1 The seventh year a year of release for the poor. 7 It must be no let of lending or giving. 12 An Hebrew servant, 16 except he will not depart, must in the seventh year go forth free and well furnished. 19 All firstling males of the cattle are to be sanctified unto the Lord.
Deu 15:1 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.
That is, in the seventh year, as in v. 12 (see Deut. 31:10; Jer. 34:14). The command of this verse is an extension of Ex. 21:2; Lev. 25:3.
It is used in speaking of the land, “But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest,” that is, be released from cultivation and allowed to lie fallow (Ex. 23:11); and in referring to Jezebel’s being thrown down by her eunuchs (2 Kings 9:33). This “release” refers to a manumission from debt, from slavery, and also to a rest for the land from cultivation.
Deu 15:2 This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the LORD’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed.
Cancelling debts to honor, to whom the creditor owes all his wealth and well-being, and who has commanded so beneficent a law for the good of the general body of the people.
Deu 15:3 You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you.
Foreigner. That is, an alien who was not a proselyte to the Jewish faith, nor a permanent resident, but merely a temporary sojourner for trading or other purposes. Such a person was not obligated to obey the laws of the seventh year; therefore, there was no need to put aside a creditor’s claim upon him (see Lev. 25:1-7, 20–22).
Deu 15:4 However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you,
The word translated “poor” in this verse means one subject to abuse or oppression, one not in a position to defend himself (see Amos 2:6; 5:12).
Richly bless you. Faithfulness to God’s directives would mean divine blessings that would eliminate abject poverty, though not necessarily equalize the distribution of wealth. Compare the condition of the early believers of the Christian community (Acts 4:33, 34).
Deu 15:5 if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today.
Carefull to follow. Particularly in the matter of compassion upon the poor and needy. Faithfulness in carrying out the expressed will of God would bring His blessing upon them.
Deu 15:6 For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.
Bless you. The Hebrew verb form is historical, emphasizing the surety of the promise if Israel should obey (see v. 14; ch. 12:7).
The promised blessing is so certain that Moses speaks of it as already accomplished. Lend. The form of the verb here translated “lend,” means “to give a pledge”; the causative form, as here, means “to cause [others] to give pledges.”
This is a promise of material and financial prosperity. They would have been “the head, and not the tail” (ch. 28:13). Had Israel, by compliance with God’s wise requirements, become fit representatives of Him, they would have become the leading commercial and political power of antiquity.
Borrow from none.
Literally, “not give a pledge.” Obedience to God’s instructions would prevent their enslavement to any nation, for to be in debt is to run the risk of being enslaved (Prov. 22:7). Reign over. Compare ch. 28:1.
Deu 15:7 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.
Literally, “a needy one.” Poverty always seems to exist (Deut. 15:11; Matt. 26:11); yet much can be done to reduce it and to alleviate the suffering that accompanies it. So long as there is a diversity of talents among men there will always be some in need of help.
Members of the church could do much more for those less fortunate about them, and yet not do less by way of public evangelism.
Your towns. Tightfisted.
It is as if a man placed his hands in his pockets, or behind his back, refusing to extend them forward in a gesture of generosity.
In 1 John 3:17 the apostle John comments: If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?
The anticipated answer is that divine love cannot abide in the heart of such a person.
Deu 15:8 Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need.
Openhanded. A word picture of a bountiful spirit. The Hebrew form is emphatic, “opening you shall open your hand to him.”
One of the hardest lessons for many to learn is that selfishness is self-defeating.
Whatever they need. Enough is to be lent to meet the emergency. The genuine case requires compassion (Matt. 18:33).
Deu 15:9 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. They may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.
The apostle Paul spoke of the same attitude of mind in 2 Cor. 9:7, saying literally, “Each according as he purposes in his heart, not out of annoyance, or of necessity.”
Deu 15:10 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.
The Lord takes note of all that a man does; nothing goes unrewarded. There is to be an “abounding,” or, as Paul says, literally, “an overtopping” in all we do for God (2 Cor. 8:7, 9).
Deu 15:11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.
Always. This is referred to by Christ in Matt. 26:11. The poor you will always have with you. The need for generosity and Christian charity will never cease. James speaks of the poor as the ones God has chosen for Himself (James 2:5).
Openhanded. Literally, “opening, you shall open your hand,” the Hebrew form of emphasis. The noun form of the word thus translated means “the doorway” of a tent (Gen. 18:1, 2, 10), of a private house (Ex. 12:22), of the tabernacle (Ex. 38:8), and of a king’s house (2 Sam. 11:9). To “Openhanded” implies a sharing of the good things of one’s home.
Deu 15:12 If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free.
A man could make himself a slave, or be made one by court order. In any case the Israelite slaves were to be well treated by their brothers; and if not redeemed earlier, were set free in the seventh year.
See Ex. 21:20, 26, 27; Lev. 25:39, for restrictions on the master’s treatment of slaves.
The seventh year. The sabbatical year affected all walks of life (Lev. 25:2). But the seventh year, that saw the slave’s release, should not be confused with the years that find their completion in the sabbatical year. The year of the slave’s release followed six years of servitude and might or might not coincide with the sabbatical year.
Slavery was an institution of the social order of the times. But God ordained laws to protect slaves as children of God, as brethren in the religious community, and as citizens in a social order which had as its goal, free men.
Deu 15:13 And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed.
Empty-handed. The root of the word translated “empty” often means “in vain” (Lev. 26:16, 20). Here it refers to effort put forth that brought no profit. To send a freed slave away without sufficient means to make a new start as an independent, free member of society, would be to make a vain gesture.
