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payments are only a little better
off. They have sorne equity. But in
hard t imes they can lose their land
through foreclosure. Even those
who own land free and clear can
still lose it if they are ever unable to
find the cash to pay the property
taxes on it.
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The biblical plan given to ancient
Israel contains numerous additional
guidelines for dealing with personal
economic situations.
If
a person leased out his land,
then needed to buy it back but did
not have the money to do so,
he could appeal to his relatives
for help in repurchasing it (Lev.
25:25).
Any money that is loaned to
those in need, as opposed to that
which is loaned for investment pur–
poses, was to be interest free (Lev.
25:36-37).
God's program specified a seven–
year statute of limitations on all
short-term debts incurred by those
within the jurisdiction of God's
laws(Deut.15:1-2).
Think what that would mean in
today's world when consumers,
encouraged to go into debt and to
buy on credit, are often led into
financial disaster. Few lenders
would be willing to extend credit to
seduced buyers for luxuries and
nonnecessities, if they thought they
would not get their ·money back
before the seventh year of release!
Society would quickly adopt as
basic a cash-as-you-go policy.
1
f a person, for one reason or
another, fell on really hard times,
or .if he did not feel capable of man–
aging his own a.ffairs, he would not,
under God's plan, face living on
skid row as a useless derelict. For a
seven-year period he could Jease
out his own inheritance and hire
himself out to someone who is pros-
True Church?
(Continued from page 17)
in choosing SELF-knowledge of
good and evil, rather than God–
REVEALED knowledge-following
the human spirit, rather than
receiving and being led by God's
divine Spirit.
Stated another way, they were
kidnapped by Satan, and followed
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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
however many yea.rs 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 ca.re of
th~
needy has sufficient flexibility
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 Jevel.
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 land was cultivated and
harvested (which is the same as
saying every third and sixth year
out of a seven-year cycle, for the
Jand was to rest on the seventh
year-Lev. 25:1-7), a special tithe
or 1O percent of income was to be
collected. lts purpose was to pro–
vide for whoever "has no portion
nor inheritance with you, and th.e
stranger and the fatherless and the
widow ... [that they] may come
and eat and be satisfied ..." (Deut.
14:28-29; 26: 12-15).
That Jaw is still in effect and
those who observe it today can tes–
tify how Jiberally God renders bis
blessings in return.
Under God's system the whole
attitude towa.rd sharing the wealth
of the earth is far different from
the greed expressed in the world
today. The corners of the harvested
fields are to be left unreaped and
hard-to-reach ripened fruit is to be
the
w
A
Y
OF LIFE, knowledge and
understanding of the kidnapper
rather than their potential Father,
whom they disbelieved.
But- Goo's PURPOSE SHALL
STAND! God will yet ransom back
his kidnapped potential family.
But since the human family in
Adam had chosen the way of SIN,
and since sin brought upon them
suffering, anguish, unhappiness
Jeft ungathered, so that any near
neighbors who are needy might
find something to eat (Lev. 19:9-
1O; Deut. 24:19-21 ).
There is to be no oppressing one
another (Lev. 25:14) . "You shall
not steal, nor deal falsely, nor Jie to
one another.... You shall not
defraud your neighbor, nor rob
him" (Lev. 19:11, 13).
What a world! Everyone seeking
to help one another, looking out for
each other's interests- that's what
God wants to see. Love and concern
expressed person to person, neigh–
bor to neighbor, friend to friend.
That's the attitude that shall pre–
vail when Jesus Christ reestablishes
the government of God over the
earth.
You might say at this point, if
you are one of the poor or the
needy struggling to get by on mea–
ger sustenance, That's all well and
good, but what do I do under
today's system?
First, it should be pointed out
that it is not wrong, living as we do
in today's system of things, to
accept whatever aid is needed and
available from government agen–
cies. Since the world is not living
God's way, we can be glad that
many of the needy at Jeast have
that option in certain countries.
In addition, realize that you do
not have to be defeated by poverty
or want! Seek to better your con–
tact and relationship with God. Put
God's ways into practice in your
1ife. Pay God bis tithe. If you are
willing 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 you need according to
His riches in glory by Christ Jesus"
(Phil. 4:19).
That is both a challenge and a
promise. Why don't you take him
up on it? o
and death, God shut off the tree of
LIFE lest they gain eternal life in
pain, sorrow, misery and sufferiitg.
But the eterna] life of happiness
and fulfi llment that God wants us
to have would, through Christ, be
yet made possible for all who later
would make the right choice,
through the SECOND Adam.
So, it was then decreed, at the
very FOUNDATION of this present
The PLAIN TRUTH