welcome immigrants
Growing up I noticed that different houses had different rules, and those rules expressed a value. At Amanda’s house we couldn’t jump on the couch (value: respect for furniture). At Bess’ house we had to clean up the games once we finished (value: the person forced to clean up if we didn’t). Jamie’s house didn’t have any rules at all (value: perhaps freedom, but the lack of any rules left us wondering if anything was important). If it seems like Leviticus reads like a contract full of rules, you’re reading it right. But don’t miss the value in them. Biblical laws reveal the character of God.
Often Biblical laws express a general principle and then offer follow-up specifics to flesh out the principle.
For example, take a look at the chapter in Leviticus that details the Year of Jubilee. In Leviticus 25:23-35, the principle is in vv 23 and 24: “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me. And in all the country you possess, you shall allow a redemption of the land.” The Israelites may have thought of themselves as pilgrims setting out to claim territory, but God reminds them that they are welcome immigrants. He owns the land, and because of His kindness, redemption is always on the table.
Verses 25-34 outline a specific application of this principle: the kinsman redeemer. The first line of defense for an impoverished man who has sold his land is a fellow brother. This kinsman redeemer is to offer a short-term buy-out of his brother’s property in order to keep the land within the family allotment (v25). If there isn’t a kinsman to help, and the man in poverty gets back on his feet, he can repurchase his land at a price pro-rated to the Year of Jubilee (vv26-27). In these principle applications, God provides a way for His community to care for each other sacrificially, without taking advantage of each other. If, however, the impoverished brother never earns enough to purchase his land back, the Year of Jubilee serves as the great equalizer (v.28). On God’s land, there is never long-term eviction.
Why? Because the title deed will always be God’s. And these are His house rules.
The Israelites have lived generations in extreme dog-eat-dog slave conditions and followed it with 40 years of wandering. A new mindset is necessary for God’s people, and Leviticus 25 trains them to think generously. God performed a radical show and tell by redeeming them from slavery in Egypt, and now they are to be redeemers themselves. His house rules are “do as I do.” If they see a fellow man in dire straits, they are not to seize the opportunity to grow their property allotment. Instead, they are to purchase it on behalf of their brother, fully intending it to go back to him.
God’s demonstrated character was a striking contrast to the Israelites previous landlord, Pharaoh. Without dismissive questions or litigious qualifiers, God advocates for the poor. And as a beautiful mirror, when His people redeem their brothers land, they point to their redeemer.
How can I work apply the principle of this law? I can cultivate awareness for opportunities to help others.
I try to be on the lookout for my people. Even if we have never met, I know her by the weary look that she carries because it’s a mirror to one I’ve worn. Or maybe I recognize a sigh from a mom as she wrangles her small children. A blank stare of grief is familiar to my soul. I know where she’s been. And because I have been restored from heavy seasons, I can offer an encouraging word, a coffee card, a listening ear, or a hand to the car, all the while pointing to the One who restored me.
A few more thoughts about Leviticus 25:23-34:
The other two follow-up situations to land redemption involve cities (vv.29-34). It feels like an odd differentiation to us. Still, scholars note houses didn’t provide livelihood in the same way a farm did, and importantly, most cities weren’t part of the inherited land given to family groups.[i] Nevertheless, there is a one-year redemption qualification as a sort of mercy rule application (v.29). A city dweller may not have the full sabbath and Jubilee land protections, but God still provided a way out of a bad situation.
The Levite cities were a final application of land redemption (v.32-34). It’s easy to see how the Israelites wondered how land redemption applied to Levites because the tribe of Levi didn’t have land like the other tribes; they had specific cities (Numbers 35:1-8). As a people, though, they aren’t exempt from falling into poverty. So, what do they do? God clarifies this case by making the Levite cities (and their surrounding pastures) equal to the inherited land of farms and fields.
These follow-up specifics for how to implement land redemption bring the larger principle (God’s people are welcome immigrants on His land) into a more precise focus. And with unmerited grace, God’s values (on display within His rules) bend towards mercy and restoration.
[i] John E. Hartley, Word Biblical Commentary: Leviticus, ed. David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker, vol. 4 (Word Books, 1992), p 444.
Bibliography
Hartley, John E. Word Biblical Commentary: Leviticus. Edited by David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker. Vol. 4. Word Books, 1992.
