God created everything. And it was good.
If you have looked at what the Bible says about creation and the origins of the universe, then you surely read and studied Genesis 1-2. That certainly is the place to start, but is that all there is to know? Is that all we need to know? Can we learn anything else from God’s Word about His creation – or about His work of creating it?
The Bible doesn't merely tell us what God did, but His creative work also tells us about who God is. This 2-week study will help us to see how God’s actions in creation display His character, strengthen our faith, and help us experience His love. We will look at Psalm 104 and Leviticus 25 to help us see God’s greatness, love, power, and wisdom as He created. We will discover the exciting truth that those attributes affect our daily lives. We will also discover God’s desire for us to enjoy His creation. We can use all God has given us to bless others.
Remember that we begin "The Story" series September 7, 2014.
Remember that we begin "The Story" series September 7, 2014.
Our second lesson is on:
OUR WORK WITH CREATION
The Point:
God has given us responsibility over His creation.
Do I have a responsibility toward the earth around me?
One group borders on nature worship, calling us to avoid doing anything that upsets or changes nature as it is now. Another group sees humans at the top of the food chain and has no problem with exploiting natural resources for their own benefit. The Bible gives us a different perspective. God has given us the earth for our benefit, but Scripture gives us principles to guide us in how we use the earth.
Most kids crave freedom while they’re growing up. They relish the chance to do things on their own. But increased freedom usually comes with increased responsibility. For example, the freedom to have a pet brings the responsibility of feeding it. The freedom of a driver’s license carries the responsibility of running errands for Mom.
With that in mind, here’s a question: have you ever thought about your responsibility to the earth? God has given us the freedom to enjoy His creation, but with that freedom comes responsibility. One debate in our culture centers on how much we should use – or not use – the earth’s resources. Some would say we are to use nothing and leave everything as it is, while others advocate using everything up until it’s all gone.
The Book of Leviticus gives us some direction on this topic based on commands God gave to the Israelites on how they were to enjoy and use the land – and how they were to do so responsibly.
Leviticus 25:1-7
25 The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you, the land will observe a Sabbath to the Lord. 3 You may sow your field for six years, and you may prune your vineyard and gather its produce for six years.
4 But there will be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land in the seventh year, a Sabbath to the Lord: you are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard. 5 You are not to reap what grows by itself from your crop, or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. It must be a year of complete rest for the land.
6 Whatever the land produces during the Sabbath year can be food for you—for yourself, your male or female slave, and the hired hand or foreigner who stays with you. 7 All of its growth may serve as food for your livestock and the wild animals in your land.
Key Word: Sabbath – The word comes from the Hebrew meaning “to cease, desist, or observe an interlude.” The primary meaning is a cessation from all work, a period of rest.
The English title of the Book of Leviticus comes to us from the Latin translation of Greek. It means “that which concerns the Levites,” or by interpretation, “that which concerns the priests.” It provides guidelines for priestly responsibilities ranging from leading worship to performing ritual to instructing the people. Including among these standards are directions for both working and respecting the land God provided his people.
I. BE GOOD STEWARD – LEVITICUS 25:1-3
25 The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When you enter the land I am giving you, the land will observe a Sabbath to the Lord. 3 You may sow your field for six years, and you may prune your vineyard and gather its produce for six years.
The Israelite's had been in slavery for generations. The land they worked in Egypt was not their own. Then Moses told them about a new place God would give them – a promised land. It must have been amazing for them to hear that they would be free to work their own fields and keep whatever they produced. Finally, they would be able to enjoy the land God had for them.
Have you ever thought about creation as something to enjoy? On a trip to the lake I was reminded once again about how amazing God’s creation truly is. Gazing at the beauty of the rolling, forested hills rising from the slightly misty water, I saw the sun rise in the distance, casting a soft, orange glow over everything. Watching, my thoughts drifted to God. I realized He had created every detail of what I saw.
It’s important to remember that our enjoyment of God’s creation should encourage us to praise Him and give Him glory. God did not create so that we would have something else to worship. Instead, all of creation points to Him and gives evidence of His greatness (Rom. 1:20).
This was true of the Israelites. They were about to obtain God’s promised land, and He wanted them to enjoy it. The enjoyment of this land – of God’s creation specifically for them – was meant to drive them to worship God and recognize His provision for them.
