Lev. 25:8-23. Everybody and everything needs proper rest!

Sermon delivered in Lobatse on 6 July 2008.

I wonder if any of the children can tell me what this is? This is an end-of-the-month scraper, designed to dig deep into empty bottles, to get the last bit out of a bottle. I believe that this is only part of the way people try to make the most out of everything in these expensive and difficult times that we live in…
But I believe that this tendency of people to get the most out of everybody and everything, is often driven too far in the society we live in… Just in the past seven years that I have been in Lobatse, I have seen how Sundays have become commercialised. Not only are more shops open, but we also find more political meetings, more rallies for one or other cause, more sports events, and even more factories open on a Sunday.
I remember an old joke about the guy who was born on a Sunday, because his mother did not have time in the week… Yes, we postpone more and more things to be done on the day of the Lord…
Hand in hand with this attitude, we find that workers are often forced to work inhumane hours with little or no leave. In our own congregation we have people that cannot come to church on Sunday due to their work situation. And then it is not policemen, nurses or a firemen, but people working in shops, or for building contractors.
We also find that people are exhausting the earth and the resources it can bring to the full. The current electricity and water crises that we have experienced and are still experiencing are clear testimony of this. God’s nature is not viewed as a gift to be treasured and looked after.
This new attitude towards work and towards our resources looks nice from far, but actually it is far from nice. Although the Chinese, and Indians, and Europeans and Afrikaners who do not rest from their work, or do not allow other people to rest seems to prosper, this attitude towards work is destined to have a very negative effect on man and our creation in general.
In Leviticus 25 we see that the Lord has created a certain order in creation, according to which man must realise that everybody and everything needs proper rest. When God commands this, He sets us the example Himself, and in Genesis 2:2 it is recorded that even God rested from his work on the seventh day.
And therefore we find the commandment in Exodus 20:10 that nobody should work on the seventh day, not even the alien “within our gates”. But God’s command to rest is taken much further in Leviticus 25 is taken even much further. As Israel enters the land that God has given them, God gives it to them on certain conditions. He tells them to let the lands rest every seven years.
Furthermore the Lord commanded the 50th year to be the year of jubilee in which every slave is freed to go and join his family. The land and workers are also rested for that year, for everything to recover.
But the Lord’s command goes even further… The Israelites are told not to let one in need suffer when he sells his land. Neighbours must respect one another, and must not try to take advantage of one another when one is in trouble. We often have the saying: “Everybody for himself and the devil for the rest!” But already in the Old Testament this attitude is judged by the Lord. It is because the keeping of these commandments has got something greater as an aim than just the well-being of our neighbours…
Yes, brothers and sisters, if we read carefully in verse 17, it says, “do not take advantage of each other, but FEAR YOUR GOD. I am the Lord your God. I believe that the absolute focus on profit and maximum utilisation of resources and people is a service to Mammon, the God of money. In Matthew 6:24 we see clearly that we cannot serve God an Mammon at the same time.
If we believe in God, if we bear the name of Christian, in implies that our life will also show compassion and care towards our neighbours, and towards God’s creation. Our attitude and our actions towards our workers speak much stronger than our words. We are called to really show our love towards God in the way we look after God’s people, his creation, our families, and even ourselves.
But will we survive? Can you still make a business when your competitors are open seven days a week? Can we still make profit if we give our workers enough rest? Can we still afford to pay somebody what something is worth, when there is an opportunity to make big business out of an item?
Leviticus 25 shows us that this is where trust on the Lord is important. If we look after his creation, if we do proper rehabilitation, if we look after his people, and after ourselves, he will provide. According to verse 21-23 the Lord will provide enough cash flow and surplus in the working years, to look after somebody in the seventh year. The Lord will make sure that His children will survive until the next crop is ready.
Dear friends, it is worthwhile to listen to this advice. Not because God is just an agricultural or a business consultant. Not just because the Bible tells us to do so...But because everything eventually belongs to God himself (vs. 23). He is the Creator, the designer of all things. He is the one who knows how everything is supposed to work. He is the only one who can teach us how to make a true success out of this enterprise called LIFE…
I conclude… There is a story told of a rich millionare who imported a very expensive car from overseas. As the ship landed on the harbour, he waited eagerly to take his car for a test drive. As he climbed into the vehicle and was about to turn the ignition, a voice told him to first read the manual. As he read the manual, it warned that a certain procedure should be followed after shipment of the car, otherwise the car could explode upon ignition… This person’s life was saved by reading the manual first.
You can go home today and do with this message whatever you want to. But always remember that not consulting the true manual for life, the Word of God, can have grave consequences… Let us therefore work together to create a new environment due to God’s love and care for us… A love that has given us everything, even His own Son, so that we may have life to the full… (John 10:10b). AMEN