Celebrate Jubilee (06/17/2012)

June 17, 2012 Background Scripture: Leviticus 25 Lesson Passage: Leviticus 25:8 – 12, 25, 35 – 40, 47, 48, 55 In the midst of the Law’s seemingly austere approach to “do’s and don’ts”, God provided an element whereas national Israel could express the grace of God within its borders. This element is called Jubilee. Jubilee occurred every fifty years, or in other words, at the conclusion of seven Sabbaths of years. Jubilee was a time of freedom and restoration. It was a time of freedom for those who had hired themselves out as indentured servants to survive difficult times. When an individual could not support his family by using the land he owned, it was not unusual for him to indenture himself to one of his Jewish kindred for a specified period of time. However, in the year of Jubilee, they were allowed to return to their family debt free. In fact, during their time of service, the Lord commanded that they be treated as employees rather than slaves. If they were to be considered slaves at all, then God himself claimed them as His slaves because He redeemed the nation of Israel out of Egypt for Himself. Likewise, it was a time of restoration for those who had given up their family property in exchange for some level of economic security. Again, in the year of Jubilee, their possessions had to be returned to them. God demanded that the borders of the land be returned to their original tribal allotments. Israel was warned sternly by the Lord to not use economic oppression against each other. In other words, Israel was not to become a society driven by capitalism at the expense of human interests and values. The year of Jubilee was the primary method that protected the average citizen from this. Jubilee also represented a time when the nation had to place its welfare squarely in the hands of God since they were commanded to let the land rest and not to plant or harvest anything. In exchange for their faith in God, God promised to bless them threefold in the sixth year so that there would be no need to work the land or harvest it in the seventh year. As is typical, God’s blessings far outweighed man’s simple sacrifice of faith. God promised to supply twice as much to sustain them during their year of no labor (sowing nor reaping) than their own labor normally produced. All of this was done in exchange for their obedience and trust. This was truly a no lose offer that only the most faithless would consider rejecting. Depending on your perspective, this could sound too good to be true. If you are in the group that has either hired himself out or mortgaged the land, Jubilee was a blessing beyond blessings. On the other hand, if you were a person intent on gaining at the expense of others, Jubilee destroyed all of your ill-gotten gain. For one group, Jubilee was a time for spontaneous celebration of the experience of God’s grace. For the other group, Jubilee was a time to be recognized and its principles adhered to. Regardless of which group you were in, it was recognized that God had provided Jubilee to Israel and He intended for it to be celebrated. Robert C. Hudson May 31, 2012

Live as God’s Just People (06/10/2012)

June 10, 2012 Background Scripture: Leviticus 19 Lesson Passage: Leviticus 19:9 – 18, 33 – 37 The book of Leviticus hardly makes for a good bible study as a stand-alone book in its entirety. Much of its language reads like a cross between a legal guide and book of ritualistic worship. The book does not present a timeline in Israel’s history as much as it adds details to the timeline in Exodus and Numbers. Therefore, its contents are often referenced in other books of the bible. For example, whereas the book of Numbers presents the calendar event, the Day of Atonement, with its need for a lamb to be used as a sin offering, the book of Leviticus details the entire ritual including the appropriate dress and cleansing of the priests who will participate in the offering. On the other hand, there are passages within the book of Leviticus that convey the word of God in a fashion that is rather unique and do well standing on their own. Such is the case with the background scripture of our lesson today. This scripture presents the expected personal conduct of God’s people that would convey an understanding of the holiness they have been called into. Part of this conduct involved the civic responsibility to care for the poor and the foreigners that dwelled among them. Note that it was not suggesting that everything needed by the poor and foreigners be given to them. Rather, it outlines the proper actions by God’s covenant people that would create an opportunity for the poor and foreigners to work for what they needed. God’s people were commanded to deal fairly and ethically with each other. Even then it was recognized that some were living from one payday to the next. Therefore, those who employed workers were admonished to pay them daily as was expected rather than hold their wages overnight seeing that there were working poor who needed their wages as soon as the work was done. Deuteronomy takes this command a step further and suggests that the withholding of the wages could cause emotional distress in the worker who had set his heart upon receiving the income. God stated that this could lead to sin in the one withholding the wages if the worker, in his state of distress, cries out to the Lord against the person. Likewise, no one was to bring harm to those who had physical impairment among them such as the deaf and blind. Although this seems obvious because of its cruelty, there are those who seem to derive pleasure from abusing the less fortunate. When the legal process has to be employed, nothing short of justice is acceptable. The poor and the rich must be treated the same and afforded a fair trial in a court of law. Hatred for God’s people is not tolerated but must always be replaced by an empathy that causes one to love his neighbor as himself. This attitude was to be expanded to include any foreigners that were living among the people of God as well. All should be blessed by living in the presence of God’s people. All who live among God’s people should readily recognize that God’s people live so as to reflect the knowledge and reverence of God in their lives. Robert C. Hudson May 30, 2012