Saturday, November 26, 2005
Leviticus 19:9 When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.
LEAVE THE EDGES
Just like every other instruction God has given to men, this one, which was given to the Jewish farmers in Old Testament times, was probably broken. It goes against the natural instincts of the farmer. He wants to get every last scrap of grain from his field so he can sell it and make money -- but here God tells him not to do that. Instead, the harvesters were to leave some grain behind in the field.
First, it would remind the farmers to trust in the LORD to provide for their daily needs. God would continue to put bread on their own tables even if they didn't sell every bushel their field produced for them.
Second, it was a way in which the farmers could share their plenty with the poor and alien who were willing to work in the fields collecting what was left behind. In this way God provided daily bread to all.
Although the Levitical harvest law doesn't apply directly anymore, are there times when you might "leave the edges" of your own fields for someone else? Are there opportunities when you might be able to care for the bodily needs of another out of your plenty? Do you have food you can share with those who have none? Are you blessed with good health to care for a person who is sick in bed?
Our Heavenly Father surely left far more than "the edges" for us when He gave His own Son! Perhaps we can return some measure of thanks to Him by using our daily bread wisely for the benefit of others.
