Deuteronomy 24: 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.”
It occurred to me after reading this passage that in order for the needy to get the left-behind produce, olives, barley, wheat, grapes, etc., that they would have to be walking into someone else’s fields. Today we would call that old fashioned “trespassing!” God’s heart for the poor is unmistakable — then and today. God provides for a good harvest in our field and asks us, “Hey, leave a little behind for these other ones whom I love, and have a real need.”
There was a time we all were desperate, poor, needy and spiritually bankrupt — and God met our need. All of us were slaves to sin in our own “Egypts” and God brought us out. So, to this I say, “Trespassers welcome!” What has God blessed us richly in that we could spare to set a little aside for someone much, much needier than ourselves? God frankly told Israel that to the extent they kept this in mind and practiced it, He would bless them.
No comments:
Post a Comment