Open
Hearts, Open Hands
Leviticus
15:7-11
“The test of a democracy is not the magnificence of
buildings or the speed of automobiles, or the efficiency of air transportation,
but rather the care given to the welfare of all the people.” (Helen Adams Keller)
During Jesus’ final visit to Jerusalem, when he would be
tried and executed, he affirmed the lack of importance of buildings. Israel was not a democracy, and Jesus said
nothing about automobiles or airplanes, but he had plenty to say about buildings.
Jesus was leaving the temple at the end of the day when
his disciples commented on the beauty and seeming permanence of the
buildings. It’s good to remember that
the temple grounds covered about thirty-five acres and contained multiple
buildings.
In answer, Jesus said, “You see all of these, do you
not? Truly I tell you, there will not be
left one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:1-2)
In A.D. 70 Jesus’ words came true when Rome crushed a Jewish
rebellion. As part of the retribution,
the temple was completely destroyed and has never been rebuilt. Jerusalem itself was decimated, and the
remaining revolutionaries were massacred.
A government does not consist of buildings anymore than a
family consists of a house. Buildings
are important for carrying on the work of a government, but they are not essential. Nor are the latest technological advances so
important that they cannot be done without.
What is important in any government is people. Without people, no government—no nation.
Democracies are not the most efficient forms of
government. Dictatorships are much
better at getting work done. The
dictator issues the orders, and the workers carry them out.
Democracies, on the other hand, are supposed to be
compassionate. In this country we have
just seen what happens when a less-than-compassionate pseudo-dictator is in
charge. The people who suffer the most
are those who can least afford to suffer—the poor, the underclass, the ones who
have the most difficult time finding justice and equality.
Keller’s words remind us that these are the people who
most need protection, encouragement, and assistance. Only as the welfare of those on the lowest rungs
of society is respected and achieved can all people secure the rights of life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Our Pledge of Allegiance ends with the words, “With liberty and justice
for all.” Keller reminds us how
important these words are, especially the final two: for all.
God understood the need to care for all people. In the wilderness God made sure the poor
would receive liberty and justice as the nation of Israel was being
formed. God wanted to assure that there
would be no systemic poverty; so we have the words of Leviticus 15:7-11.
If a person became poor, his neighbors were not to ignore
his condition. Instead, his brothers—those
who resided in the same town, not just members of his family—were to open their
hearts and their hands to help. The mechanism
for this help was the Sabbatical Year.
Every seven years all debts were cancelled. Debtors had the chance to begin over with a
clean slate. If someone needed help to
get back on his feet again, his neighbors were to willingly provide. The troubles of one generation were not to be
visited upon the next generation.
Can we observe this law as stated in Leviticus? With the complexity of our economy, probably
not. Should we find a way to enact the
principle and so do away with generational poverty? Absolutely!
God has spoken, and we must obey.
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