There need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, He will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. Deuteronomy 15:4-5
“Any Israelite who fell into debt had to be forgiven those debts every event year. Not only could creditors no longer demand payment, but they had to release the pledges of collateral taken for the debt. Collateral was usually a portion of land from which produce could have been used to repay the loan. This law of release and specific public policy aimed at removing one of the key factors causing poverty — long-term, burdensome debt…
The generosity extended to the poor could not be cut off until the poor person’s need was gone and until he reached a level of self-sufficiency. Now we can understand how the passage could say, “There need be no poor people among you.” God’s concern for the poor is so strong that He gave Israel a host of laws that, if practiced, would have virtually eliminated any permanent underclass…
Every seventh Sabbath year (every forty-ninth year) was declared a “Jubilee.” In that year not only were debts to be forgiven, but the land was to go back to its original tribal and family allotments made when the Israelites returned to the land out of Egypt. Over a fifty-year period some families would economically do better and acquire more land while others would fare more poorly and have to sell some of their land…
If we combine the requirements of radical generosity with the regulations on profit-taking and property use, were are not surprised that God could say, “There need be no poor people among you.” This does not mean that people would not continue to fall into poverty. But if Israel as an entire society had kept God’s laws perfectly with all their hearts, there would have been no permanent long-term poverty.”
Timothy Keller in Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just (New York: Dutton, 2010) 26-28.
As we draw near to the celebration of Thanksgiving in America, I want to give thanks for God’s generosity to everyone. For even the poorest of poor, He has Jubilee concern, which when lived out today really can change the world around us. Some read texts like this alongside comments like Keller’s and think that all this envisages an unattainable utopian society. This vision came to fruition in the early church and still happens today.
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. Acts 4:32-35
This only becomes possible when we preserve the unity of the Spirit which unites our heart with God’s heart. It can only be realized when no one claims to own anything but shares possessions freely. But that’s only possible when we obey the teachings of the apostles which came from Jesus. So, here’s my prayer for everyone reading this as we draw near to Thanksgiving and special times with loved ones, both family members and friends.
Father in heaven, unite our hearts by your Holy Spirit to use what we have to show others Your love and to reveal that we have taken hold of life in You, which is worth more than any earthly treasure. Help us remember that Jesus cry for “Jubilee” is backed by Your matchless care and concern for each of us. Give us that same Jubilee concern for others. Receive our gratitude for fueling our generosity. Hear our prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.