Our Spiritual Tattoo

“The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me.” Leviticus 25:23
Psalms 34:18

There I was preparing my three-year-old for her first day of preschool with a permanent marker in my hand. Yes, I’m the mama that likes to label everything! Just as I was about to slap a label on her fringy, pink backpack, I quickly noticed a place already inside the pocket that read “This bag belongs to…” like a hidden tattoo. Relieved and a little too excited, I smiled and wrote her name big and bold as if I was marking her bag forever.

I can imagine how our God took great delight in His people as He made his expectations known throughout the book of Leviticus. In Leviticus 25:23, God proclaims ownership over the land that He has given His people. “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me.” His declaration not only lays the foundation to obey the laws, but it also reminded the Israelites of an important truth, everything belongs to God! This statement is crucial for the Israelites to understand, especially regarding the land, their home, and even their livelihood. They didn’t own the land they lived on; therefore, they didn’t own the houses built on the ground nor the food the land produced. God was their ultimate source, and He was the giver of everything, even the place they called home.

The best part is God doesn’t just give them the land. He gives them Himself.
Don’t miss “For you are strangers and sojourners WITH me” (verse 23, emphasis mine). Although the Israelites are foreigners, they don’t have to worry or wonder about their needs. The almighty God who delivered them from Egypt and brought them to the land of promise is WITH them, literally in the tabernacle. This changes everything for the Israelites! The God of the universe came down and made His dwelling place WITH them. Israel is taken in by God Himself, and they’ve become His tenants, His guests. He is the One who provides and takes care of them.
As God’s tenants, the Israelites didn’t own the land, so they didn’t have the right to sell the land or do whatever they pleased. They had to follow the property laws God laid out for them in verses 25-34. They had to do things God’s way to reap the blessings of His provision. These were God’s laws. It didn’t matter whether the Israelites agreed with them or not. However, their obedience mattered! It marked them as God’s people. It was a sign to the nations around them, revealing they belonged to a Holy God.

As children of God, we are marked too. We can proudly display to the world that we also belong to God through our obedience. Whenever we choose to live God’s way by obeying His Word and following His commands, we are showing our family, our friends, even strangers that God through Jesus has taken up residence in our hearts through His Spirit. As a result, not only do we get to live life WITH Him, but we can rely on His faithfulness to provide for us and take care of us, especially in hard times. Just like Israel, we can proudly display our spiritual tattoo “This child of God belongs to Him!”

Discussion Questions:

1.How does knowing you belong to God, and He is WITH you change or challenge your perspective on the areas in your life where you struggle to obey God?

2. What is one practical step you can take to surrender that area to the Lord and begin trusting in the God who is WITH you and who is faithful to take care of what’s His?