Deuteronomy 15 Devotional
by Pastor Lawrence

This chapter serves as a commentary on the second greatest commandment regarding the duty to love your neighbor as yourself, particularly a poorer neighbor. The first section deals with giving mercy to one’s neighbor in terms of what they owe you. If after the seventh year, the year of release, transpires and they are still indebted to you, you ought to release them of all obligation that they might free from any crushing burden of debt. This law is given in regard to an individual “neighbor” of Israel and not to foreigners since they were primarily traders only visiting the land doing business transactions. The Israelite neighbor, on the other hand, had taken out a personal loan and could not repay it. The reason for such a release is so that there would be no poor Israelites within the Promised Land, a place that represented freedom from slavery and all oppressive burdens.

Of course, selfish and sinful by nature, men would be tempted to not loan out any money when the year of release was near, so the Lord also commanded them not to harden their hearts against a poor brother, but open their hands freely to meet his need. In such cases, not only was the richer brother unmerciful; he also acted sinfully causing the poorer brother to cry out to God against him. Along with the warning is also given the promise that the one who freely gives to the poor will be blessed in the land. Strangely, after telling the Israelites that there is to be no poverty in the Promised Land, in v.11 the Lord assures them that there will never cease to be poor in the land,” not because the Lord doesn’t assist them but because of the hardness of men’s hearts.

In the second section, Moses deals with Israelites who own their own “brothers” as slaves. There is to be a similar release of their brothers on the seventh year of their service. Such slavery occurred oftentimes when the poorer brother not able to make ends meet at home purposely sold himself as a slave to his neighbor in order that he might survive. Once he was to be freed, the richer brother was to furnish him with very liberal gifts that he might be much better off than when he came. Here, the lord reminded the richer Israelites of their own slavery in Egypt and how all of their possessions were given freely to them by God. Never was this relationship to be seen in an oppressive manner, but one that was to be conducted with grace and liberality. And if it was done in this way, it would be very likely that some slaves would be reluctant to leave such a kind and rich master who freely provided for his needs. If such a slave decided to stay in the rich man’s home, then the owner was to take an awl and put it through his ear into the door showing that he is a permanent member of that household.

Although we do not live in the Promised Land today, we are members of the household of God, which also reflects the glory of God in a renewed community where members are learning to love God with all their heart and to love their neighbor as themselves. Thus the principles behind these laws are still applicable today. In Galatians 6:10 the apostle Paul says, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” And we see this in action in Acts 4:34 where in the early church “there was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold.” This was both an act of mercy on the part of the rich, but also one done in obedience to God’s commands, for in 1 Timothy 6:18, Paul commands Timothy to charge the rich saying, “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.” And when this happens in the context of the local church, Christ is glorified and the church strengthened. When it does not, Christ is not clearly seen and the church suffers. It is as the Russian Christian philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev once said, “Bread for myself is a material problem. Bread for my neighbor is a spiritual problem.”