Author: Nick (Page 20 of 24)

“I’ll set up my residence in your neighborhood; I won’t avoid or shun you; I’ll stroll through your streets. I’ll be your God; you’ll be my people. I am God, your personal God who rescued you from Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians. I ripped off the harness of your slavery so that you can move about freely.
-Leviticus 26:11-13 (MSG)

It’s difficult for me to imagine what it would be like to be enslaved. A “life” full of nothing but forced labor. Not being viewed as a valuable creation but rather as as machine owned and controlled by someone else. It had to be a very dehumanizing and undignified experience.

The people of Israel however could imagine what that was like because they experienced it firsthand in Egypt. And here God makes a subtle yet beautiful reminder to them: I’m here. I’m your’s and you’re mine. I rescued you. You’re free.

I can bet that the idea that God had ripped off the harness of slavery was something that could really resonate with them. And the more I think about it, it is something that Christians should be able to relate to as well.

I once was a slave too, specifically a slave to sin. It had control of me. It consumed me. But God ripped off the harness of my slavery though the sacrifice of his very own Son. The shame of my past in slavery is gone; God has forgiven and he has forgotten.

God’s words to the Israelites are almost as if he’s saying, “Hold your head up high. You are not who you once were. You are free from your past, and that is something that is worth celebrating.”

Thank you Lord for the gentle reminder.

“When you harvest your land, don’t harvest right up to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings from the harvest. Don’t strip your vineyard bare or go back and pick up the fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am God, your God.
-Leviticus 19:9-10 (MSG)

I think it’s easy for most people today to overlook a passage of scripture like this and assume it’s not applicable. The reason being that most of us do not grow our own crops and, and thus the harvest lifestyle is generally just not something that most in the 21st century can relate to.

However, the point of the law was not about crops but rather about people. It’s purpose was for the poor and the foreign travelers who had no food or money to buy any. God was making it clear that the poor/foreigners had a need, and it was the Israelites’ job to provide and fill it. In a way, God was emphasizing his character of generosity. In essence he was reinforcing the idea that the land was his to begin with, and the people were just the caretakers.

Obviously, I’m not a farmer and I can’t say I’ve ever grown much of the food I eat. God does provide for me though. My money and possession are really all his, and I’m only the caretaker. So the question is: Am I looking to fill a need, especially with the poor, with what God has blessed me with? Or, am I only thinking of myself, keeping everything I’ve got and hoarding it all away?

God, it’s all yours anyway. Thank you for giving me a plentiful harvest. Please help me leave the edges of my fields for your use.