Your Land is My Land

 Leviticus 25:23  “‘The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers.”

 God instructed the Israelites about how they were to treat the Promised Land which God was giving them. (Lev. 25:1ff.)  The highlight was the Year of Jubilee. God declared that after every 49 years, the 50^th year brought liberty, redemption, and release for both the land and the people.

 People could possess land temporarily; they could never claim permanent ownership. Everyone was always, in essence, a guest, residing by grace on God’s land.

 When we think about the Creation over which we are supposed to be stewards, how would our usage change if we viewed ourselves as God’s guests? Would we not want to return it back to God as we received it, minus normal wear and tear?

 Not all ‘land’ is the same as the Promised Land provided for Israel. But all land was created by the finger of God.

 Might this be God’s message to us today: treat the land which God give us to live, work, and play upon as if the God who holds it in his hand is returning.