We know that each week we have a Sabbath where was can take a step back, breathe, and spend some quality time with our Creator. Leviticus 25:1-7 takes that weekly respite from work and turns it into a Sabbath YEAR! Not only did this give the Israelites a break from the hard work they had to do in the fields to provide food for their families, but there was good agricultural stewardship involved as well. Every seven years the fields were to remain fallow (unplowed for my fellow city folk) and the people and livestock were only to eat what the land produced naturally. This was good management (still used today) of natural resources and it reminded the people of God’s provision for them.
You may have noticed that as part of the Year of Jubilee that land that had been sold was to be returned to the original. Why on earth would THAT be? In Leviticus 25:23-24 God gives them this command:
“The land must never be sold on a permanent basis, for the land belongs to me. You are only foreigners and tenant farmers working for me. With every purchase of land you must grant the seller the right to buy it back. “Even though the people lived and “owned” land (or they would in Canaan), the only absolute owner of the land was God, who created it. God was trying to held His people avoid greed and materialism, which was especially tied to the amount of land one owned in those days. If you have the attitude that you are taking care of something the Lord owns (not something of your own), wouldn’t you make what you have available to others? It’s not so easy to do that when we are selfishly focused on “getting what’s mine.” God was asking His people to think of themselves as managers of everything under their care, not owners, so that they wouldn’t fall into the “me first” prideful trap.
Leviticus 25:35-55 finishes off by emphasizing another portion of the Year of Jubilee that the Israelites were to follow all the time. Throughout the Bible, God puts strong emphasis on helping the poor, the helpless, the handicapped. Jesus’ disciple James puts it like this for the early Christians:
“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” (James 1:27)In ancient times, women were not allowed to have paid work, so widows and orphans, that both Leviticus and James reference, would have absolutely no means of supporting themselves; no livelihood. It was also very difficult for a handicapped person to find work, particularly in a society of shepherds and farmers. God instructs His people that the poor are to be helped, period. No catches, no charging interest, if we are God’s followers, we are to help the less fortunate on His behalf, without preamble. God did not set up a government aid program, He instructed ALL individuals and families to care for the poor. God even goes so far as to say that neglecting the poor is a sin (Lev. 25:35-37)!
God outlawed permanent poverty in the society He was creating., Financially secure people were responsible for helping those in need. Often times today we do nothing, not because we don’t care, but because we quickly feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of need! In an interview with David Letterman, Oprah Winfrey was telling Dave the joy that comes from helping needy people. Letterman responded to Oprah as many of us to do, “But there is so MUCH need out there!” Oprah’s response sums it up perfectly: “You don’t have to help them all Dave, you just have to help one.”
That’s what God tells us to do, help each other out, one at a time. God doesn’t expect you to eliminate poverty, and He certainly doesn’t expect you to neglect your own family while you try and care for others. No! What God calls each of us to do is this: When you see someone in need, reach out with whatever help you can offer. Who have you been Jesus to today?
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