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\u201cDo not move your neighbor\u2019s boundary stone set up by your predecessors in the inheritance you receive in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess\u201d (Deuteronomy 19:14).

I have been working chapter by chapter through the book of Deuteronomy, each day picking a verse or two to reflect on. Some of you may have scratched your head when you heard/read my choice for today. But give me a moment of your time before you head off somewhere else.

When Israel entered the promised land, each family was given a piece of land. This land, God\u2019s gift to each family, was marked by \u2018boundary stones\u2019. Laying on top of the ground, these markers were moveable. Since families did not go check their boundaries every day, it would be easy for a few rascals to go out in the middle of the night to move these stones, enlarging their own property in the process. By the time someone checked on the stones, all evidence of movement would be gone.

This little command seems to have snuck its way into a chapter dealing with issues regarding murder, both intentional and unintentional, and with proper witnesses during a criminal trial. That this verse gets embedded in a chapter with these larger issues suggests to me that God thought it was quite significant.

There are two matters that stand out to me regarding this little verse: justice and trust in God.

Let\u2019s take up justice first. Each family was given a certain amount of land from which they were to earn their income. If their land shrank because someone moved the boundary stones, then it would be more difficult for them to produce enough. Further, every fifth year, each family was to be restored to their gifted land. God implemented these laws to create a level economic playing field. Everyone had equal access to the land and opportunity to make a living.

This is a significant ingredient to justice and the biblical concept of Shalom. It was important that the people of Israel lived this and longed for it in their hearts. Jesus put it this way, \u201cBlessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled\u201d (Matthew 5:6). We ought not to spiritualize this beatitude. Righteousness is about living according to God\u2019s ways.

Yesterday was the first Canadian National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The need for this day includes tremendous amounts of injustice, not least, issues dealing with land. Many of us may feel rather helpless in responding to historical and present injustices of this scale. But we can do something, by nurturing a heart for justice in our own back yards. Consider the places where we work and live? What sorts of inequities do we see? Which people have very little, if any, possibility of getting out of poverty, often because of circumstances beyond their control? Do we care about issues of homelessness in Hamilton? Does it matter to us that those most effected by climate changes are the poorest of the world?

The pursuit of justice often has a price tag. In Israel, families that purchased land from other Israelites had to give it back during the fiftieth year. Today\u2019s wealthy bulk at the idea of paying more taxes to help the poor. But Christians ought to seriously think about such ideas. Why? Helping the poor is an act of trust in God. It shows that we believe he will provide for our needs. He is more able to care for us than we are. Lifestyle changes that bless the environment, rather that harm it, will cost us. Are we willing to pay the price? Are we willing to trust in God for our welfare by giving to those in need?