LEVITICUS 25:39-43 ~ They are MY servants!

Welcome, fellow sojourners.  We are so much enjoying camping in Leviticus 25, what a neat chapter!  When we last met, we saw that our Great and Awesome God had a very real and definite plan to relieve the Israelites that became poor.  We discovered a beautiful principle and promise that still applies to us today, as well.  Our LORD protected His people from usury and made sure no one would profit from their misfortune.  Click here: to review our last study from LEVITICUS 25:35-38.  The time and setting: Leviticus 25 was written in 1445 BC ... Main courses: Sabbath Year, and Year of Jubilee.  GOD's laws and instructions were clearly designed to prevent such extreme poverty.  But thankfully our LORD, knows us ... so here He laid down instructions to deal with just such extreme circumstances. 

Come on in, join us, as we continue to explore this delicious chapter of God's Living Word: let's find out what He has for us in this morning's measure of manna:
LEVITICUS 25:39-43 ~ And if your brother, that dwells by you be waxen (becomes) poor, and be sold unto you; you shall not compel him to serve as a bondservant: But as a hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with you, and shall serve you unto the Year of Jubilee: and then he shall depart from you, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.  For they are My servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.  You shall not rule over him with rigour, but shall fear your God.

:39 ~ And if your brother, that dwells by you be waxen poor, and be sold unto you; you shall not compel him to serve as bondservant:

Well, right off, we see another of God's provision for a person or family that comes upon hard times.   An Israelite could "sell" himself to another Israelite for service.  He was given a job to do for a predetermined period.  But, he could not be forced into slavery, because of his poverty.  He would be provided work for provision, food and lodging.  How gracious our GOD is, always!!!

How better would our "welfare" system work, if the poor were given jobs and lodging ... instead of dollars and food stamps???!!!

neighbor --> poor =  :-(   
brother-->come stay with us =  :-)  
we have work you can do = both  :-)  :-)

 These instructions come with a WARNING and a PROMISE ... NO slave cuffs (bondage) for GOD's people!!  o--o  After all, we are children of the King!!!

:40 ~ But as a hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with you, and shall serve you unto the Year of Jubilee:

The LORD admonishes the family not to treat their neighbor as a slave, but as a hired servant.  They were not make him feel like they owned him, just because he owed them for helping him.  He was to be treated like a visitor.  Boy oh boy, could employers and lenders learn a thing or two from the Bible!!!

Once you accepted this employment, you would stay with the family as a lodger or tenant, and work for them in return.  Very cool concept ... to be treated as a temporary resident in their home ... while you serve them.  Win win situation!  You would work for them up until the sound of the shofar, announcing the Year of Jubilee.

:41 ~ And then he shall depart from you, both he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.

It appears that the servant's children (sons? wife?) went with him.  Unless he had children while under service?  In any case, his family and children were not owned as property either.

After the term of service, you and your children were to return to your circle of relatives ... to the property that the LORD had given to you and your family.  You always had that land, that promise, to go back to.  What a blessing!

Additionally, while you were gone from your property, you might have collected rent to let someone else use it.  So you could have had monetary provision, when you got home, as well.  That Awesome GOD of ours thinks of every.single.tiny.cdetail!  If only we will grab a firm hold on His plan for us!

:42 ~ For they are My servants, which I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.

I LOVE THIS!!! ... ~ heart heart heart ~ 

AHA!  And here is the real deal:  the LORD would LEND His servants out temporarily.  They were, as we are, HIS bondservants, now, eternally and ONLY!   We can never belong to anyone else!  HALLELUJAH!!!  We were delivered from "Egypt" and we are  never be slaves to anyone, except our LORD!!! 

:43 ~ You shall you shall not rule over him with rigour, but shall fear your God.

The LORD did (and does) not allow the employer to have dominion, rule, dominate, take advantage of, overbear or be cruel to you.  In fact, He warned the employers to be afraid of GOD as their Judge!

Do not touch My anointed!  The LORD forewarns those overseers of His servants:  do NOT oppress them,  crush them, break them apart ... these are MY people!!!  Oh yesssss, how reassuring!!!

I sure wish I had had this knowledge, this surety, this Scripture in my heart ... while I was still working....

WOW!!!  How differently would bosses treat their hired workers, if they received this instruction from God???!!!!  The ones that oppress and mistreat those lent to them ... will have to answer to GOD for mistreating His children! *shudder*

And vice versa!!!  If we really apprehended that, the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY lends us, His servants, out to serve others...and to provide for our physical needs through them...we might also have a different view on our employment situations!  Wow!


Bottom line

1. We were created to serve GOD
2. If we become impoverished ... we can, temporarily, lend ourselves out, as servants to a countryman for provision.
3. We are not to be taken advantage of, treated as slaves, nor oppressed in any way.
4. On the Year of Jubilee, we are to return, with our children, to our family and the land that the LORD gave us.
5. The LORD delivered us from bondage, and we are never to be enslaved again.  
6. We are His servants always!

This study has been so reassuring to me.  I have found a different perspective on working for wages.  I always knew we were to "do everything as if we were doing it for the LORD."  But this passage has taken me far more deeply into exactly why ....

Until we meet again, Ka dish day (Apache)

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~