If you read the scriptures each day, as I try to do, you might be getting a bit weary of Leviticus. Heck, Leviticus is wearying to just the most casual of readers what with all the laws and strictures, abominations such as they are and apparent daily stonings of wrongdoers. What we've been hearing a great deal about though is aliens and all sorts of 'laws' pertaining to how to treat them. I wrote a bit about that just the other day (29/4/16).
What strikes me now is that there must have been a lot of these aliens around. I mean, people must have moved around a great deal. Whether for trade, political unrest, famine or whatever - there seems to have been a lot of travel.
This week is my fourth anniversary and we spent our honeymoon in France, a magical place for numerous reasons. We were warned that the French were rude and obnoxious. We found no such thing. In our experience the French were lovely, engaging, friendly and welcomed us with open arms. But frankly we are quite the couple. As cute as two peas in a pod. Uh-dorable.
I wonder why such a difference in experience between us and some other people we know. Well I think I have something there. When you travel, do you travel like you are in a zoo or do you engage people? Some people look at foreigners and go to other countries to see them ( who ever they are ). There are other people who go to experience a culture. Meet people, experience their lives, eat with them, share their joys; actually live among the people. I believe my husband and I are the latter. When we enter a patisserie, we inhale the aroma, we smile, we say hello, good day, Bonjour! In my broken French I make an effort to acknowledge the magnificent aroma and that the pastries look divine. We are courteous. We want to know the people and see the sights. We want to understand the sights, whether we are in Banff, Brussels or Botswana. We are legal, non-resident aliens and we are charming and the French were charming to us.
So with all these people in Leviticus traveling about, the rules are spelled out how to behave. One might think we'd have this travel and courtesy thing down pat after a few thousand years. But alas, 'Americans' ( US citizens, I mean ) often have an arrogance, a built in superiority complex that I don't know where it comes from. These type people should read history books and read scripture more. We are all children of the same God no matter what we call him....or her.
Sometimes I think the problems of the world would be solved if we travelled more, tried to understand each other better and realized we all have gifts to offer. Let's hear more about non-resident aliens. I'd heartily approve.
Leviticus 25:35-55
If any of your kin fall into difficulty and become dependent on you, you shall support them; they shall live with you as though resident aliens. Do not take interest in advance or otherwise make a profit from them, but fear your God; let them live with you. You shall not lend them your money at interest taken in advance, or provide them food at a profit. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, to be your God.
If any who are dependent on you become so impoverished that they sell themselves to you, you shall not make them serve as slaves. They shall remain with you as hired or bound labourers. They shall serve with you until the year of the jubilee. Then they and their children with them shall be free from your authority; they shall go back to their own family and return to their ancestral property. For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves are sold. You shall not rule over them with harshness, but shall fear your God. As for the male and female slaves whom you may have, it is from the nations around you that you may acquire male and female slaves. You may also acquire them from among the aliens residing with you, and from their families that are with you, who have been born in your land; and they may be your property. You may keep them as a possession for your children after you, for them to inherit as property. These you may treat as slaves, but as for your fellow Israelites, no one shall rule over the other with harshness.
If resident aliens among you prosper, and if any of your kin fall into difficulty with one of them and sell themselves to an alien, or to a branch of the alien’s family, after they have sold themselves they shall have the right of redemption; one of their brothers may redeem them, or their uncle or their uncle’s son may redeem them, or anyone of their family who is of their own flesh may redeem them; or if they prosper they may redeem themselves. They shall compute with the purchaser the total from the year when they sold themselves to the alien until the jubilee year; the price of the sale shall be applied to the number of years: the time they were with the owner shall be rated as the time of a hired labourer. If many years remain, they shall pay for their redemption in proportion to the purchase price; and if few years remain until the jubilee year, they shall compute thus: according to the years involved they shall make payment for their redemption. As a labourer hired by the year they shall be under the alien’s authority, who shall not, however, rule with harshness over them in your sight. And if they have not been redeemed in any of these ways, they and their children with them shall go free in the jubilee year. For to me the people of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought out from the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
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