1.
Sabbath
·
Sabbath (Hebrew, shabat)
o
First encountered in
Genesis 2:2-3.
o
Not just “an absence of
work” – a day of rest and delight.
·
Next encountered in
Exodus 16
o
God’s people are
wandering in the desert.
o
Israel can’t imagine a
life outside the imperial economy that had enslaved them (16:3)
|
QUESTION:
1 Peter says that followers of Jesus are a holy nation, a peculiar people who belong to God. And yet sometimes it can be hard
for us to imagine life outside the imperial American economy. Why do you
think that is?
QUESTION:
We read in Genesis 47:22 that Pharaoh took everyone’s land except the land
belonging to the priests. It’s a reminder that the economic, political, and
military powers often look to religion to confer blessings and legitimacy. Is
that relevant to us today? If so, what would it look like for us to withdraw
support from the parts of our system we find contrary to the laws of God’s
household?
|
2.
God teaches Israel three important lessons about God’s economy in the desert
·
The lesson of enough. (16:16-18)
|
QUESTION:
How do we evaluate when we’ve reached “enough”? For example: How much money
do we need in the bank? When are our homes nice enough? How full do our
closets need to be?
QUESTION:
What does “enough” look like for Silverton Friends Church?
|
·
The lesson of redistribution. (16:19-20)
o
Wealth and power in
Egypt were defined by surplus accumulation. (Genesis 47)
o
Though we’ll talk about
this in a future week, it’s worth remembering that the first organized
structure created by the new church in the book of Acts (Ch. 2 and 4) was a
system of redistribution that ended economic need among followers of The Way.
·
The lesson of Sabbath
faith and Sabbath discipline.
(16:22-30)
o
God promises seven days
of food for six days of work.
o
Sabbath isn’t some
quaint Jewish custom.
·
It’s given before the
Ten Commandments
·
It provides the basic
rhythm of Israel’s public life for the people (Lev. 23)
·
If people didn’t
practice Sabbath they would die (Ex. 31:12-17)
·
The people were
instructed to keep a jarful of manna in front of the Covenant (Ex. 16:32)
3.
Sabbath Year and Jubilee
·
Sabbath Year – every
seventh year
o
“You shall let the land
rest and lie fallow, so that the poor of your people may eat; and what they
leave the wild animals may eat.” (Exodus 23: 10-11)
o
Debt release
(Deuteronomy 15)
·
Jubilee Year (“Sabbath’s
Sabbath”) - every 49th/50th year (Leviticus 25)
o
Upend structures of
accumulation and social domination by:
§
Releasing each community
member from debt (25:35-42)
§
Returning land to its
original owners (25:13, 25-28)
§
Freeing slaves
(25:47-55)
§
Reminding Israel that
the land belongs to God (25:23) and that they are an exodus people who must
never return to a system of slavery (25:42)
§
Messiah’s Jubilee! –
The inaugural address of the Jubilee Kingdom (Isaiah 61 and Luke 4:14-20)
|
QUESTION:
What do Sabbath and Jubilee remind us about the economy of “enough”? What are
some other ways the economic aspects of Sabbath and Jubilee can be reimagined
for today?
QUESTION:
In Genesis, Joseph was clearly set aside by God to save the lives of many
thousands of people who were going to be hit hard by the famine. But the
economic centralization he initiated also put in place the economic
preconditions for Israel’s future slavery. This is a reminder that “economic
miracles” (Meeks) have unintended consequences. Could this be one rationale
behind the Jubilee…to systematically dismantle even the unintended
consequences of economic miracles?
QUESTION:
In Leviticus 19 and 25, we also see laws like gleaning that allow the poor to
have access to a field’s produce. For those of us who aren’t farmers, are
there other ways we can practice gleaning in more metaphorical ways?
|
Opportunities for Action
·
Practice enough: Complete a gratitude and contentment survey.
·
Practice redistribution: Make a radical change in how you spend our money for
seven days (for example, limiting your food budget, giving up coffee or eating
out). Collect the money you save and donate it to local or global poverty
relief.
·
Practice Sabbath: Take a true Sabbath day of rest and delight.
·
Other possible
practices?
Next Week – Possible
Topics
·
More on Sabbath and
Jubilee
·
Biblical Economics in
the Writings of the Prophets
·
Jesus and the Economy of
Love
·
The Economy of Love in
the Early Church
·
God’s Superabundant
Economy
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