Leviticus 25:24-26:46

God establishes a system of redemption for property, the poor, and the enslaved of Israel.  Relatives are able to redeem land that has been taken over or purchased, and all land is to be returned to it’s hereditary owner in the year of Jubilee.  God then emphasizes to the people that he both blesses obedience  and punishes disobedience.

The redemption of property seems to reinforce the idea that man does not own the land; God owns the land.  In the same way the Israelites are not to make each other slaves because ultimately God owns the people as well.  What does it mean for God to have ownership over me and everything I own?  It means that I should take care of what I have because I am acting as God’s steward.  I am caretaking a possession or person for a time.  It also means that I should be continually seeking out God’s will for my life and property, and the lives of my family.  God gets to decide where we are and what we do and who we are doing it with.

Ultimately, if we are obedient to God, God will bless us.  By this I am not saying that we will be materially successful or even psychologically happy, but we will be blessed.  If we are disobedient to God, there are consequences for that disobedience, and those consequences are God’s punishment.

Filed Under Bible Study | Leave a Comment