Texts: Genesis 3:17-24; Deuteronomy 6:3; Joshua 13:1-7; Hebrews 12:28; Leviticus 25:1-5, 8-13; Ezekiel 17:14, 25

“The housing affordability crisis is now hitting families in every metro area, for nearly every occupation,” reports National Housing Conference CEO David. M. Dworkin.

In a study by the National Housing Conference, Dworkin reports on another study conducted by Paycheck to Paycheck, focusing on four U.S. cities chosen from a database of hundreds of areas. The cities included two located on the east coast, Asheville and Tampa, and two northwest cities, Boise and Seattle.

They found that not only does home ownership affect workers, but the high price of rentals also contributes. Affordability has become increasingly limited in the last five years.

A study put forth by the American Journal of Epidemiology joins the conversation by explaining the effects of housing insecurity on children. The children impacted experienced sleep disturbances as well as “long-term negative impact to their mental health.”

When our children are affected, we are not only talking about the present, but also about the future.

Fortunately, there are some who, through partnership, have worked diligently to make home ownership a reality.

Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn left a legacy of working to provide affordable housing. In speaking about the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project for Habitat for Humanity, Carter stated, “Habitat has successfully removed the stigma of charity by substituting it with a sense of partnership.”

God’s plan for Israel entering and capturing the Promised Land also included partnership.

God showed love for the people as they were led into a new land. Rather than live as slaves or captives, they were to be inhabitants of their own land. But they didn’t just move into a place prepared for them; God set up provisions for them to maintain their ownership and to care for their new home.

God spoke these provisions and directions to Moses, which the prophet carefully delineated in Leviticus 25. Then we move to Joshua 13:1-7, and the message from God that there are still lands to be captured.

The lands were to be captured and inhabited by God’s people. Along with the instructions for capturing the Canaanite territories, God gave the assurance in verse 7, “With my help. . .”

As we study, it is perhaps easy for us to look back and see how God led Israel, how they were provided for, and how God pointed toward more than a life here on earth. It may be more difficult for us to carry those words forward to today, and to be assured that God is still saying to us, “With my help.”

God never intended for Israel to do it all on its own. Israel simply couldn’t. And we, the new Israel, must still rely on God instead of turning to our own self-righteousness and self-sufficiency, which in the end won’t get us anywhere.

God’s still here. With God’s help we power through times when finances are insufficient to meet needs. With God’s help we find a peace that surpasses all understanding, even when hope is barely a glimmer. With God’s help we find our way home. With God’s help we get through it all.

 

For Reflection

 

Connecting: As you read this week’s memory verse, what emotions do you experience from the phrase prisoners of hope? Read this verse in other translations. Does this provide more insight, or alter your understanding?

Sharing: Two events are described in Leviticus 25: the 7th year or Sabbath for the land, and the year of Jubilee. Examine the following reasons for which God may have required these experiences. After evaluating, what do you take away from these lessons that can be applied to your life today?

1. The 7th year Sabbath helped to refresh and replenish the land
2. The Year of Jubilee helped to return wealth to families, so that few people did not accumulate so much, leaving others destitute
3. Both the 7th year Sabbath and the Year of Jubilee were intended to keep God’s people focused on trust and in what was promised to them
4. They were a way for God to teach that both the earth and the people of the earth are important to God
5. They reflected the Creation arc and represented the restoration to come
6. Other:

Applying: Psalm 24:1 reminds us that both the earth and its people belong to the Lord. What could you do this week to share with others, or experience for yourself the love and grace that we enjoy as God’s inhabitants of our Earth?

Valuing: God gave directions as to the division of land, as well as providing plans to return property to families during the Year of Jubilee. This shows how God cared for the people while they lived in the present. Revelation 21:1-3 shows how God plans for us in the future, how a new home will be provided where God will be with us. Take a few moments to contemplate what that will be like.

~ Joy Veverka

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