Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
" 'Count off seven sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields. " 'In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property. " 'If you sell land to one of your countrymen or buy any from him, do not take advantage of each other. You are to buy from your countryman on the basis of the number of years since the Jubilee. And he is to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops. When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price, because what he is really selling you is the number of crops. Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 25:8-17
Exploit. To make of meanly or unfairly for one’s own advantage.
On a social networking web site, a person with the screen name "hotlilflgirl" had a profile that stated she was "15, enjoy(ed) being around boys and want(ed) to meet new people." She was not a she. Instead, "she" was a 31-year-old man who was later convicted of sexually abusing 11 children he met online and was sentenced to 45 years in prison.
Scam. A fraudulent or deceptive act or operation.
A man awaits sentencing after pleading guilty for taking money from nine elderly people in a home-repair scam. The man had approached the elderly people at their homes and offered free inspections for insect and moisture damage. In each case, he said damage existed and offered to repair it, requiring up-front payment. Victims wrote checks for almost $13,000 to pay for the repairs but no work was ever performed and the com man kept all the money.
Con man or woman. a person who is not what he or she pretends to be. One who intentionally perverts the truth in order to induce another to part with something of value or to surrender a legal right. One who intentionally deceives or misrepresents.
A recent new story told of a con man pretending to be the recently deceased Heath Ledger's father who fooled Tom Cruise into consoling him over the phone — and nearly got John Travolta to buy him a plane ticket to the United States. The man also tricked the funeral home where Ledger's body was being held to book him and his "family" rooms at New York hotel and spoke on the phone with the doctor who performed Ledger’s autopsy.
What do all three of these have in common? They all involve one person taking advantage of another…something we’re about to see does not sit well with God.
In today’s scripture passage, the Lord provides guidance on the observance of the Year of Jubilee. It was to take place every 50th year and would be marked by the sounding of trumpets at the end of the Day of Atonement that particular special year. Specific guidelines for the year included:
1. The year was to be consecrated or made holy.
2. The people were to proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants.
3. Each person was to return to his family property and each to his own clan.
4. The people weren’t to sow or reap from "what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines." Instead, they were to "…eat only what is taken directly from the fields."
The Lord then stated that the people were not to take advantage of each other if they sold or bought land. He added, "You are to buy from your countryman on the basis of the number of years since the Jubilee. And he is to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops. When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price, because what he is really selling you is the number of crops."
He then restated His initial warning: "Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the Lord your God." It was obvious that God expected honest dealings amongst His people who He had blessed with the land…land that belonged to Him first. And God’s expectations go beyond land. He expects us to be honest in all our dealings of life as He had already stated earlier in Leviticus when He ordered "Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another."
(Leviticus 19:11)
Question: Have you ever had your trust violated by someone who took advantage of you or deceived you? Have you ever deceived another for your own gain?
I think the answer to both these questions if we’re honest is yes. For I think we all have been lied to before by someone we trusted and conversely, we have lied to someone who trusted us.
Sometimes, it can be easier to lie to someone who trusts you because they aren’t even considering the possibility that you would intentionally try to deceive them. The person close to you becomes an easy mark for deception. Ditto for us as we deal with those we trust. How easy are we to fall into the trap of disingenuity?
So how can we avoid being taken advantage in life? Well, I’m convinced that we can recognize those times when another is cheating us by turning to the One who is all able to validate truth…the One who is The Way and The Truth and The Life. He will shine light on any dark intentions that another tries to bring to bear on us. And He will expose those who try to deceive, exploit, scam, con or take advantage of others. Don’t take my word on this, take the truth of the Word:
"He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts." 1 Corinthians 4:5
Friends, the Lord…our Lord…is the Lord of truth. And He wants us to live in truth…whether we are giving or receiving it. Thanks be to God.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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