When God gave Israel its rules for living, what it would mean for them to be a God honoring fully alive community, he spent a great deal of time instructing them in what it meant to reflect his character to the surrounding nations. God is a giver; He’s generous rather than stingy, greedy consumer, so he wanted Israel to reflect his character to other nations. In order to make sure this happened he laid out some principles that he wished his community to follow. These principles reflected God’s character and concern and what He desired to be mirrored.
“Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.” (Deuteronomy 14:22) So ten percent seems to be the number the community is to give to God. But it doesn’t stop there. God says that there’s also to be what’s called a “Sabbath year.” “But in the seventh year the land is to have a Sabbath of rest, a Sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.” (Leviticus 25:4) God says, “Out of concern for the earth that I made, I want the land to have a rest one year out of every seven.” This practice used to be followed. Now, with the advent of strong fertilizers it is seldom practiced – because every ounce of life is to be sucked out of the land to be profitable. But God says “let the land go. I think my people need to do this because if they don’t they will become greedy and will loose faith in trusting me that I will provide for them.”
Then God challenges them on this front, ‘At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.’ (Deuteronomy 15:1) Imagine if that might happen today and what that would look like. Hey hon, Visa called, “Good news! It’s the Sabbath year! They don’t want our money.”! ... Well, we know that won’t happen, but what about us? How do we respond to those who ‘owe us’?
“If there are poor among your people in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted towards them. Rather be openhanded and freely lend them what they need. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: ‘The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,’ so that you do not show ill will toward your needy among your people and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart.” (Deuteronomy 15:7-10a)
Previous to this God says in verse 4 if they live this – if they choose generosity - there will be no poor among their community. But not just that, there was something else called the year of Jubilee. God’s concern here is to prevent chronic poverty, so every 50 years all the land was supposed to go back to the original owner.
Also they also lived by what are called ‘gleaning laws.’ “When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow.” (Deuteronomy 24:19) God was saying, ‘Listen, don’t try to squeeze every last bit of your profits out when you farm!’
Now, why are people supposed to do this? God wants them to choose life.
After the word “no” what do you think is a two-year-old’s favorite word in the whole world? “Mine!”
God wants to root that word out of his people. So he says, “I want you to learn how to share. God wanted them and us to understand a life giving principle – that there is no cause and effect relationship between well-off and well being. In the past 30 years our material standard of living has sky rocketed, yet it has happened with no measurable increase in any standards of happiness and peace.
If an Israelite was simply devoutly following the law, all together they’d be giving away close to thirty percent of their income! Now some of that giving was likened to what we have to give in taxes. However, I generally tended to think that giving in the Old Testament was kind of a mechanical deal, but that’s not true. God’s goal was never to have a mechanical gift given to him. Deuteronomy 15:7 says, “Do not be hardhearted or tightfisted. Rather be openhanded.” Now, imagine a community where everybody was openhanded. Stop and think how beautiful that would look. A community marked by its generosity.
If Christ followers continue to understand and experience God’s grace on a daily basis then that grace changes them. It changes them from being people that always think about themselves. It changes them into people who are not only recipients of God’s love, but desire to express God’s love to those who are hurting, less fortunate and the poor around them. The parable of Jesus in Matthew 10:37-42 illustrates that a community that has received God’s grace does not hoard it but generously gives it away. A fully alive generously gives of their time, talents, and treasures doing the things that Jesus would be doing – going about doing the business of his kingdom.
Last week at the Saturday Night Supper at the Royal City Life Center was a beautiful example of our people young and old together being investors not consumers in the kingdom of God. Let’s keep this kind of spirit going and thanks to all those who made amazing meals because they truly notice. It was such a joy for me to sit with the people gathered there and listen to talk with amazement at the variety of food and how incredible it was. We also had good conversations about faith and life.
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