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Deuteronomy 24.19-22
19 “When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. 20 When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. 21 When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not glean it afterward; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. 22 And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this thing.”
The motivation for caring for the poor through the institution of gleaning was the memory of what it was like to be oppressed and enslaved in Egypt. Even if the initial pass of reapers and harvesters was not thorough, or if sheaves were forgotten in the field, they were to be left for the needy, who had to fetch them in themselves or, as in the case of Naomi and Ruth, find someone to do the work for them.
As we remember what it was like to be slaves to sin, and that God redeemed us freely by His grace, our hearts should go out to all who are similarly trapped, so that we “go the extra mile” to show them the love of God and call them to join us in the Lord’s harvest.
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.