GLEANINGS — February 16, A.D. 2014                                                                                                              "Built-in Sharing"

At New Life's evening worship service, we are currently reviewing the sermon from morning worship in an interactive study format. Today's Gleaning is occasioned by discussion at evening worship last Lord's day.

In the morning worship sermon, an account in Mark chapter 2 concerning our Lord's interaction with some Pharisees was expounded. In that passage, the Pharisees find fault with the disciples of Jesus plucking and eating heads of grain as they walked through someone's field on the Sabbath day. In explaining Jesus' rebuttal to them, a statement was made that the Law of God has sharing among His people "built-in." In other words, the duty and privilege of helping one another is actually legislated by our kind and merciful God! The example used is found in Deuteronomy 23:24, 25 where we read: 

"When you come into your neighbor's vineyard, you may eat your fill of grapes at your pleasure, but you shall not put any in your container. When you come into your neighbor's standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor's standing grain." 

Two parties are involved in these agricultural scenarios: 1) the owner of the vineyard or field of grain, and 2) a person travelling through that vineyard or field. Keeping in mind that when the Law commands a  duty the contrary sin is forbidden, and vice-versa, we can see the built-in sharing here. 

The traveller is permitted to take a small portion of his neighbor's produce for his immediate need, but forbidden from abusing that privilege by assuming harvesting rights. The owner of the property is commanded to allow his neighbor to satisfy his hunger at the owner's expense, but does not lose ownership of the crop and the right to fully harvest it. Each party is bound to care for the other.

A great question was asked (paraphrasing): "How can we apply this precept of the Law in our time and place, in which we are neither vineyard or grainfield owners, nor people who travel through them?"

A wise and righteous farmer of those days, knowing that a small portion of his crop was by law potentially to be shared with neighbors who might be in need, would likely estimate his income on less than an hundred percent of the crop. Hopefully with rejoicing that God had put him a place where he could help others, he would assume that a certain percentage would be put to charitable use.

Most of us are not farmers, but in obedience to this gracious precept of God's Law, and aiming for a similar wisdom and righteousness, it is appropriate that in planning our financial disbursements, we plan for giving to those in need – just as we plan our regular tithe, our household expenses, food, clothing, and so forth.

New Covenant life includes having God's Law written on the heart (Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10.) By His word and Spirit, God conforms us more and more to Christ's obedience; the Law which makes us aware of sin and by which we can never be justified is nevertheless increasingly inscribed according to its all-encompassing breadth – not upon tablets of stone, but upon our deepest inward tablets.

Indeed, for a believer in the loving Savior Who gave His all for His loved ones, sharing with our brethen and neighbors becomes "built-in" to the conscience, and bears tangible fruit.