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was a profit to be made on anything come and eat and be satisfied ..."
sold to the poor (Lev. 25:36-37) .
(Deut. 14:28-29; 26: 12-15). Those
it will be when Jesus Christ reestab–
lishes the government of God over
t he earth.
God's program specified a seven- who observe this Jaw even today
year statute of limitations on all can testify how liberally God ren–
debts incurred by those within the ders his blessings in return.
jurisdiction of God's laws (Deut. ...-- Under God's system the whole
You might say at this point, if
you are one of the new poor or the
needy struggling to get by on mea–
ger sustenance, "What do
1
do
under
today's
system?"
15: 1-2). T hink what that would
mean in today's world when con–
sumers, encouraged to go into debt
and to buy on credit, are so often led
into financia! disaster . Few lenders
would be willing to extend credit to
seduced buyers for luxuries and
nonnecessities, if they thought they
would not get their mooey back
before the seven-year release! Socie–
ty would quickly adopt as basic a
cash-as-you-go policy.
Tf
a person, for one reason or
another, fell on really hard times, or
if he did not feel capable of manag–
ing his own affairs, he would not,
under God's plan, face living on skid
row as a useless derelict. For a seven–
year period he could hire himself out
as a servant to someone who is pros–
pering. At the end of that period the
boss is expected to be generous to
him in remuneration. He could
begin a fresh, independent start.
But, if the servant wished, he could
continue the arrangement for how–
ever many years remain until the
Jubilee year, at which time he would
be free and would regain possession
of his inherited land (Lev. 25:39-54;
Deut. 15:12- 18).
God's program for taking care of
the needy has sufficient Aexibility
to provide various means of solving
individual problems, all with the
involvement of relatives, neighbors
and employers rather than faceless
bureaucratic government agencies.
There are, however, occasions
where help is needed beyond the
person-to-person leve!.
- Situations may arise where
someone in need has no relatives to
help or resources to draw upon.
God's program also provides for
such eventualities. Every third year
that the Jand was cultivated and
harvested (which is the same as
saying every third and sixth year
out of a seven-year cycle, for the
land was to rest on the seventh
year-Lev. 25: 1-7), a special tithe
was to be collected. lts purpose was
to provide for whoever "has no por–
tion nor inheritance with you, and
the stranger and the fatherless and
the widow ... [that they] may
28
attitude toward sharing the wealth of
the earth is far different from the
greed expressed today. The corners
of the harvested fields are to be left
unreaped and hard-to-reach ripened
fruit is to be left ungathered, so that
any who are needy might eat thereof
(Lev. 19:9-10; Deut. 24:19-21).
There is to be no oppressing one
another (Lev. 25: 14).
"Y
ou shall not
steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one
another.... You shall not defraud
you r neighbor, nor rob him ..."
(Lev. 19: 11, 13). Everyone seeking
to help one another , looking out for
each other's interests- that's what
God wants to see and that's the way
First, you do not have to be
defeated by poverty or want! Seek
to better your contact and relation–
ship with God. Put God's ways into
practice in your life. If you are will–
ing to work hard at whatever God
provides, the One to whom all
wealth belongs will intervene to
take care of your needs. He will
"supply all your need according to
His riches in glory by Christ Jesus"
(Phil. 4:19, R AV).
That is both a challenge and a
promise. Why don't you take him
up on
it?
o
EVOLUTION
OFMAN.
Few understand that the process of conversion
is
a
process of gradual development- a person's evolution
from a human who has no relationship with his Creator
to a literal, spirit-born child of the great
God! Our free booklet,
Just What Do You
Mean
...
Conversion?
explains it
clearly. For your copy, mail the card
this issue or write to the
Plain Truth
oftke nearest you .