The same is true of us today. We have been given responsibility for the physical earth God created. We are meant to both work in God’s creation and enjoy it. All of creation points us to the greatness of God, so get out into His world and enjoy it. Allow it to fuel your worship of Him as your Creator and Provider.
Is caring for creation a political issue, a biblical issue, or a non-issue for you?
Highlight the word Sabbath.
- The concept of Sabbath focused on a period of rest, or the complete cessation from work. The seventh day was declared holy to God because of His rest on that day after creation (Gen. 2:2-3). The word Sabbath comes from the Hebrew meaning to cease, desist, or observe an interlude. Just as the seventh day of the week was declared a Sabbath day to cease from work and honor the Lord, every seventh year was also declared a Sabbath year for much the same purpose.
- The land was to be worked for six years, and then allowed to rest for an entire year. Sowing, pruning, and harvesting the abundant land God had given was their right and privilege; obeying God and ceasing from all such labors in the seventh year was their responsibility. Although the sabbatical year institution seems to primarily have involved the cultivation of the land, it also incorporated debt forgiveness and public proclamation of God’s law (Deut. 31:10-13). In this way, the entire year would be spent focusing on the Lord and His law.
The same is true of us today. We’ve been given responsibility for the physical earth God created. We are meant to both work in God’s creation and enjoy it. All of creation points us to the greatness of God, so get out into His world and enjoy it. Allow it to fuel your worship of Him as your Creator and Provider.
Final Thoughts:
1. The Lord continually reveals Himself and His ways to His people by His Word.
2. The Word of the Lord is practical in its effects, even as it serves the Lord’s holy purposes.
3. All that we possess is to be considered a gift from the Lord; He is to be acknowledged as the true owner.
Commentary: With the giving of the law for the sabbatical and jubilee years, the Lord brings to a close His law-giving session with Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex. 34:32). The basis of the land laws God gave to Israel is His assertion that the land belongs to Him (Lev. 25:23). When God’s people conquered the Promised Land, God used the casting of lots to distribute the land among His people, not individual cunning. Since the land was a gift, not something they claimed on their own, the people could not sell their land. The land, under God, went to the people permanently. God provided for the people, but He was their landlord. They were tenants under Him and subject to the provisions and limitations He would impose. They were to remember that they were not proprietors but residents subject to the Lord.
The statement that the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai gives authority to these new customs the Israelites were to observe. It was at Mount Sinai that the people met with God and trembled at His presence (Ex. 19:16-19). It was where Moses received the Ten Commandments (20:1-17) and the people begged Moses to speak for God rather than their having to face Him themselves (20:18-19). All of the laws given by God instructed the people how to relate to God and to one another, and in the case of the sabbatical year, how to relate to God by respecting His creation.
God wanted His people to realize His goodness in giving them the land as a dwelling place under His authority, and to treat His gift accordingly. By doing this it would not only show gratitude toward God, but would preserve the land for succeeding generations.
Verses 4-5 help us gain a better understanding of what God expects from us as stewards of His creation.
II. TRUST IN GOD – LEVITICUS 25:4-5
4 But there will be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land in the seventh year, a Sabbath to the Lord: you are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard. 5 You are not to reap what grows by itself from your crop, or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. It must be a year of complete rest for the land.
What are some consequences you have seen of people abusing the earth?
The Lord gave the Israelites an additional instruction: don’t sow or harvest anything in the seventh year. This command wasn’t without purpose. Because the Israelites were about to receive the incredible gift of the promised land, it would have been very easy for them to begin trusting in themselves and in their own ability to sow and harvest each year – instead of trusting in the Lord as their provider.
God was teaching the Israelites a lesson that all of us need to hear. Namely, everything comes from the Lord, and the way we use what He has given us shows our level of trust in Him.
By giving the land a year to rest, the Israelites were almost totally dependent on God as their Provider. Their obedience signaled their trust that He would provide enough during the six years to carry them through the seventh.
This wasn’t a random directive with the sole purpose of testing God’s people. All God’s commands are good and for our benefit. For example, it helps the land to let it lie fallow for a season. Doing so replenishes the soil, leading to stronger crops in the years that follow.
The Israelites were constantly reminded of the truth that God continually provided for them. God desires for us to recognize the same thing today:
- He has given you what you have.
- He is the One taking care of you now.
- He will continue to be your ultimate Provider.
What does it look like for you to trust God with your livelihood?
