Deuteronomy 15
1-3 “At the end of every seventh year, cancel all debts. This is the procedure: Everyone who has lent money to a neighbor writes it off. You must not press your neighbor or his brother for payment: All-Debts-Are-Canceled—God says so. You may collect payment from foreigners, but whatever you have lent to your fellow Israelite you must write off.”
Hoo-boy! You can just imagine the response from the Israelites when Moses announces this principle. In the back of the crowd, there are undoubtedly guys muttering into their beards, “Cancel all debts every seven years? Ridiculous! All that debtors must do is wait out the seven years and then they go free. How can we ever get paid?” God wants His people to prosper; however, He doesn’t want people to suffer. On the other hand, the Israelites are free to continue to collect debts from foreigners without the seven-year debt forgiveness.
4-6 There must be no poor people among you because God is going to bless you lavishly in this land that God, your God, is giving you as an inheritance, your very own land. But only if you listen obediently to the Voice of God, your God, diligently observing every commandment that I command you today. Oh yes—God, your God, will bless you just as he promised. You will lend to many nations but won’t borrow from any; you’ll rule over many nations but none will rule over you.
7-9 When you happen on someone who’s in trouble or needs help among your people with whom you live in this land that God, your God, is giving you, don’t look the other way pretending you don’t see him. Don’t keep a tight grip on your purse. No. Look at him, open your purse, lend whatever and as much as he needs. Don’t count the cost. Don’t listen to that selfish voice saying, “It’s almost the seventh year, the year of All-Debts-Are-Canceled,” and turn aside and leave your needy neighbor in the lurch, refusing to help him. He’ll call God’s attention to you and your blatant sin.
10-11 Give freely and spontaneously. Don’t have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God’s, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. There are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors.
Hmm! Seems as if God has been listening to those grumblers in the back of the crowd. And God knows those who are already plotting ways to evade His laws to squeeze as much profit out of their neighbors as possible. These fellows have been clutching their purses to their bosoms for years and they are not happy about God’s proscriptions against greed.
What these people fail to recognize is God’s incredible generosity. God has given us life and all good things that we enjoy without asking anything in return apart from our love and devoted service. All God is requesting is that His people copy His Nature, sharing their resources with all those around them. And what about servants? Does God care about them as well?
12-15 “If a Hebrew man or Hebrew woman was sold to you and has served you for six years, in the seventh year you must set him or her free, released into a free life. And when you set them free don’t send them off empty-handed. Provide them with some animals, plenty of bread and wine and oil. Load them with provisions from all the blessings with which God, your God, has blessed you. Don’t for a minute forget that you were once slaves in Egypt and God, your God, redeemed you from that slave world.
For that reason, this day I command you to do this.”
Imagine what it must have been like to be a freed servant? Suddenly, you are free and your former bosses are giving you animals, and “plenty of bread and wine and oil.” Servants are to be “loaded with provisions.” Why? God wants the Israelites to always remember that they were slaves in Egypt and God delivered them.
16-17 “But if your slave, because he loves you and your family and has a good life with you, says, “I don’t want to leave you,” then take an awl and pierce through his earlobe into the doorpost, marking him as your slave forever. Do the same with your women slaves who want to stay with you. Don’t consider this an unreasonable hardship, this setting your slave free. After all, he’s worked six years for you at half the cost of a hired hand. Believe me, God, your God, will bless you in everything you do.”
At first, this practice sounds both painful and unfair. Why wouldn’t a slave want freedom by any means? But nothing is ever simple. Suppose a slave has grown up with a family and is essentially a family member in a comfortable setting. Sometimes slaves would even inherit from the owner if there was no other heir. Once set free, a slave would be left to his or her own devices with no protection; under such circumstances, some slaves might definitely choose to remain with a family. This might be particularly true if a slave has married another slave and has a family. Security and family unity can be worth a great deal.
19-23 “Set apart to God, your God, all the firstborn males in your herds and flocks. Don’t use the firstborn from your herds as work animals; don’t shear the firstborn from your flocks. These are for you to eat every year, you and your family, in the Presence of God, your God, at the place that God designates for worship. If the animal is defective, lame, say, or blind—anything wrong with it—don’t slaughter it as a sacrifice to God, your God. Stay at home and eat it there. Both the ritually clean and unclean may eat it, the same as with a gazelle or a deer. Only you must not eat its blood. Pour the blood out on the ground like water.”
Once more, God is identifying firstborn males as special. Rather than being used as work animals, these animals are to be eaten during special feast days. But these animals must be perfect; otherwise, they should simply be considered on the same scale as gazelles or deer. But once more, God warns about the need to pour the blood of the animal out on the ground as a form of offering to Him. Again, remember that many pagan religious ceremonies involved painting worshipers with blood or drinking blood. God wants His people to be holy.
Being generous can sometimes be scary. What if someone asks for help when you have virtually nothing yourself? God will be no man’s debtor. True story: One Wednesday night, I was at a church service when offering time came. I realized I had $1.37 left in my checking account. At that point, the Holy Spirit spoke to me. “Jean, will you trust Me?” I shrugged my shoulders and wrote out a check for that small amount. Then the miracles began. Suddenly, friends with a garden left fresh vegetables on my doorstep. Other friends invited me to eat supper with them. I lived across the street from the hospital, so commuting was no problem, and I could eat at the hospital when I was on call. I did quite well until my next paycheck.
Obviously, you must pray for guidance before sharing your resources. But you cannot out-give God!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You and to share with those in need. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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