September 2, 2019
After Six Years of Labor, It's Time for a Sabbatical!
Deuteronomy 15
Kirk McGregor
Central Truth
Even though we are sinful and owe everything to God, He forgave our debt and blessed us immeasurably with the provision of His Son, Jesus. We can demonstrate our appreciation and honor God by forgiving others and sharing Jesus with them.
Key Verse | Deuteronomy 15:4-5
"But there will be no poor among you; for the LORD will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess—if only you will strictly obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all this commandment that I command you today."
Deuteronomy 15
The Sabbatical Year
1 At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. 2 And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the LORD's release has been proclaimed. 3 Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release. 4 But there will be no poor among you; for the LORD will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess— 5 if only you will strictly obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all this commandment that I command you today. 6 For the LORD your God will bless you, as he promised you, and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow, and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.
7 If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, 8 but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. 9 Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly 1 15:9 Or be evil; also verse 10 on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and you be guilty of sin. 10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. 11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’
12 If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold 2 15:12 Or sells himself to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. 14 You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the LORD your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today. 16 But if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you, 17 then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave 3 15:17 Or servant; the Hebrew term ebed designates a range of social and economic roles (see Preface) forever. And to your female slave 4 15:17 Or servant you shall do the same. 18 It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you, for at half the cost of a hired worker he has served you six years. So the LORD your God will bless you in all that you do.
19 All the firstborn males that are born of your herd and flock you shall dedicate to the LORD your God. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock. 20 You shall eat it, you and your household, before the LORD your God year by year at the place that the LORD will choose. 21 But if it has any blemish, if it is lame or blind or has any serious blemish whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to the LORD your God. 22 You shall eat it within your towns. The unclean and the clean alike may eat it, as though it were a gazelle or a deer. 23 Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.
Dive Deeper | Deuteronomy 15
Have you ever been in debt? I don't mean you owe someone a few dollars for last week's lunch. I mean, you are looking at a school loan or credit card bill and wondering how it will ever be paid off.
I remember graduating from college and calculating my school loans to be over $40,000. Are you kidding me? What's even worse was that, at the time of graduation, I did not have a full-time job. How was I going to pay off this debt? I remember thinking I would need to get a genie, to win the lottery, or to befriend an extremely generous individual to satisfy my debt.
That is what is being discussed in Deuteronomy 15. When someone was in debt, the common practice was to work off the debt over a period of seven years. There were six years of labor, and "[a]t the end of every seven years you shall grant a release." (Deuteronomy 15:1) Why was this process implemented? Because the Lord desired that there be no "poor" among the Hebrew people (Deuteronomy 15:4). In fact, the Hebrews would have so much, they would not be in debt, but could share their blessings with those around them (Deuteronomy 15:6). The Lord even goes on to state that when a brother Israelite's debt is paid, the lender should go above and beyond in helping the debtor get back on his feet by providing him with a generous care package of goods (Deuteronomy 15:13-15).
How is this applicable today? It is a reminder that the Lord is faithful in supplying our needs (see Exodus 16:29; Philippians 4:19). By the way, even though it took longer than seven years, I eventually paid off my college loan debt.
Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever experienced debt so significant that you wondered how it would be paid off by the deadline? Are you currently feeling the burden of a large debt?
2. Do you feel comfortable talking about finances with your community group? Why or why not?
3. Would you seek the counsel of your community group if you found yourself in substantial debt?
4. Have you ever considered taking a course on financial stewardship such as Moneywise (Watermark's financial stewardship ministry)?