God Speaks
“At the end of every seventh year you must cancel the debts of everyone who owes you money. 2 This is how it must be done. Everyone must cancel the loans they have made to their fellow Israelites. They must not demand payment from their neighbors or relatives, for the Lord’s time of release has arrived. 3 This release from debt, however, applies only to your fellow Israelites—not to the foreigners living among you.
4 “There should be no poor among you, for the Lord your God will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you as a special possession. 5 You will receive this blessing if you are careful to obey all the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. 6 The Lord your God will bless you as he has promised. You will lend money to many nations but will never need to borrow. You will rule many nations, but they will not rule over you.
7 “But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them. 8 Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need. 9 Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for canceling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin. 10 Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. 11 There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.
Release for Hebrew Slaves
12 “If a fellow Hebrew sells himself or herself to be your servant[a] and serves you for six years, in the seventh year you must set that servant free.
13 “When you release a male servant, do not send him away empty-handed. 14 Give him a generous farewell gift from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. Share with him some of the bounty with which the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were once slaves in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you! That is why I am giving you this command.
16 “But suppose your servant says, ‘I will not leave you,’ because he loves you and your family, and he has done well with you. 17 In that case, take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door. After that, he will be your servant for life. And do the same for your female servants.
18 “You must not consider it a hardship when you release your servants. Remember that for six years they have given you services worth double the wages of hired workers, and the Lord your God will bless you in all you do.
Sacrificing Firstborn Male Animals
19 “You must set aside for the Lord your God all the firstborn males from your flocks and herds. Do not use the firstborn of your herds to work your fields, and do not shear the firstborn of your flocks. 20 Instead, you and your family must eat these animals in the presence of the Lord your God each year at the place he chooses. 21 But if this firstborn animal has any defect, such as lameness or blindness, or if anything else is wrong with it, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God. 22 Instead, use it for food for your family in your hometown. Anyone, whether ceremonially clean or unclean, may eat it, just as anyone may eat a gazelle or deer. 23 But you must not consume the blood. You must pour it out on the ground like water.
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Deuteronomy 15:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. God is concerned about how creditors deal with those indebted to them, how His people treat the poor, and that His people dedicate the first of their crops and flocks to Him.
2. People tend to be selfish, miserly, or stingy, but they can overcome these tendencies by obeying God.
Prayer
3. How might I pray regarding Deuteronomy 15?
Thank You, LORD God, that You have blessed me abundantly so that I am able to loan or give to others. May I be especially caring toward fellow believers who are in need. Thank You for making me Your special possession. Help me to be careful to obey all of Your commands. May I bless or lend to others without demanding compensation. Help me to stay out of debt–except to You, Jesus, whom I could never repay. Help me to be understanding and generous with those who are poor instead of being hard-hearted or tightfisted. Keep me from following my human nature to be selfish, mean-spirited, or lazy. I know that You will eventually reward me if I give generously to those in need. If someone leaves my employ, I acknowledge You by giving them a generous severance package. Help me to be a faithful employee and/or a reasonable employer. I agree that a servant who is faithful over time is more valuable than a temporary worker who just does things for the pay. Help me to be the former and really care about my employer. May my love for You cause me to dedicate the best of all I have to You, LORD. Your commands and instructions are meant to help me respect the life force and needs of both people and animals. Everything I say and do is meant to bring glory to You, LORD. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Deuteronomy 15?
- I will release a fellow believer from a debt that they have faithfully paid for six years.
- I will thank God for making me His special possession and blessing me.
- I will work hard so that I am not in debt to anyone other than God.
- I will treat those who work for me well so that they will want to stay with me.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.