Deuteronomy 15.9, 10
⁹ “Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the LORD against you, and it become sin among you. ¹⁰ You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.”

Remembering that, at the Sabbath year, all debts were cancelled, some might be unwilling to help their neighbor with a loan. Such an action, however, would vaunt love of self over love of neighbor, and must not be tolerated. It is tantamount to stealing from those in need. Love for our neighbors, especially those who are in need, should be its own motivation to do whatever is in our power to help, without thought of payback or reward.

At the same time, one had to be a good steward of the resources entrusted to him by the Lord; thus, in a situation such as is mentioned here, depending upon the amount of the need, one might be moved to enlist other neighbors in caring for the needy, so that the “loss” which the seventh year would incur would not be borne so heavily by one.

We’re not certain how these situations worked out. The important point is to notice that God promises to bless His people when they love one another as He loves them, from the heart, and generously, without regard to personal gain.

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.