Hmmm. I'm the one whose proclaimed that reading God's Holy Word is the second of our core values in being God's Neighbor. Kind of wish I'd done a better job of that in my own life. But now we move forward.
Deuteronomy 15 is all about building God's Neighborhood of the Promised Land. There was to be no poverty in God's neighborhood. In a perfect neighborhood, it would be because God's blessings flowed. But Israel wasn't perfect. So, every seven years, all debts were canceled. And the 'haves' were expected to lend to the 'have nots' whatever they needed to survive. Liberally and ungrudgingly they were to give.
Slaves too were to be released in that seventh year, and not simply with freedom, but with a cut of the profits they helped the owner make, enough to make a new life for themselves, male and female alike. Unless the slave chose to stay a slave. Once that decision was made, it was irreversible.
Finally, in God's Neighborhood, the first born were all dedicated to the Lord. Among the flocks and herds, they were to be eaten in the presence of the Lord, unless deformed, then impure. They were still eaten, but at home.
But always the rule of blood, it was to be poured on the ground.
Romans 12 calls for our surrender to God. Make our bodies a living sacrifice, be transformed by our God to what is good. Each of us has something to give to the Lord, as we are one body with many members. Let us use the gifts we have been given according to the needs that surround us. Finally, we are to turn good against evil, living peaceably so far as it depends on us. God brings vengeance, not us. In fact, good against evil turns coals upon the heads of our enemies.
Thus endeth the reading...
No comments:
Post a Comment