Scripture: Leviticus 25:1–18; Deuteronomy 15:1–15
Oh King! this is my Counsel unto thee, and thy Rulers and Judges; Oh! hearken unto the Light of Christ in your Consciences, that it may bear rule in your hearts, that you may Judge for the Lord, and oppression may be expel’d in your Dominions! Oh! That you would do Justice, and love Mercy, and walk humbly with the God of heaven, then would the Lord give you length of dayes, and a long life, Peace and Plenty shall be in your Dominions, every one shall sit under his own Vine and Fig-tree, and none shall make them afraid, joy and tranquility shall be in your Palaces; this shall you see and know to be accomplished, if you will leave off oppressing the Righteous, and set the Captive free. —Esther Biddle
Questions: Do you practice the sabbath? If so, what does your sabbath practice look like? Can you imagine taking a sabbath or jubilee year? What do you think you would need to do to prepare? Do you think it is possible to practice the sabbath in its weekly, seventh annual, and bicentennial rhythms alone, or does it require community? How might your community work toward making it more possible for people to participate in sabbath rhythms?
I’m intrigued by the concept of Jubilee. It goes far beyond our cultural ideas about work and money. In the United States, for instance, we expect human beings to be human consumers. In order to keep the economy growing, people must buy things. We accumulate stuff.
Jubilee calls us to the opposite of accumulation. In order to practice Jubilee, a household would have to save one-seventh of its annual income so that on the seventh year, no one would have to work. What would it look like if every household withheld one-seventh of its income?
Jubilee also calls for holding loosely to one of the foundations of our economic system—debt. Credit card bills and student loans would be canceled. Work contracts would become null and void. Planned resetting of the economic engine. Just when a fat cat was feeling fine, the accumulated land and interest income would disappear. It is a thought that brings both comfort and fear—comfort for those who find themselves on the losing end of economic systems, and fear for those who depend on them to win at life.
One aspect of our culture that bears a resemblance to the pattern of saving and resting is retirement. What a shame that we believe the only time in our lives when it is acceptable for us to just be comes after our “productive years” in the marketplace. For many people, life is too short to wait until those years at the end of life to simply live.
One piece of our Quaker faith that breathes life into my soul is the recognition that every person is a Divine image-bearer. Our existence is worth more than our ability to produce wealth for ourselves or others. Our lives are valuable in themselves. Our experiences of love, laughter, tears, victory, and defeat are what make life worth living.
If we can’t conceive of a cycle of rest—of seven years, or forty- nine years—I wonder if we are willing to consider taking one month in seven, or one week in seven, or one day in seven to disconnect from the economic engine and simply be. Perhaps if we start small, then larger goals won’t seem as daunting.
May we all come to know the value of our lives, and honor both the gift and the Giver of our days.
–Charity Sandstrom in “Friendly Perspective” from Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy: Following God Together