When you see someone down and out on their luck, what do you do? Far too many times we see people take advantage of such a person. They have had something bad happen in their life and have to sell their car ... they have to sell it quick ... what do you do? Do you give them top dollar on it or do you give them "what they'll take?" This is perhaps one of the greatest test of our faith in regard to those who fall into trouble. In our society the rich prey on those in this situation. The recent housing market has injured the reputations and resources of many people. The rich have preyed on these foreclosures as an opportunity to "scarf-up" some great deals on a home. What is one man's failure becomes another man's future. Just think what can happen to a nation if that is the realistic way we progress. That is what is happening in our society and class warfare takes over. God did not want that to happen in the nation of Israel so He put in place some laws for them to follow in regard to those who through poor management, tragedy, or disobedience to God would lose their home and property. Note just one of those laws outlined in our reading today that protects the down and out from becoming the property and servant of the one who has money, power and property:
Leviticus 25:36 - Do not take usurious interest from him, but revere your God, that your countryman may live with you.
Do you see the truth in this verse. If someone has lost everything and needs a helping hand, God does not want us to take advantage of them. He wants us to "revere" God in the situation. He doesn't tell us to avoid interest because the person deserves that kind of treatment, but because the person is a child of God and God deserves the reverence. God's reason for how we treat others is to show our fear of Him ... our awe of Him. How we treat others shows God's character and our love for that character. We are not to treat others with respect and goodwill because they are fellow humans ... we are to do so because they are made in the image of God and, if they are believers, they are God's children. Let's be careful to not want to seize up a good deal when we see others who's lives are in shambles. Let's look to revere God through the process and remember that this is what God did for us and to us when we were lost in our sin.
No comments:
Post a Comment