Get Real October 19 Devotional
October 19, 2024
LEVITICUS 25:4, 11-12 | 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land, a Sabbath for the Lord: you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.
11 That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee for you: you shall not sow or reap the aftergrowth or harvest the unpruned vines. 12 For it is a Jubilee; it shall be holy to you: you shall eat only what the field itself produces.
Scholars think the sabbatical year and the year of Jubilee were never fully implemented. They were aspirational commands, which helped Israel see beyond the normal, natural, and inevitable, to the possibility of a different order of life. This is a chapter which gives a vision rhythm to God’s people, or as we who live in the Christian era say, “a kingdom perspective.” The kingdom is here and is still coming. It’s values of peace and love and justice are present but not fully realized. We aspire to a world where God rules in every heart and every realm. This vision energizes our work for now and feeds our faith in the One who will care to restore all things. In a similar way, Israel is asked to imagine a world without debt, without arduous labor, without slavery or servitude, without ownership that leaves some without provisions, where there is care for the alien and tenant, and redemption of people, land, and cities is accomplished.
Do you have kingdom vision?
Gracious God,
We long for a just and peaceful world and an end to poverty and suffering. Sustain our work to that end and our trust in Your promise to establish it.
Amen.