He would likely fall back into slavery again. See the promise of God to the faithful (Isa. 65:23; cf. Gen. 31:42; Ex. 3:21).
Deu 15:14 Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to them as the LORD your God has blessed you.
The word translated “furnish” is used of “the chains that were about their camels’ necks” (Judges 8:26). The natives of the East still place ornamental chains on their cattle. See the same word for “chain” in Prov. 1:9; S. of Sol. 4:9; Ps. 73:6.
The Hebrew master was commanded to “adorn,” or equip, a slave as he felt his master’s service.
God has blessed you. Compare chs. 7:13; 12:15; 16:17. In proportion to God’s blessing upon him, the master was to exercise liberality toward the slave now set free.
Deu 15:15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.
A forceful argument from experience, the strongest possible motive for generosity (see Deut. 16:12; 24:18, 22; cf. Matt. 10:8; Matt. 18:23–35). The Biblical laws pertaining to servitude not only lightened the lot of the slave but eventually led to his freedom.
No Israelite was to be kept in permanent slavery. These rules included the following provisions: (1) The Hebrews slave could not be forced to serve longer than six years, and was to be released in the seventh year.
(2) Harsh treatment by the owner was strictly frowned upon (Lev. 25:39–43).
(3) If, in a fit of temper, the owner inflicted serious bodily injury on the person of the slave, such a slave was to receive his freedom (Ex. 21:26).
(4) Unreasonably severe punishment meted out to a slave would subject the owner to legal penalties (Ex. 21:20, 21).
(5) During servitude, the terms of service were to be so liberally administered that it would be possible for the slave to acquire property or sufficient means to redeem himself (Lev. 25:49). The operation of these principles would tend steadily to eliminate the unfair and unfortunate lot of the slave. In fact, the lot of the Hebrew “slave” would hardly be recognizable as slavery by the nations round about Israel.
Deu 15:16 But if your servant says to you, “I do not want to leave you,” because he loves you and your family and is well off with you,
Here is the case of a man who became so attached to his master that he preferred to remain (see on Ex. 21:5). When a man thus declined to become free, he voluntarily chose perpetual servitude. This provision, if carried out in conformity to the rules laid down by God (see on v. 15), might prove a blessing to individuals incapable of administering their own affairs.
They thus placed themselves permanently under the protection of one who could administer their affairs for them, and who had proved his kindly care of his slaves. The same considerate provisions that had applied to temporary servitude were to be continued.
He loves you. Generous and considerate treatment had won the man’s heart. In servitude he had found a measure of freedom sufficient to satisfy him. The motive behind his desire to remain was love.
Deu 15:17 then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant.
For details, see Ex. 21:1–6. By this symbol the man was bound forever as an obedient servant to the household of his master.
For life. That is, as long as the man should live (see on Ex. 21:6).
Female servant. This seems to contradict Ex. 21:7, “She shall not go out as the menservants do.” But it is not stated here that she should not go out at all, but rather that she should not be released on the same basis as the menservants. The conditions for her release are given in Ex. 21:8–11; cf. Jer. 34:9.
Deu 15:18 Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because their service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in everything you do.
God is ever ready to bestow rich blessings upon men, but He can do so only for those who appreciate His love enough to love and obey Him (1 John 4:19; John 14:15; 15:10). Should God do otherwise, and bless those who do not serve Him, He would be encouraging them to continue in disobedience.
Deu 15:19 Set apart for the LORD your God every firstborn male of your herds and flocks. Do not put the firstborn of your cows to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep.
Firstborn. The law was established at the Exodus from Egypt that all first born males of both man and beast belonged to God (see on Ex. 13:12–15; Num. 18:15–18).
Set apart for the the Lord. This does not contradict Lev. 27:26, “The Lord’s firstling, no man shall sanctify it.” The meaning here is that the owner shall recognize the firstling as God’s property and must under no circumstances use it for any other purpose.
Lev. 27:26 means that no man shall take what the Lord already considers as His—the firstling—and present it in payment of a personal vow.
To work. The male firstlings were sanctified to God. They were not to be put to ordinary secular labor, even though they might remain temporarily in a man’s possession. The firstling females were not dedicated to the Lord as were the males. They might be offered as peace offerings, with the offerer partaking of them in a sacrificial meal and giving a portion also to the priests.
This is in harmony with the principle of the second tithe (ch. 14:23).
Do not shear. A firstling sheep was not to be shear, for it was dedicated to a holy use. God has claim on the first of all we possess: our life, our affections, our physical, mental, and spiritual powers, our service, our property.
Deu 15:20 Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose.
At the three great annual festive occasions, when all adult males were to appear before the Lord at Jerusalem. Peace offerings and sacrificial feasts were always celebrated at these occasions.
Your family. Compare chs. 12:6, 7, 17, 18, 26; 14:23. The Levite and the stranger were to be asked to share in these sacred feasts.
Deu 15:21 If an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.
Defects. They are enumerated in Lev. 22:21–24 (see Deut. 17:1).
Lame. This blemish is not mentioned in Lev. 22:21–24, but Mal. 1:8 mentions the offering of a lame animal as “evil.”
Not sacrifice it. It was not acceptable as a dedicated animal.
Deu 15:22 You are to eat it in your own towns. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it, as if it were gazelle or deer.
In your towns. It was partaken of at home as an ordinary meal. NearbyLevites, strangers, and the needy probably shared the meal.
Unclean. Ceremonial purity was not required, as when a sacrificial animal was eaten before the Lord, for this was common food and not a sanctified offering (see ch. 12:15, 20).
Deu 15:23 But you must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.
The blood. Compare Deut. 12:16, 23, 24 see on Gen. 9:4.