’s perspective on personal property. Think deeply about God’s special love and provision for the poor. Fundamentally, these laws are designed to build trust.
Will you trust God to provide when you give your land a Sabbath rest? Will you trust the land to yield up enough of a crop on its own to feed your family and your livestock? Will you trust God to bless the land and make it fruitful? Allowing land to lie fallow for a period of time is important. It allows nutrients to replenish so it can produce during the years where you sow seed. We see similar practices in our own time as farmers rotate crops to allow certain sections of the land to rest for a year.
Will you trust God with your personal property? The Year of Jubilee was designed to serve as a reset for the people of Israel. All property was returned every fifty years to the original owners. Those who had fallen on hard times over the previous fifty years and were forced to sell off their inheritance as a result had the opportunity to get it back and start over. Those who had accumulated much and grown wealthy during the previous fifty years were reminded who truly owned the land and therefore were set free to be generous. While there is no evidence Israel ever declared a Year of Jubilee, the principle is a beautiful one. We are all essentially “stewards” of what we’ve been given. Everything we own is God’s and is intended to be used for the blessing of others.
Will you trust God as you care for the poor? No charging him interest. No enslaving him for economic gain. No price gouging or huge markups to take advantage of his helpless condition. Quite the contrary. You are called to take him into your home. Care for him as you would your own. Treat him as part of the family. You do this to honor the memory of your family’s slavery in Egypt and to honor the redemption of God.
Can you imagine how different life would be if we would follow these principles? Imagine a world where the church were on the frontlines of caring for creation, caring for the poor, and held all things in common. You actually don’t have to imagine it. Just look to the early church. This describes the life they pursued and it’s what gave their witness such power. From the first to the fourth century, the number of believers grew from a few thousand to almost twenty million! They literally conquered an empire! Not by military might but by the sacrificial way they lived.
I know there are many praying for revival in our nation today. Many praying for the spiritual renewal of the church. I am too. I join them in those prayers. However, I also know revival comes through repentance. And repentance is about turning from the sinful, exploitative ways of this world to the generous and gracious ways of God. May the church hear and respond to the call of the gospel! May our lives become a reflection of what it means to live in God’s Kingdom!
Readings for tomorrow: None