Sabbath Treasures in Heaven—God’s Treasure on Earth
Parashat Behar, Leviticus 25:1–26:2; Haftarah: Jeremiah 32:6–27
Rachel Wolf, Congregation Beth Messiah, Cincinnati
And the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the Lord.’”
This week’s parasha, Behar (on Mount Sinai), covers the laws of sabbatical rest for the land and people of Israel. The land comes into its proper purpose when the people of Israel are its custodians. The scripture is clear that the people do not own the land; Israel is merely its appointed steward and guardian.
The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are strangers and sojourners with Me. (25:23)
The Land Belongs to the Lord
The land is an important biblical character in its own right. As we have seen in previous readings, the first portion (tithe) always belongs to the Lord, whether of produce or animals. In Behar, God commands Israel to give the Land a holy Sabbath rest every seven years. After seven periods of seven years, the fiftieth year is to be a super-Sabbath in which everything is restored to its proper place and proper relationships.
You shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family. (25:10)
The land is to lie fallow for the fiftieth year. The people are to return, each, to their original land allocation from the Lord; and, if indentured servants, to return to their family.
The whole economy of Israel is based on the Jubilee year. There are many statutes in this portion about selling land ethically based on the number of years left until the Jubilee. This means that the economy is built on the idea that nobody actually owns his land. It is (in effect) a leasing system; when you buy land, you pay for years of use. The land belongs only to God. Yet, each tribe and family has a designated portion to inhabit and take care of.
Israel’s Time Also Belongs to the Lord
The people of Israel do not own their own time either! Their daily, weekly and yearly time belongs to the Lord, and he has commanded, above all, to keep the Sabbath a holy day unto God. In fact, the further we dig in, the more we begin to understand why the Shabbat is so important.
All of the various kinds of sabbaths link Israel’s holy purpose to the very beginning – to Creation. “Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Gen 2:3). The Sabbath is not only about physical rest. It is also about laying aside land rights, time, goods, and every other thing to the Lord, as a way of expressing trust in God and in the future that is in His hands. Let’s now take a look at the Haftarah portion.
Jeremiah 32 Helps Us Tie All of This Together
In Jeremiah 32:1-5 we learn that it is the 18th year of Babylon’s terrible siege of Jerusalem. Jeremiah is in King Zedekiah’s house prison because he has been prophesying that Judah will not succeed in overcoming the Chaldeans (Babylon). In this week’s haftarah portion (32:6-27), the word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah in prison, telling him to do something very specific and very odd. The Lord tells him that his cousin Hanamel is going to come to him and say, “Buy my field which is in Anatot [in Benjamin], for the right of redemption is yours to buy it.” (See Lev. 25:25-27 on the right of redemption.)
When this happens exactly as the word of the Lord said, Jeremiah knows he should buy the field. I am quoting this passage at length because it shows how serious this land transaction is, and to what lengths Jeremiah goes to make sure his deed is perfectly legal:
So I bought the field from Hanamel, the son of my uncle who was in Anatot, and weighed out to him the money—seventeen shekels of silver. And I signed the deed and sealed it, took witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales. So I took the purchase deed, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open; and I gave the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the purchase deed, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the prison.
Why did I say that this was a very odd thing for the Lord to ask Jeremiah to do? Because, Jeremiah clearly knew from the Lord, and had been prophesying for years, that the land he just purchased was shortly going to be captured by the Chaldeans, burnt and trampled upon mercilessly for seventy years. Jeremiah knew he would never live to live on his rightful inheritance.
So let’s look at what these Four Things have in common:
1. Shabbat
2. The Land of Israel
3. The People of Israel
4. Jeremiah’s Deed
Shabbat: All of the various Sabbaths—whether the weekly Shabbat or special festival Shabbats, or Yom Kippur—entail faithfully setting aside time to focus on the Lord our Creator.
The Land of Israel: This land is set apart or set aside for future purpose by God. It belongs to Him! Each piece of the land is allotted specifically, and one day its nature will be fully revealed and become God’s earthly Dwelling Place.
The People of Israel: The children of Jacob and their offspring are set apart or set aside for future purpose by God as a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exod 19:6). “For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God” (Lev. 25:55).
Jeremiah’s Deed: Jeremiah is redeeming his hereditary land and setting it aside as a spiritual investment in the future of the land and the people of Israel. He was fully convinced Israel would again dwell in the land of their inheritance, even if he would not live to see their return. In modern idiom, God directed Jeremiah: “Put your money where your mouth is!” Jeremiah was happy to fully oblige!
Jeremiah’s purchase, completed in full public view, was an example to all the people of enduring faith in the promises of God! Here was this naysayer, the one constantly annoying and enraging the king, prophesying that the Jews will not be able to overcome Babylon! Yet, knowing his land will be invaded, captured, burnt, and trampled for seventy years, nevertheless, investing in the future of God’s land and people!
Treasures on Earth; Treasures in Heaven
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt 6:19–21)
Jeremiah was storing up for himself treasures in heaven by investing in God’s treasure on earth! How can we, in our time, follow Jeremiah’s example by investing in God’s treasure on earth? If we look at the other three things on my list above, Shabbat, the land of Israel and the people of Israel, we can, together, prayerfully find ways to invest in those things God has set aside for His future plans, or that we are called to set aside for Him.
All Scripture references are from the New King James Version (NKJV).