This week, we will explore what the Law of Moses required of the ancient Israelites. From “first-fruits” tithes to be eaten as a community, to provisions set aside for priests, foreigners, and the poor, to leaving the edges of one’s fields unharvested so those without land can eat, the law is full of provocative concepts of how to live a life of abundant, open-handed generosity – a lifestyle built on gratitude for what God has given and obedience to his call for justice in this broken world.

Although we are no longer bound by these specific laws, the spirit behind them continues to invite us to consider whether our own lives are lived in line with the generous heart of God.

You must set aside a tithe of your crops—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year… Doing this will teach you always to fear the LORD your God.
Deuteronomy 14:22-23