Today we move back from the New Testament to the Old. We will be reading from Leviticus, one of the books of the law that God established with the people of Israel. Leviticus 25 tells us about the law of Sabbath and Jubilee – God’s desire for His people to live out a rhythm of rest. In Jesus, this law was fulfilled (Matt. 5:17-20, Hebrews 4) and as Jesus’ followers today we do not follow the commandment of Lev. 25 legalistically. But this text can tell you about God’s desire for you to live out a rhythm of work and rest as you trust in Him to provide. What is God saying to you through the text?
STUDY THE SCRIPTURE
REFLECTION
Sharing is Caring
By Dan Kidd
This is one of
those extraordinary passages that describes the possibilities of a community
bound to one another in practical love. As we will see, this kind of mutual
devotion entirely depends on an absolute trust in the generosity of the Lord.
Yahweh instructs
Moses that the land itself is subject to the sabbath order found in the 3rd Commandment
(Ex 20: 8-11; Dt 5: 12-15). On the 7th year, no one is to sow
the fields, prune the vineyards, or reap the harvest. For 365 full days let the
land rest.
Yahweh
anticipates the push back. “What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not
plant or harvest our crops?” you may ask. To which the Lord responds, “I will
send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for
three years.” If you trust me enough to rest, enough to find peace of mind
without your frenetic activity, I won’t let you down.
The passage
couldn’t be clearer: we Bible-believing Christians are to take every seventh
year off work. 365 days every seventh year we should leave our work behind and
trust that the Lord will provide for us. You may want to let your supervisors
or partners know now to anticipate your absence.
What’s that? You
don’t think that is going to fly at your place of employment? Your school
doesn’t offer “off years?” Bummer.
Does that mean
that this verse has nothing for us? Is this a principle lost to a time before
incessant busyness was necessary for survival? I’m not so sure. I wonder if we
have convinced ourselves that if we were to stop our activities, for any time
at all, the consequences would be catastrophic? I wonder if some of us have
constructed a work life that has left absolutely no margin for significant
periods of rest—wherein we trust the Lord to generate provisions beyond the
work of our own hands? Do we trust King Jesus to multiply the bread we bake or
the fish we catch into a meal that can feed thousands? Does our time-clock
reflect that?
How do we get
there? We trust God.
Also, we become a
community of disciples who love one another.
One of the
reasons the Hebrew people could take off the seventh year is that they lived as
a community of shared resources. Those who received much were directed to give
much, and those who received little from their labors were to be cared for by
their community. They were directed not to take advantage of anyone else—not to
participate in transactions which improve the life of one person and worsen
another’s. No selfish hoarding allowed!
This season of
Covid is ripe for opportunities to be this type of community, or small group,
with one another. Perhaps you have not been much impacted by the virus; is this
an opportunity for you to provide a meal, a service, groceries, childcare, or a
ride to someone who needs them? Is this an opportunity for you or your friends
to give more time or money to organizations that care for the poor and jobless?
How can you model rest and actual reliance in the Lord to those around you?
Or, are you
someone who needs “permission” to ask your community for help right now? Is
there something your church family could help you with that you’ve been
reluctant to ask for?
How can we be the
community that shares together in the rewards of God’s generosity?
UALC’S CAMPAIGN OF PRAYER – TUESDAY
No comments:
Post a Comment