The Gospel's Economic Blueprint Text: Leviticus 25:35-46
Introduction: God's Economy vs. Man's
We live in an age of profound economic confusion. On one side, you have the socialists and Marxists, who believe wealth is a fixed pie and that the only way for one man to get a slice is to steal it from another. They preach a gospel of envy, resentment, and state-sponsored theft. On the other side, you have a certain kind of rapacious capitalist who believes that greed is good and that the goal of life is to accumulate as much as possible, with no thought for his brother. Both of these systems are godless, and both are fundamentally inhumane. Both begin with man as an autonomous economic unit, and both end in tyranny, either the tyranny of the state or the tyranny of the market.
The Bible, as always, presents a third way. It is a way rooted not in abstract economic theory, but in the covenant relationship between God and His people. God's law is not a series of arbitrary hoops to jump through; it is a description of what love for God and neighbor looks like in the nitty-gritty details of life. And that includes our financial dealings. The laws in Leviticus 25 are not quaint suggestions for an agrarian society; they are the application of eternal principles of justice, mercy, and covenant faithfulness. They teach us that an economy is not primarily about money; it is about relationships. It is about how brothers treat one another within the household of God.
This passage deals with poverty, debt, and what our secular age calls "slavery," but which the Bible more accurately describes as bond-service or indentured servitude. And what we find here is a radical vision for a society that is ordered around the fear of God, not the fear of destitution. It is a society where the poor are not seen as a problem to be managed by a bureaucracy, but as brothers to be sustained by their kin. It is a society where human dignity is paramount because every man is made in God's image and, for Israel, is a servant belonging to God Himself. These laws were given to a specific people at a specific time, but the general equity, the underlying principle of justice, is as binding on us today as it was for them. To ignore these principles is to build our economic house on the sand of humanistic folly, and we are seeing the cracks in that foundation all around us.
The Text
‘Now if a brother of yours becomes poor and his means with regard to you falter, then you are to sustain him, like a sojourner or a foreign resident, that he may live with you. Do not take usurious interest from him, but fear your God, that your brother may live with you. You shall not give him your silver at interest nor your food for gain. I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God.
‘If a brother of yours becomes so poor with regard to you that he sells himself to you, you shall not subject him to a slave’s service. He shall be with you as a hired man, as if he were a foreign resident; he shall serve with you until the year of jubilee. He shall then go out from you, he and his sons with him, and shall return to his family, that he may return to the possession of the land of his fathers. For they are My slaves whom I brought out from the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold in a slave sale. You shall not have dominion over him with brutality, but you shall fear your God. As for your male and female slaves whom you may have, you may acquire male and female slaves from the nations that are around you. And also you may acquire from the sons of the foreign residents who sojourn among you, from them and their families who are with you; as for those whom they have begotten in your land, they also may become your possession. You may even give them as an inheritance to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves. But in respect to your brothers, the sons of Israel, you shall not have dominion over one another with brutality.
(Leviticus 25:35-46 LSB)
Covenant Charity, Not State Welfare (v. 35-38)
The first scenario addresses a brother who falls on hard times.
"‘Now if a brother of yours becomes poor and his means with regard to you falter, then you are to sustain him, like a sojourner or a foreign resident, that he may live with you." (Leviticus 25:35)
Notice the language. This is not about an impersonal welfare system. It is about "a brother of yours." The responsibility is personal and covenantal. When his "means falter," when his hand can no longer support him, your hand is to sustain him. The word for "sustain" means to strengthen, to uphold, to grab hold of him before he falls completely. This is preventative charity. It is not waiting until he is utterly destitute, but stepping in at the first sign of trouble. And the goal is simple: "that he may live with you." The goal is the preservation of the covenant community. You are not to push him out; you are to hold him close.
The law then addresses the primary temptation in such a situation: profiting from a brother's misfortune.
"Do not take usurious interest from him, but fear your God, that your brother may live with you. You shall not give him your silver at interest nor your food for gain." (Leviticus 25:36-37)
The Bible is not against all interest. It makes a sharp distinction between commercial loans for productive enterprise and charity loans for survival. To lend money to a businessman to open a new shop and to share in the profits is one thing. To lend money to a starving brother for a loaf of bread and to demand he pay you back with a loaf and a half is another. That is usury. It is taking advantage of his desperation. The motive here is not investment; it is exploitation. The Bible prohibits making money off the poor. The command is grounded not in economic theory, but in piety: "fear your God." Your treatment of your poor brother is a direct reflection of your relationship with God. If you do not fear God, you will fleece your brother. If you do fear God, you will feed your brother.
God then reminds them of the basis for this entire ethic:
"I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God." (Leviticus 25:38)
This is the grammar of the gospel. God's commands are always rooted in His redemptive acts. He says, "I rescued you from bondage, I gave you a rich inheritance, and I made you my own people. Therefore, you are to act toward your brothers with the same grace I have shown you." You were slaves in Egypt, and I redeemed you. You were poor, and I enriched you. How dare you then turn around and act like a little Pharaoh toward your brother who is in need? Our ethics flow from our redemption.
Bond-Service: A Merciful Alternative (v. 39-43)
The next section deals with a more severe level of poverty, where a man must sell his own labor.
