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“The Poor Are Always with You”

After God redeemed his slave people, he gave them his law to show them the kind of God he was and how they should live. When we mention God’s Law, most people think of the Ten Commandments, which are magnificent but dominated by, “Thou Shalt Not.” The rest of God’s Law, however, gives lots more detail, often very positive detail, picturing what ought to be.

The law is not preoccupied with theft and murder and sexual sin, though those certainly are dealt with. It deals with many aspects of a complex society, and many of its prescriptions are very positive — “You should.” The Law shows great concern for economic relations, especially as they affect the poor.

Some of the most inspiring laws have to do with land, as does this passage from Leviticus. It’s important to understand that in these ancient times, land was the only source of income. There were no factories, no stores, no businesses such as we know. In order to make a living and provide for your family, you had to farm. And in order to farm you had to have land.

The law sets up a process to ensure that no family will ever permanently lose its land. They may become poor — perhaps through tragedy, perhaps through their own failings — and sell their land. But the rest of the family is commanded to buy it back for them.

Furthermore, if no one has the money to buy it back, the next generation will be given it back. Every 50 years is the Jubilee, when all land is returned to its original owners. Everybody starts over. There can be no permanent separation between the rich and the poor, no rich landowners and poor peasants. Every fifty years they will go back to having the same resources.

With our current economic mindset, we might think this was a very unfair way to treat the well-off. Why should they just give back what they got fair and square? But the Bible introduces a very different point of view. The land is mine! God says. (25:23) It never belonged to any of you in the first place. It’s mine to use as I see fit, and my choice is to ensure that no family ever permanently loses its share in the economy.

It’s hard to say how exactly this might be applied in a modern situation. Our economic setting is very different, starting out with the observation that farming is not the whole economy. What is not different is God’s concern for the poor, and his ownership of everything. As you see, hear and show concern on your mission trip, try to think about God’s priorities for the economy.

Prayer: Lord, help me to see the economy as you see it, ruled by a concern for the welfare of all your creatures.