You'll recall from Thursday's study that the seven-year rule applied only to money borrowed by an Israelite from an Israelite. The Israelites were not to borrow from foreigners but they could lend to foreigners. A foreigner was obligated to pay his debt in full; there was no seven-year rule for debt forgiveness in contracts like this. I'm sure an Israelite could choose to forgive a debt owed to him by a foreigner, but he was not required to. He was required to forgive only the debts of his fellow citizens.
You've probably heard the saying, "Rules are made to be broken," and while that isn't true it is true that human beings will often use rules in the wrong way in order to justify doing something that isn't merciful. Moses is going to remind the congregation that they aren't to refuse to help the needy by using the excuse that they are about to have to forgive some debt.
Moses says, on the authority of the Lord, "If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: 'The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,' so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing." (Deuteronomy 15:7-9a) Let's say a man has lent a sum of money to a fellow citizen and the entire sum has not been paid back yet. The year of debt forgiveness is coming up and he knows he'll probably end up taking a loss on this particular venture. And let's say his neighbor is sick and unable to work and is having trouble affording food for his family. The man who lent money to someone can't turn a blind eye to the plight of his neighbor just because the lending contract hasn't gone as expected. He can't say, "Sorry, friend, but I'm going to have to write off a loan as a loss pretty soon. I can't give you money for a load of groceries for your kids to eat." The seven-year rule is not meant to be used as an excuse to withhold help from the needy. Using rules to avoid being merciful is something we frequently find Jesus criticizing His fellow citizens for in the gospel accounts.
Here is another example: If a man's needy neighbor asks to borrow money, the man isn't to say to himself, "It's almost the year of debt forgiveness. If I lend him money I surely won't get it back. I know he's going without some basic things right now but I don't want to lose my money." He is to lend the money anyway. He is not to refuse mercy because of the upcoming seventh year.
The Lord is the defender of the poor and needy. If they cry out to Him because their fellow man won't help them, Moses assures the congregation that the Lord hears such a prayer and takes action. "They may appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin." (Deuteronomy 15:9b) Jesus found many of the religious leaders of His day guilty of these types of sins and He declared them hypocrites. They would use a law such as the one about breaking the Sabbath in order to refuse aid to someone in trouble on the Sabbath. They would break the commandment about honoring their father and mother by pointing to a law that said money promised to the Lord was an irrevocable promise; in order to keep from helping their elderly parents they would put the money in the temple treasury and allow their parents to go without. People were twisting the Lord's words in order to suit their own uncharitable, unmerciful desires. The only times we find Jesus criticizing anyone in the gospels is when He sees hypocrisy like this. An unmerciful attitude makes Him angry. The Lord has been merciful to us and it's a sin to refuse mercy to our fellow man.
Moses assures his listeners that the Lord rewards those who are merciful. "Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to." (Deuteronomy 15:10) The wise King Solomon said the same thing that Moses is saying to the congregation of Israel here in Deuteronomy 15: "Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses." (Proverbs 28:27) Solomon also said, "Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." (Proverbs 14:31) King David warned that the Lord fights on the side of the needy and takes up their cause against their oppressors: "I know the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy." (Psalm 140:12) The Apostle Paul advised the members of the Christian church that the Lord rewards those who aren't stingy toward the poor. "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)
Helping others out of the abundance of what the Lord has given us is something the Lord expects. No one gives more generously and more freely than the Lord and if we are His children we should want to imitate Him. Remember when you were a kid and you imitated things your parents did? If we are truly the children of God then we ought to behave a lot like Him. People should be able to tell that we belong to Him.
Poverty is something that will never be fully eradicated until the Lord comes to reign over the earth. Until then we are living in a fallen world where people may fall prey to the temptation to be greedy. People may give in to the temptation to refuse to hold out a helping hand to others. Also, since we live in a fallen world, bad things happen here such as financial hardships, sicknesses and accidents, and death. A person can end up in dire financial straits through no fault of his own. Or a person can end up in poverty due to bad choices and sinful living. There are various causes of poverty and until the Lord sits on the throne of David and rules in righteousness over the earth there will always be people we can help, which is why Jesus said, "The poor you will always have with you." (Matthew 26:11a) And He said, "The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them anytime you want." (Mark 14:7a) He wasn't saying, "Poverty is going to be a problem until the kingdom of God comes. You won't be able to overcome it." He was saying, "Poverty is going to be a problem until the kingdom of God comes. You are to alleviate suffering whenever it's within your power to do so."
One person can't help everyone but one person can help someone. If we each have that attitude, a lot of good deeds are going to get done. A lot of empty bellies are going to be filled. We are not to be overwhelmed by the enormous issue of poverty but are instead to do what is within our power to do. We aren't to let the size of this problem discourage us but are instead to allow it to encourage us to be merciful. And let's not forget that when we help others we help ourselves too. As several wise men of the Bible said, when we give generously the Lord blesses us.
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