Leviticus 25.23, 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.”

Love for God and obedience to His Law plays out in everyday and systemic ways. In a future study we will be considering in more detail the theological principles that undergirded the economy Israel was to pursue. For now, with respect to the first commandment, we simply note that love for God involved even proper stewardship of the land.

The tribes of Israel were to receive an allocation of land upon conquering Canaan, and, within that, cities and farmlands would be parceled out to heads of households in a fair and just manner. But the land was still the Lord’s, and His will was that men should work the land and subdue it so as to cause the land to be fruitful and bring forth abundance. They would be more likely to do this if they could keep in mind that this land was not their possession but their trust; they were to be stewards, not owners, at least, not as we think of this today.

We are always guests on God’s land, stewards of His gifts and treasures. And we demonstrate our love for Him every day in the way we care for and use all that He has entrusted to us.

This series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.MyParuchia.com and click on our Book Store.