title pledge to the land
Contents
Title: Pledge to the Land
Text: (Leviticus 27:16~25)
Hymns: 435. my eternal company
Date: December 30, 2011 (Fri) 5 am
Venue: Jeonju Yebut Church Small Worship Room
As novelist Pearl Buck showed in <Earth>, the land may be the only guarantee of life for humans who live as a product of the earth. However, some even wanted to give their lifelike land to God as a token of gratitude and devotion. If you were thankful for God's grace, how would you have wanted to give God a land that could guarantee the survival of yourself, your family, and your descendants?
1. Give the best to God (verse 21).
A pledge is to give what you have as an expression of gratitude and love for God. Sometimes there were people who gave part of the land they had received from their ancestors to God. When he wanted his land to be used for good for God and the sanctuary, God took the land and made it the property of the priests (verse 21). In this case, even in the Jubilee year, it becomes the possession of the priests forever and does not return to the original owner. Didn't. In Israel, even if the land was sold, the original owner held the title, but the ownership of the land pledged as a pledge was changed. It was a sign that God had completely received the earth. Express your gratitude and love for God.
2. Don't let your devotion hurt others (verses 23-24)
In some cases, the owner of the land that has been pledged to God remains in ownership. When land was purchased from another person, ownership passed to the original owner during the Jubilee (verses 23-24). The land is the lifeline of him and his family. However, a problem arises if the original owner loses ownership of the land because of the pledge made by the person who made the vow. Through this law, we can learn a lesson about devotion. Although I give to God with pure devotion, it should not harm others. You must not use God as an excuse to harass people.
3. God is the standard for all value judgments (verse 25).
All values were to be set according to the law of the sanctuary (verse 25). Prices at that time varied according to the region. So what was valuable to me could be less valuable to others. God has set the standard of value. This again reminds us that God is the standard of all things. We must put down the standards we hold before God. I have to throw away my calculations. We have to let go of all the values set by humans. Only the Word of God should be the standard for all judgments. To do that, we need to draw close to the Word. Use the Word as a guide to evaluate the value of what you have. And restore the true value of life.
An oath is a promise to God. ‘By the grace of God I have lived until now, from now on my life belongs to the Lord. I commit my soul to you.' So, a vow is an acceptable devotion to God and an expression of gratitude and love. What do we give God the most?
<Prayer>
1. Help me to become a faithful Christian who keeps his promises to God and to people!
2. Let the rivers of living water overflow from the Yebut pulpit and fill the whole world!
3. Heal the weak members of the church and save the unbelieving families so that they can achieve the fame of faith!