LEVITICUS 25:23-24~The land belongs to the LORD!

It is a beautiful Fall morning here in the desert!  The sun is shining, everything is beginning to turn green again ... the birds are chirping and bathing in the mud puddles ...  the olives trees are so full of fruit, that the branches are bending to the ground.  What beautiful reminders of God's provision for every one of His creations!  If we would just  trust Him and do as He says ... as easily as the birds and the trees and the fields ... *sigh* ... What beautiful lessons we find in nature, about our Lord!

When we last met, we shared Leviticus 25:18-22.  The LORD had promised the children of Israel that ... if they obeyed Him and worked and rested as He had prescribed ... then He would bless them and cause their land to yield such an abundance in one year, that there would be enough to provide for everyone for the next three years!  What a faith building experience!  And how similar this lesson to the one in Malachi 3:10!

Welcome again, friends ... come on in ... get comfortable ... let's see what the LORD has in store for us today!

Leviticus 25:23-24 ~ The land shall not be sold forever; for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me, and in all the land of your possession, you shall grant a redemption for the land.

:23 a ~ The land shall not be sold forever, for the land is Mine,

The land of Canaan had been divided up into 12 tribes.  In the tribes, it was divided again, among the families. The land was never to be sold out of the families.  What the LORD had given them was to remain theirs …forever!  He did allow them to rent or lease their land for a limited term, if a family's circumstances made it necessary.  But, the tenant or "buyer" had to be willing to let the owner redeem his land whenever he was able to.

Here, GOD announced Himself as the Rightful and Eternal Owner of all the land ... by virtue of His creation of it.  Well, that seems pretty obvious, even primitive peoples recognize this fact and all of nature is born knowing it!

However, in Israel today ... as in nearly every other nation ... wars are still being fought over the rightful "ownership" of the land!  In this Scripture, GOD makes it very clear and simple ... the land belongs to Him and is not to be sold permanently ... forever!  Basically, the land given to the family could only be "leased" ... temporarily!

Certainly, the blood shed and the lives lost over all of the land disputes, in the world, must be particularly displeasing to the LORD!  It seems to be in our "nature" to be territorial ... as with most animals on this planet.  But we have been endowed with a higher intellect and Spiritual understanding  ... and ... our Creator has given us very clear instructions!

I also believe that forever ... means just that ... forever!  I don't see any evidence that God has changed his mind on this issue.  I would be very interested to entertain your thoughts on this.

Many years ago, before I really knew God, or the Bible ... I had completed all the required courses to get my Real Estate license.  Just one day before my scheduled licensing exam, I was stopped in my tracks.  Quite suddenly, I became very aware that this was not what I was supposed to be doing!  I had an overwhelming sense that God was telling me ... the land was not mine to sell ... it belonged to Him!  That "gut feeling" never went away and I did not take the test.  Needless to say, I am much poorer, as a result of my decision. *sadly true*  But buying and selling real estate, is not the main issue here ... Eternal and Rightful ownership of the land is!  Let's move on to the second half of Verse 23.

Robot @ Museum of Northern Arizona ~ Just seemed to fit. :D

:23 b ~ for you are strangers and sojourners with Me,

The LORD reminds the Israelites, as He reminds us: we are (N.O.T.W.) not of this world, but in it, and He is in it with us!  He says, that we are sojourners (foreigners, travelers, guests), on His land, with Him.  This blesses me SO much!  We are visiting with Him, as His guest!!!  Emmanuel, God IS with us!!!

Does this not also infer that GOD, Himself is a sojourner on this land?  I am quite sure it does!  Jesus surely was!  He was only physically on the earth for 30 years!  When GOD walked in the garden with Adam, was it not for communion?  And when He walked with Enoch, was it not for fellowship? ... as for a visit?  His permanent home is in eternity, certainly not on this little planet!
The Israelites had God's Tabernacle among them, so for a family to completely alienate their part of the land would be to cut themselves off from their fellowship and communion with God!

The children of Israel had the cloud by day, the fire by night.  They actually heard the LORD'S voice, from Mount Sinai!  They witnessed His miracles in Egypt and at the Red Sea.  They experienced bread and meat falling from heaven and water spewing from a rock!  They saw physical evidence of His presence, in the court of the Tabernacle and all throughout their wilderness journey… yet … God had to remind them that He was traveling with them!!  I tend to wonder … how could they forget?!!!  Then, I realize how easily I can get distracted by this world! Sometimes I forget that He is traveling with me, as well ….

:24 ~ and in all the land of your possession, you shall grant a redemption for the land.

1. The land given to the family, was not be sold nor deeded to another permanently (forever).
2. All the mortgaged or leased land was to be on a temporary basis only ~ subject to redemption.
3. If the family could not redeem their land, because of poverty, within the 49 years … then it was automatically redeemed and returned to its original owner, in the Year of Jubilee.

I notice that the LORD said: “ALL the land of your possession,” that would be everything the LORD has given us possession of … right?  Hmmm … what have I built with what He has given me?   Hay, wood and stubble, that will be returned to the earth?  Or eternal treasures, that will be redeemed to eternity?

Just as we are spiritually impoverished; we could never pay the price of the sin we were born into, much less those we have committed ourselves … so, we have been automatically redeemed by the Precious Blood of our Savior Jesus … and we will be returned to our Original Owner at the Grand Jubilee!!!  Oh, Hallelujah!!!   What an awesome day that will be!!!!

As Jon Courson points out in his Application Commentary, the LORD had a brilliant plan:

1. Free enterprise was allowed for 49 years: the children of Israel could buy, sell and build estates.
2. Compassion was commanded in the 50th year: all debts cancelled … all land returned to the original owner.
3. Prevention of monopolization and exploitation.

This brings us back to a Global Jubilee … how different our world would be!!!  Global compassion every 50 years!  Wow!   If only we followed our LORD’s plans, instead of our own … If only I followed my LORD’s plans, instead of my own …

Isn’t the Living Word so rich and full???  Due to necessity, I am attempting to transition from hand writing my studies to writing them directly to the computer.  I see why the LORD specifically commanded the children of Israel to only take what they could consume in a day, while it was fresh.

During the transition, I have been gathering about the same amount as before … but it was proving to be too much; I could no longer finish it all, in one sitting … I am still trying to find the perfect measure.  The manna seems to expand on the screen and it takes me longer to prepare and serve it!  Hahaha  :D

Also, it seems that the fewer verses that I focus on the, the more I see … so I still end up with more!  I guess that is just how God’s Word is!   Awesome isn’t it?  If you have time to get down to it … each word is a lesson in itself … probably each letter as well … there is no bottom to the LORD’s treasure!

So what is your experience?  How do you measure your personal study time?  We would really like to know!  We are all sojourners together and we would all benefit by sharing, exchanging, and building on what the LORD has given to each of us!

May God bless your coming in and your going out.

Until next time, Do svidaniya!
до свидания

I am blessed every day

with some new revelation of God's Word.

I will be sharing my measure of manna

with all who come to my "tent."

Please, let me know if you have been blessed

by the way it was prepared for you this day.

 ~Shalom~