Even those who are in our debt are to be respected and honored appropriately. If one who was poor had to borrow from one better off, and gave up his cloak as pledge of repayment, that cloak had to be returned to the poor man by nightfall. It would be taken up again the next day. My sense is that the tediousness of having to do this each day would discourage those making the loans from requiring a pledge and, by implication, repayment of the loan.

The man who made a pledge that was to be collected at his home was to be allowed the opportunity of bringing that pledge out. No debtor could transgress his threshold to take what had been promised. Waiting outside for the man to bring out his pledge was a way of saying that the debtor’s word was good.

Keeping such everyday statutes and rules was a way of fulfilling the righteous expectations of God, and, hence, of keeping righteousness alive within the community.

T. M. Moore

The Law of God is the soil which, fertilized by the rest of God’s Word and watered by His Spirit, brings forth the fruit of Christian life. If you’d like to understand this process better, and how to make best use of the Law in your walk with and work for the Lord, order the book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, from our online store.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.