Final Thoughts:
1. That which comes to us from the Lord is to be cared for according to His instructions.
2. The Lord’s principle of rest is essential for revitalization and productivity for land and for people.
3. The call to obedience is a call to trust.
Commentary: Just as God declared the seventh day of the week to be a Sabbath day of rest for men and beasts, so God proclaimed that the earth itself should have its own Sabbath of rest every seventh year. That year, the land was to be set apart to the Lord. Some commentators point out that the Bible does not indicate the sabbatical year was intended for the benefit to the land, stressing instead the emphasis on the Sabbath concept. And yet, we understand that great agricultural advantages accompanied periodically allowing fields to be inactive. Such practice prevents the continual drain of nutrients from the soil, allowing a year of recovery. Though God did not explicitly state this value of His requirement, we can easily see His wisdom in its design.
The phrase Sabbath of complete rest is a combination of closely related Hebrew words. Together the repetitiveness gives an intensive picture: a rest for a rest celebration. This emphatic combination occurs only in Leviticus: here with the Sabbath year of rest, in regard to the Sabbath day (Lev. 23:3), and in discussing the Day of Atonement (v. 32). In each instance, the stress falls on the total cessation of work. This was to be a Sabbath to the Lord, a time of intermission from the normal pursuits of sowing and pruning to honor and remember the Lord.
Whatever produce grows by itself or sprouted from untended vines was to be left uncultivated. The sabbatical law was designed to test and demonstrate the people’s obedience to and trust in God. As they exercised obedience and trust in regard to the Sabbatical year restrictions, they could expect God, the One from whom the annual harvest came anyway, to continue to provide for them (Lev. 25:18-22). God anticipated the obvious question of the people concerning their manner of living if they failed to work the land. Even before their act of faith and obedience in the seventh year, God promised an abundance in the sixth year, enough to provide for that year, the fallow (unplowed) seventh year, and also the planting season of the eighth year until its harvest could be reaped. Leviticus 25:21 underscores the blessing of God’s plan for providing for His people. To accomplish the benefit of the land laying fallow (unplowed) one year, God would bless an obedient nation with abundant harvest to see them through that year.
Israel was not to take the earth for granted as if it were merely created for mankind to use and abuse as he saw fit. It remained under the Lord’s ownership and as such was holy to the Lord. Man does not exist only to survive and prosper physically. If we walk by faith and not by sight, we also may trust God to provide for our needs. In the New Testament, Jesus gave clear teaching and encouragement regarding our walk with Him by faith (Matt. 6:25-34). He knows our needs, and indeed, cares for the whole of His creation, including people. When we in faith and obedience place His priorities above our own, He promises to care for us (see v. 33).
III. CARE FOR OTHERS – LEVITICUS 25:6-7
6 Whatever the land produces during the Sabbath year can be food for you—for yourself, your male or female slave, and the hired hand or foreigner who stays with you. 7 All of its growth may serve as food for your livestock and the wild animals in your land.
As God provided for His people, He expected them to care for others around them. Verses 6-7 directed the Israelites to use their food to care for their servants, hired hands, foreigners, livestock, and even the wild animals in the land. God was teaching His people that, even as they were provided for, they needed to be providers. Because when we provide for others out of what God has given us, we reflect the character of God.
Sadly, we live in a culture that hoards. Look how much stuff Americans accumulate. Society pushes us to get as much as we can so that we can have more.
God commands us to use what He gives us in order to take care of ourselves and benefit others. The “others” here include those who may not have the same social status as you, foreigners, people that work for you, and even animals. Yes, taking care of God’s creation does include taking care of the animals He has given us.
Consider these questions:
- If you’re an employer, how are you taking care of those who work for you?
- How are you using what God has given you to benefit those less fortunate than you?
- How are you using what God has given you to help people around the world?
There’s a bigger purpose at play here that goes beyond meeting a need. Namely, we have a chance to help others see God as their Provider. We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves as the ones giving the handouts; rather, we draw praise to God as the ultimate Provider for all people.
Therefore, the ultimate purpose of our giving is to point people to God and His gospel. When we use what God has given us for the benefit of others, the greatest blessing of all will be more people coming to know Him for eternity.
How does this passage speak to our responsibility over God’s creation?
Is there a contradiction between verses 5-6?
