Can a man own land? The English enshrined property above all else. An Englishman holding title could sell land, rent it, sell some rights and reserve others—anything a seller could conceive. Land ownership was compared to owning a bundle of sticks. A man walking home with firewood on his back might sell you one stick, but keep the rest. So it is with land. He might sell you an easement for a cable TV wire or the right to drill for oil—but keep the rest.
Compare that to the traditional view of Native Americans. Though research indicates Indians had as many conceptions of property ownership as there were tribes on the continent, the common understanding is that they viewed land as a resource to be used, not owned. To some, the notion of land ownership was as crazy as the notion of owning air or sunlight.
What does the Bible say about land ownership? You might be surprised.
“The land is NOT to be permanently sold because it is Mine, and you are only foreigners and temporary residents on My land” Leviticus 25:23.
God gave His people the Promised Land, dividing it among tribes, clans, and families. If a family sold its land, it would be returned during the Year of Jubilee (every 50th year). Imagine that connection to real property. On the one hand, it belongs to God—He literally said “the land is MINE.” But on the other hand, your family is tied to it for hundreds of years, and if you are forced by poverty to sell the land, it will be returned in the year of Jubilee.
APPLICATION? GOD OWNS THE LAND. We are stewards, not owners. I take care of the land because I want to leave it in better condition than I found it—and I want to please God by honoring the gifts He has entrusted to me. I also consider the environment. I don’t want to pollute the land where my well is located. But I also don’t want to pollute the planet—because the EARTH BELONGS TO HIM.
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