Leaving the Corners of the Field

*My dear husband lovingly reminded me that the purpose of this blog is not only to talk about ways to save money and provide for our families, but to be an encouragement to believers. I know that I have been doing a lot of postings about shopping lately, while posts like this one have become a little more scarce. I apologize to my blogging friends, and I thank my husband who got me back on track. Todah dodi!This week our Torah portion is Leviticus 19:1-20:27, K'doshim. It is called in Hebrew "Holy People" after the first verse which says, " You people are to be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy."

K'doshim contains a list of various teachings of the Father. It is really interesting to not only read through these teachings, but to study them in-depth to learn a little bit more about the character of our Heavenly Abba. This week I hope to highlight a few of the teachings in this portion that stand out to me.

You may wonder why I am referring to the verses in this portion of Scripture as "teachings" instead of the traditional "laws" or "commandments." Actually the word Torah, which is usually translated into English as "Law," is more correctly translated into our English word, "teachings." In English, the word law, especially when it applies to the spiritual realm, usually carries with it centuries of negative connotations. I'd rather use the word with no connotations to describe the LORD's Torah, "teachings."

One of the first teachings in this portion that really caught my attention was the one about the corners of the field, Lev. 19:9-10. It says,

"When you harvest the ripe crops produced in your land, don't harvest all the way to the corners of the field, and don't gather the ears of grain left by the harvesters. Likewise, don't gather the grapes left on the vine or fallen on the ground after harvest; leave them for the poor and the foreigner; I am the LORD your God."

Now this teaching is about harvesting, yet you may say, "I don't farm or grow crops, so how can this apply to me?" Well, of course, I don't think our all-knowing Abba meant it only for that time when most people had their own fields; He meant it also for those of us that go to the grocery store and buy our grain and wine.

It started me thinking about how different our society would be if we followed this. Even if only half of our society did this, imagine the possibilities! There would be such less need for food stamps, government health care, and all the debating and factions that go along with those things (not that those things are necessarily bad).

Think about it even closer to home now. What if I started taking this teaching seriously? I'm just one person; can only I make a difference? Yes, I believe we can! How many times have I walked into CVS and bought all 5 of whatever product, simply because I could get them for free (and not left some for those that may come in behind me)? I'm not saying that it's wrong to get all the "free" stuff; I am only using that as an example that is an easy comparison. What about free samples or coupon books at the store? How many times have I walked by and grabbed more than my fair share of those things?

Listen, this is not meant to be condemning on anyone. These are just ideas I thought of for my own personal life. It's the spirit behind this teaching that is important, the idea to leave things for other people simply because God said to even if we don't feel like it. A funny thing happens, though, after I start doing things like this. It makes me want to do more! Probably when God gave this teaching, the people that owned fields didn't desire to leave the corners for those in need. They probably wanted all of what they had; didn't they have a right to it? But, after seeing how it worked, think of how it would start getting in their spirits; it wouldn't only apply to their fields, but how about how they acted toward those in need or those that were foreigners in the land?

Also, if you want to see someone who was blessed for observing this teaching, read the book of Ruth. Ruth was both a foreigner AND in need, but Boaz allowed her to glean from the corners of his field. He then, of course, went on to marry her! He was blessed to have not only King David come from this line, but the Messiah Yeshua as well!

These were just some ideas I had this morning. Let me know how you leave the "corners of your field" for others! I'd love to hear your ideas!

Thanks to Allposters.com for the graphic!