is abundant
blessing resting upon the sixth year. However, Israel acted not
according to this commandment, no doubt saying in the unbelief of
their hearts, as the Lord had foretold, "What shall we eat in the
seventh year? Behold we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase."
Leviticus xxv. But what did the Lord do? He was determined the land
should have rest, and as the Israelites did not willingly give it, He
sent them for seventy years into captivity, in order that thus the
land might have rest. See Leviticus xxvi. 33-35. Beloved brethren in
the Lord, let us take heed so to walk as that the Lord may not be
obliged, by chastisement to take a part of our earthly possessions
from us in the way of bad debts, sickness, decrease of business, or
the like, because we would not own our position as stewards, but act
as owners, and keep for ourselves the means with which the Lord had
intrusted us, not for the gratification of our own carnal mind, but
for the sake of using them in His service and to His praise. It might
also be said by a brother whose earnings are small, should I also
give according to my earnings? They are already so small, that my
wife can only with the greatest difficulty manage to make them
sufficient for the family. My reply is: Have you ever considered, my
brother, that the very reason, why the Lord is obliged to let your
earnings remain so small, may be the fact of your spending every
thing upon yourselves, and that if He were to give you more, you
would only use it to increase your own family comfort, instead of
looking about to see who among the brethren are sick, or who have no
work at all, that you might help them, or how you might assist the
work of God at home and abroad? There is a great temptation for a
brother whose earnings are small, to put off the responsibility of
assisting the needy and sick saints, or helping on the work of God,
and to lay it upon the few rich brethren and sisters with whom he is
associated in fellowship, and thus rob his own soul!--It might be
asked, How much shall I give of my income? The tenth part, or the
fifth part, or the third part, or one-half, or more? My reply is, God
lays down no rule, concerning this point. What we do we should do
cheerfully and not of necessity. But if even Jacob with the first
dawning of spiritual light (Genesis xxviii. 22) promised to God the
tenth of all He should give to him, how much ought we believers in
the Lord Jesus to do for Him; we, w