- At first glance in English, verses 5 and 6 appear contradictory regarding whether the land owner may eat of the voluntary produce of the land during the Sabbath. Verse 5 emphasizes that the land holder is not to undertake any formal tending or harvesting of the land. Verse 6, however, indicates that the owner, like the other groups mentioned, could gather from the fields for immediate use, but regular harvest and storage was forbidden (Lev. 25:11). The livestock and wild animals were to benefit from the excess growth as well. The volunteer crop would be available to all.
- God’s intent was for His people to model His generosity by sharing His blessings with others. Succeeding generations of Israelites and the surrounding nations were to learn of Yahweh’s goodness through the example of His people. As the people walked in faith, and God blessed them, others would see and be drawn to worship the One true God.
How does this passage speak to our responsibility over God’s creation?
- Our role in the world today is no different. The times may have changed, and we may live in a vastly different culture, but we are still to be God’s representatives. We are to use the earth and all its resources not only for our benefit, but for everyone. The blessings of God are not to be hoarded, but shared. We are to model God’s generosity with our own possessions, realizing that they and we both belong to Him, and we hold them only in trust.
Final Thoughts:
1. The Lord cares and provides for all people. He shows no partiality.
2. All creation is the Lord’s, and in His power and wisdom He has provided for its care.
Commentary: In the first seven verses of Leviticus 25, land is used six times in the Hebrew. The emphasis is not only on the use of the land, but also on the reasoning for its use and care. God gave His people a land “flowing with milk and honey” (Num. 13:27). His provision was abundant, but it came with stipulations. Neither the land itself nor animals nor workers were to be overworked; all needed rest. God intended the Sabbath year to provide that rest as well as allow for spiritual renewal (Deut. 31:10-13) and bless the poor as they gathered from the idle fields.
The Law God gave to Moses directed that every seventh year the land would not be tilled or planted in crops, nor would vineyards be pruned and tended. The Law allowed that whatever the land produces on its own without tillage and care could be used for food (meat or fuel). In addition to the abundance gathered in the sixth year, food would come from plants that came up on their own. This not only contributed to the fertility of the land by allowing it to lie fallow but also protected the rights of the poor. Peasants and the poor who had no land of their own were allowed to eat from the natural abundance of the untended fields. It was to be shared equally with the slave (servant), the hired hand (hireling), and with any foreigner (an alien, a non-Hebrew) who chose to dwell in the land.
Verse 25:23 The people would one day possess land in Canaan, but in God’s plan, only God’s ownership was absolute. He wanted His people to avoid greed and materialism. If you have the attitude that you are taking care of the Lord’s property, you will make what you have more available to others. This is difficult to do if you have an attitude of ownership. Think of yourself as a manager of all that is under your care, not as an owner.
Live it Out
How can you fulfill your responsibility to care for God’s creation?
1. Steward your space. You can’t fix the world, but you can make a difference where you are. Choose to take a small step by recycling, picking up trash, planting a garden, and so on.
2. Shop responsibly. Research companies that have taken positive steps toward caring for God’s creation. Reward these companies with your patronage whenever possible.
3. Serve the world. Sign up for an international mission trip so you can personally experience the joy of giving to others because of what God has given you.
People will always argue and debate over the right balance between using and preserving our natural resources on earth. But there’s no doubt that fulfilling your responsibility to care for God’s creation will produce spiritual fruit both now and throughout eternity.
All creation is sacred because it belongs to God. He was the Creator and He is its Sustainer. However, as seen in the narrative of God’s dealings with the first man and woman, the Lord endowed humankind with the responsibility to care for all that He had created. The Bible narratives and the instructions in the law shaped Israel’s understanding of the sanctity of the land and are an appropriate foundation for developing our own theology of ecology. We don’t just care for the earth and its resources for their sake alone but for God’s sake. Our treatment of what He has entrusted to us becomes an expression of the depth of our dedication to Him.
The verses in this lesson also challenge us at the point of how we are to use what we possess. We are not to be so selfish in our attitude toward what we have that we ignore or neglect those who have less. The generosity of the Lord toward us becomes our model and encouragement to be generous toward others.
In what ways are you using the earth’s natural resources or protecting them as something God has entrusted into your care?
Recall a time when you faced the prospects of being without resources you considered essential to life. What was your attitude toward the Lord during that time? How did the Lord provide for you?
How has the Lord blessed you so you are able to benefit others?
Prayer of Commitment
Lord, I desire to be a faithful steward of all Your creation and in what You have entrusted to me. Help me to be aware of how I may use what I have to care for others who have less. Amen
See you on Sunday!
David & Susan
