S) "23 The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me."
Leviticus 25:23 (NASB)
O) It's noteworthy that, later in this chapter, God does allow for the permanent sale of a house, under certain circumstances. When I read this particular verse, though, I was struck by God's sovereignty and our futility. I mean, God already told His people that the Promised Land was being given to them as a possession, but here they are warned to be careful of a prideful, greedy attitude. He reminds them that they are completely dependent on His provision. It's also interesting that, even this early, God tells His people that their place on earth is circumstantial, and that they basically belong to God and their place is with Him, wherever that could happen to be.
A) This has plenty of echoed applications throughout the New Testament. In many of the epistles, we are reminded that we do not belong to this world. We are admonished in various NT books to be careful that we do not love the world, long for things of the world, look like the world, etc. It was particularly poignant in that first century church, since there was no nation of Israel at the time. There was no Hebrew nation. Most importantly, there was no Christian nation. That brings us to the bigger issue: America.
So often, we in the church think a dual-folly. We think of Christianity as native (and possibly exclusive) to America. And we also think of America as a Christian nation. The first is obviously flawed, in that Christ was born in the Middle East and America is not mentioned at all in the Bible. The second thought is equally maligned, though, and I think it's just as misguiding. While America was built on many Christian principles, we can't forget that most morality is based on God-given conscience. So, of course a new nation that is set out on things like justice, equality, and freedom, would have a lot in common with Christian principles. However, there were plenty of problems with the early settlers all being labeled Christian. For one thing, there were plenty of common practices that are decidedly against what the Bible teaches (like slavery, devaluation of women, and greed), but also, there is a distinct absence of the name of Christ from any official documents. They all use a purposely vague "God" in their writings. I'm not trying to sound unpatriotic. I love my country and the freedoms I'm given here. But, this verse reminds us that America doesn't really belong to us. It, along with the entire planet (including North Korea!) belong to Him. And, most importantly, we belong to The LORD, through Christ.
So often, we in the church think a dual-folly. We think of Christianity as native (and possibly exclusive) to America. And we also think of America as a Christian nation. The first is obviously flawed, in that Christ was born in the Middle East and America is not mentioned at all in the Bible. The second thought is equally maligned, though, and I think it's just as misguiding. While America was built on many Christian principles, we can't forget that most morality is based on God-given conscience. So, of course a new nation that is set out on things like justice, equality, and freedom, would have a lot in common with Christian principles. However, there were plenty of problems with the early settlers all being labeled Christian. For one thing, there were plenty of common practices that are decidedly against what the Bible teaches (like slavery, devaluation of women, and greed), but also, there is a distinct absence of the name of Christ from any official documents. They all use a purposely vague "God" in their writings. I'm not trying to sound unpatriotic. I love my country and the freedoms I'm given here. But, this verse reminds us that America doesn't really belong to us. It, along with the entire planet (including North Korea!) belong to Him. And, most importantly, we belong to The LORD, through Christ.
P) Father, in humility, let me remember that everything I have belongs to You, not me. I can't let myself get caught up in the desires that motivate the rest of the world. New cars, buying a home, having a career; these are all things that are temporary and, ultimately, meaningless. Let my desires be for You first, above all else. If You choose to bless me in other ways, Lord, I will be grateful. If not, then I will be grateful to know You. Let me focus more on my relationship with You, and less on anything else. When I think of my country, let me be thankful that I live with such incredible freedoms, but do not let my heart begin to boast about this land being mine, somehow, just because I'm a Christian and I live here. Let me celebrate those freedoms, especially as they pertain to my faith and obedience to You, and let my heart go no further than that thankfulness. By no means, God, let me think I am entitled to anything, but instead, only be thankful for Your grace. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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