Title: Don't be harsh! (Le 25:39-55)
Contents Continuing from yesterday, today, it is a message about poor neighbors. A person may become poor over the course of his or her life. So, if you sell the land you own, sell your house, and in the end there is nothing left and only your body is left, you are forced to sell your own body as a slave.
Today's sermon is divided into three main parts.
First, a brother who was with the Israelites became poor and sold into slavery. In such a case, it is said that the person who bought him as a slave should not treat him as a slave but treat him like a laborer. They say that not to be harsh on him is to fear God. (verse 43)
Second, if the people of Israel need slaves and want to hire someone as a slave, they should not seek them from among their own people but from among the Gentiles. The reason we should not be taken from among our own people is that when all the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, God rescued them from their slaves, so they were already God's servants.
Third, when the Israelites became poor and sold as slaves to foreigners or Gentiles. Then one of the brothers tells him that he must make a ransom for him. Either your uncle, your son's son, or someone in his flesh tells you to pay the price and buy him back. The reason is also, God says, “they are my servants, whom I brought up out of the land of Egypt” (v. 55).
The common lesson of today's text is, "Do not be harsh on people." It is a message to cherish and respect everyone.
Some of us will be in positions of control. If you are going to hire someone for money, you shouldn't treat that person too harshly. These days, a lot of foreign workers are coming to Korea. However, many of them are dissatisfied with Korean employers. It means that they don't pay them properly or treat them inhumanely. We Christians should not do that. 'Love' is more important than 'right', no matter how much money you give to people.
We must remember that to value people and respect them is to fear God and respect God. I hope that I can appreciate the people around me today as well. It doesn't matter who that person is or what kind of relationship they have with me. Regardless of that, I hope you can respect that person.^^~ Especially, those who are poorer than me, those who are younger than me, those who know less than me, and those who think that there is nothing better than me. I hope it will be a day you can count on.