Furnished Liberally

by Edwin Neely, Brantford, Ontario | Category: General | Dec 1981

In the seventh year the Hebrew servant, if he should take his liberty, must be freed and furnished liberally in his new freedom. "Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy wine press: as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him" (Deut. 15:14). In doing this the liberator was to remember that he had been a bondman in Egypt, and he might well remember too that he had been furnished liberally in the Exodus with materials that he might bring to his God as a freewill offering (Exod. 12:35,6; 35:5-9).

"And we have known redemption, Lord,

From bondage worse than theirs by far;

Sin held us by a stronger cord,

Yet by Thy mercy free we are".

In our freedom we too have been furnished liberally.

The blessings accompanying freedom were a reflection of divine blessing. What about our own blessings? We have Christ, the precious Lamb of God, and in Him every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies. "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?"

Of Israel, Asaph wrote: "He should feed them also with the finest of the

wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I satisfy thee". Yet in all their feeding and feasting they were never fed as we have been. "My Father giveth you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world. . . Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall not hunger". Asaph knew all about the threshing-floor, for the house of God was built upon a threshing-floor in Solomon's day. So is the place of His Name today.

In the house of God the Israelite was given the opportunity to give to God again of that which he had been given. Scripture records the happy results of opportunity well taken: "So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much" (Exod. 36:6-7). Can we who have been freed and so liberally furnished do less than bring to God again?

Why should I keep one precious thing from Thee,

When Thou hast given Thine own dear self for me?

Edwin Neely, Brantford, Ontario | Dec 1981
General