"‘If a brother of yours becomes so poor with regard to you that he sells himself to you, you shall not subject him to a slave’s service. He shall be with you as a hired man, as if he were a foreign resident; he shall serve with you until the year of jubilee." (Leviticus 25:39-40)
This is what our modern, historically illiterate world screams about when it condemns the Bible for "slavery." But we must use God's dictionary, not the dictionary of the radical abolitionists. This is not chattel slavery. The man is not property. He is not kidnapped and sold. This is voluntary indentured servitude. It is a bankruptcy law. When a man has lost everything, this is his final safety net. He sells his labor, not his personhood, to a brother in exchange for food, shelter, and security. And notice the crucial distinction: "you shall not subject him to a slave's service." He is to be treated "as a hired man." He is brought into the household, works alongside the family, and is treated with dignity.
Furthermore, this arrangement is explicitly temporary. It lasts "until the year of jubilee." The Jubilee was the great reset button in Israel's economy, occurring every fifty years. All debts were cancelled, all land returned to its original family, and all Israelite bond-servants were set free. This prevented the formation of a permanent underclass. It ensured that one generation's poverty did not become a perpetual family curse.
"He shall then go out from you, he and his sons with him, and shall return to his family, that he may return to the possession of the land of his fathers." (Leviticus 25:41)
The goal is always restoration. Restoration to his family, and restoration to his inheritance. The system is designed to get him back on his feet, not to keep him down. God's law builds a society with multiple guardrails against permanent destitution.
And again, God provides the theological foundation for this law:
"For they are My slaves whom I brought out from the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold in a slave sale. You shall not have dominion over him with brutality, but you shall fear your God." (Leviticus 25:42-43)
This is the heart of the matter. An Israelite cannot be another Israelite's permanent slave because he already has a Master. He belongs to God. God says, "These are My servants. I redeemed them. You cannot buy and sell them like cattle because they are My property." To treat an Israelite brother as chattel is to usurp God's own ownership. It is a theological crime before it is a social one. Therefore, you shall not rule over him "with brutality," but you shall "fear your God." The fear of God is the ultimate protection for the poor and the ultimate restraint on the powerful.
A Tale of Two Servitudes (v. 44-46)
Now, the law makes a sharp distinction between the treatment of a covenant brother and the treatment of those outside the covenant.
"As for your male and female slaves whom you may have, you may acquire male and female slaves from the nations that are around you... they also may become your possession. You may even give them as an inheritance to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves." (Leviticus 25:44-46a)
This is where modern sensibilities really get triggered. Israel was permitted to own slaves from the surrounding pagan nations, and this servitude could be permanent and hereditary. How do we understand this? First, we must recognize that this was the universal practice of the ancient world. God, in His law, does not abolish the institution outright, but rather regulates it in a way that was radically humane for its time. He is meeting the world where it is. Second, this form of slavery was often a result of just war. Instead of slaughtering all the men of a conquered city, they could be taken as servants. It was a merciful alternative to annihilation. Third, and most importantly, this distinction highlights the privileges of being in the covenant. To be outside the covenant of grace is to be in a state of bondage. This physical servitude was a picture of a deeper spiritual reality.
But even here, the law is not a license for abuse. The final clause brings us back to the central principle:
"But in respect to your brothers, the sons of Israel, you shall not have dominion over one another with brutality." (Leviticus 25:46b)
The emphasis returns to the family. Whatever is permitted with outsiders, a different standard applies inside the house. Within the covenant community, there must be no brutality, no ruthless dominion. The law constantly circles back to this core concern: how do brothers treat brothers?
The Jubilee in Christ
As with all of the Old Testament law, we must read this through the lens of the gospel. This entire chapter is a magnificent portrait of the work of Jesus Christ. He is our ultimate Jubilee.
Like the poor Israelite, we were all spiritually destitute. We had squandered our inheritance and were hopelessly in debt to the law of God. Our means had faltered. We had sold ourselves into bondage to sin and Satan. We were slaves, not for a term of years, but for eternity. We were subject to the brutal dominion of our true master, the devil.
But God, who is rich in mercy, did not leave us in our poverty. He sent His Son to be our kinsman-redeemer. Jesus saw our plight and He sustained us. He did not charge us interest, but He paid our debt in full with His own blood. He did not come to profit from our misery, but to absorb it into Himself.
And on the cross, the great trumpet of Jubilee sounded. Jesus proclaimed liberty to the captives (Isaiah 61:1). He redeemed us from our bondage, not with silver or gold, but with His precious blood. He says to us, "You are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of spiritual Egypt. You shall not be sold as slaves to sin any longer." He restores to us our lost inheritance, the possession of our Father's house. He brings us back into His family, not as hired servants, but as sons and daughters.
Therefore, the church is to be the embodiment of this Jubilee ethic. We are a community of redeemed debtors. How can we who have been forgiven an infinite debt turn and throttle our brother for a hundred denarii? We are to sustain one another, to bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. We are to be a people marked by radical generosity, mercy, and a fierce commitment to the well-being of our brothers and sisters. We must not have dominion over one another with brutality, but must serve one another in love, all out of a deep and abiding fear of the God who bought us and set us free.