Whose Land is it?
My home town has recently gone through a bit of controversy as the question of solar panels being put up on nearby farmland threw the people into some heated discussions. Some say that these will reduce property value and will be ugly to look at. Others say that they will bring in tax revenue and will show that we are doing our part to develop a greater diversity of energy resources. Whatever you may think about this particular issue, I think we can all agree that it is small compared to other ways in which family land has been eaten by wealthier companies.
Towns and cities are spreading, as housing developers turn fertile farmland into paved neighborhoods with nearly identical looking ranch-style houses with little yards. Massive farming corporations are buying up large swaths of what used to be family owned farmland. By some reports, only four companies now produce 70% of soybeans, 80% of corn, and 84% of beef in this country. This sounds impressive, but the sad fact is that this can only be done when families who have been farming land for generations are bought out and either quit farming or lose their independence to varying degrees. They may continue to work the land, but often someone else owns it. Ultimately, the land is owned by people who don’t know it. These are often people who aren’t even farmers, who care more for the productivity than the land itself.
Whether farms are being eaten by housing developers, massive corporations, or something else, one question remains: whose land is this? Who has claim to this place? This is really a tough question when we consider it historically. If we claim this land against a developer by saying that we were here first, I imagine Native Americans might have something to say. They were certainly here before us and have often gotten a bad deal with regard to the land.
So maybe it isn’t that we were here first. Maybe we should have it because we are strong enough to hold it, but if strength is the determining factor and money is power, then the ultra-wealthy should have a better claim than us. They can pay to possess it and buy out most small farmers. So we don’t win that way either. We could say that we should have the land because we really want it, but everyone wants the land, so that fails for similar reasons.
What then is our claim? Why should we have the land? Does the Bible say anything about this? Fortunately, as you can expect by the fact that this is showing up in a church blog, yes. Yes, it does.
Jeremiah 32 contains a story that bears an optimism that sharply contrasts with its context. Jeremiah is in hot water in Jerusalem. Not only do those in power not like him because he has been prophesying disastrous things about them and the city, but also he’s right. The city is under siege by the Babylonians. Times are tough.
It’s probably hard for us to imagine what a siege would have looked like being so far removed from them today. Imagine living in constant fear, not of criminals in the streets, but of an invading army looking to destroy, murder, and plunder as soon as they can find a way into the city. Soldiers are defending the walls, helplessly watching them build equipment that can either destroy those walls or force down the gates. No food can come in, so everything must be rationed. People are starving and getting desperate. Everything seems hopeless. Doom and destruction are inevitable. The only way to survive at this point is luck, really clever trickery, or an act of God. Valor alone won’t stand against the overwhelming forces of the Babylonian Empire.
In the midst of all this, God tells Jeremiah to buy a field from his uncle, and the prophet follows God’s command. This is crazy. The land is completely overrun by the invaders. When asked who the land belongs to at this point, the only sensible answer would be, “The Babylonians.” Jeremiah begs to differ. This town that is currently being overrun and trampled by foreign soldiers, is still his hometown. This field that may very well be home to a camp of Babylonian foragers and scouts, is his field. Jeremiah purchases the land because even when the powers of the world are tossing it back and forth, he is confident that he will possess it in the end. He and his family will return to farm and work that field. Because ultimately, the field doesn’t belong to the Babylonians. Really, it doesn’t belong to Jeremiah either. It belongs to God.
In Leviticus 25:23, God claims that the land can’t be shuffled around into the hands of more powerful owners forever, because the land doesn’t belong to the rich or to the families farming it. God holds all the land. God entrusts the land to people who will care for it, dealing kindly with the earth while sharing its bounty with their neighbors. God shares the land with people who can properly carry out the farming vocation, cherishing the soil and respecting the people for whom it provides.
Ultimately, our claim to the land is not on our being first, our strength, or our desire. In fact, it isn’t really right to try to force our own claim upon the land at all. We speak about the whole earth, including every field, forest, and creek, as belonging to God. We are tenants and caretakers. God entrusts us with the responsibility of caring for the land and our neighbors. That is our claim. This land isn’t ours because we deserve it. This land is ours because God has given it into our safekeeping. Though powerful corporations and wealthy developers may take over fields and take away the land and independence of farmers for a while, it won’t last forever. God gives the land to those who will care for it, and we can always trust God.
