According to Edersheim in his book on the temple, the houses in Jerusalem were considered to belong to God. On an event like Passover, travelers could come to Jerusalem and knock on a door and ask for a room. The resident of the house, if he had room, was obligated to take them in. After all, it was not his house, but God’s.
This information, although interesting, is perhaps much more important than we are aware. We feel like we own things and sharing is voluntary. The Bible and the Biblical tradition seem to teach that our clothes, our food, our homes, our transportation, our church buildings belong to God on a very temporary loan. If our brother has need and we have what he needs in our possession, we are not being generous in giving it to him, but good stewards. Often, we understand that good stewards means that we lock our doors and are more than a little careful when handing out God’s possessions.
My Bible Study Notebook 