Deuteronomy 15:1-11: The Year of Freedom
IT SEEMS LIKE every couple of nights I get a phone call from some creditcard company. They offer me the opportunity to go further into debt through the use of their card at some great interest rate. My response is "No, thanks. I'm deep enough in debt as it is." No one has ever called up and offered to take the load of my debt and cancel it, no interest, no charge. It's inconceivable. Yet in ancient Israel something equivalent to that happened every seven years. Why? God's salvation is an offer of freedom—not just religious freedom, not just political freedom, but economic freedom as well.
Warming Up to God
Jesus teaches us to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." What difference would it make in your attitude toward your work today if you didn't feel that earning your living was totally up to you?
Read Deuteronomy 15:1-11. »
Discovering the Word
- What provisions are being made for the poor after they enter the land?
- Note the colorful words in verses 7-10 which describe those who refuse to follow this law. What attitude does Moses want to see among the citizens of the land?
- What provision is made for those who would seek to avoid the spirit of this law (vv. 8-9)?
- Moses sets high standards, yet he is also realistic. How would you explain the apparent conflict between verses 4 and 11?
Applying the Word
- What is there about the intent of this law that could be applied in your country?
- What is there about the intent of this law that could be applied in the church?
- How will the spirit of these economic principles make a difference in the way that you use your money?
Responding in Prayer
Pray for those who have financial needs in your church. Ask God to touch the hearts of members of your church to be a help to them. Pray for those who have adequate financial resources, that they would be willing to be an aid and resource for those in need.
For Further Study
Thinking About Money Edited by R. Paul Stevens & Robert Banks