We live in a world of economic inequality. People everywhere are divided by class, with the gap between the world’s rich and the world’s poor growing larger by the day. While a small minority hold much of the world’s wealth, a great majority of individuals are caught within the cycles of impoverishment and its ramifications. The question remains: are we as the church to do anything about this problem? From a biblical standpoint, the answer is yes. The teachings of Jesus favor the poor and oppressed, but those teachings are not unique to the New Testament. Indeed, the basis behind many policies regarding social justice have their roots in Old Testament law. A closer look at one such policy toward the needy neighbor outlined in Deuteronomy 15:1-11 reveals both God’s desire to lift up and restore dignity to the poor and the role that we as the church are to play in those actions.
Deuteronomy 15 begins with the radical call for a Sabbatical year regarding the cancelling of debts. According to this legislation, the Israelites were to wipe out all debts every seven years (Deut. 15:1). But where did this law come from? After years of wandering,
The underlying themes of brotherhood in Deuteronomy make it clear that the institution of economic distinctions between peoples was never God’s intent. We were not created to become rich or poor, but simply to be the people of God. Thus, God commanded the principle of the Sabbatical year in Deuteronomy 15 to help remedy the disparity. As Water Bruggeman says, the ritual of debt cancellation was “an extraordinary requirement to assure that there should be no permanent underclass in the neighborhood, no enduringly disadvantaged people.”[3] With their debts remitted, these families one again could fully participate in normal community life, restoring their dignity within the community.[4] Of course, the universal release was never a one-time occurrence, as money and power create vicious cycles of debt that must continually be broken.[5] The repetitive nature helped keep the economy in check, for it was never intended to control society as a whole, oppressing the lives of individuals caught in unfortunate situations.[6]
Unfortunately, little evidence suggests that the principle of the Sabbatical year actually became a regular practice in
The basis behind the Sabbatical year is more than pure economics. The text of Deuteronomy 15 commands each Israelite to assist his neighbor, thus extending what is typically a familial responsibility to encompass the entire community. John Rogerson calls this a “brother-ethic,” where the Israelites were to look beyond their tribal lines and view each person as a part of their larger family.[9] Thus, each person was obligated to help those in the community who were in need, offering protection for the least in the nation. The familial perspective also increases the dignity of the poor, as they are seen as kin in need of help rather than strangers with a financial problem. Such a perspective mandates a more generous attitude, for who does not want to help a family member? Moreover, the text emphasizes that God gave the Israelites their land, so in response to that blessing they had a responsibility to help their neighbor.[10] Directly tied to that possession is additional blessings in the land, though with the caveat that blessings come “if only [they] will obey the Lord [their] God by diligently observing this entire commandment” (Deut. 15:5). As a result, the law sets up the concept that blessing is not for the sake of the individual, but comes with the responsibility to help others.
Of course, the writers of Deuteronomy knew that the law of the Sabbatical year would not be enough by itself. Verses 7-11 take the concept further, warning some creditors who might reject requests for loans as Sabbatical years come closer, knowing that those loans have the least chance of being repaid before the time of remission. Here, the text warns to give generously, “whatever it may be,” regardless of the timing of the request. What is more, the writers emphasize the mental state of the creditor, condemning one who is “hard-hearted,” “tight-fisted,” and “entertain[ing] a mean thought” toward a brother or sister in need (Deut. 15:7, 9). Begrudgement both cheapens the act of aid and belittles the needy neighbor, implying that he is not worth the effort. On the contrary, the rejection of this resentful attitude reflects that God values the poor equally as much as the wealthy. Giving to the poor is not a strict law to be carried out, but an act of love for one’s neighbor.
Though some creditors might have looked at lending situations solely through the perspective of what they might get out of it, the text denies that thought process. The original intent of lending, at least according to Deuteronomy, was less as a business transaction and more as an act of aid for a neighbor.[11 Thus, legislation such as this was “a demand that the Israelite be ready to relinquish something which, for whatever reason, he may feel inclined to take or keep for himself, perhaps even justified in doing so.”[12] Living within a familial perspective takes away the right to withhold individual blessings from others, using them instead as a way to ease the burden for a neighbor, without the expectation that we will be repaid. Through this lens, the debtor’s identity is elevated from one who owes money to a brother or sister in need, for “all our society’s members have the right to be human.”[13 Again, the relationship of the debtor and the creditor is emphasized beyond a mere business acquaintance to a fellow human being and family member.
If we are to follow Deuteronomy 15 today, who, then, is our neighbor? The text implies that neighborliness for the ancient Israelites extended only to fellow Israelites, as it makes a distinction from lending to foreigners (Deut. 15:3). But how do we translate this ancient policy of loyalty into our world? In one sense, we can look to the church community as our family, a valid application of the principle of the Sabbatical. Within the body of Christ, we are called to support each other and lift each other up when difficult times arise, both spiritually and economically. But does the love of God, and consequently, our attention, also go beyond the walls of the church? Our brothers and sisters are not just those who sit within our own congregations, but are within our larger community of the county, the state, the nation, and even the world. And though slavery in the ancient sense is much less widespread (though sadly not completely extinct), countless individuals, families, and governments find themselves bound to others with oppressive debts or in difficult situations that are impossible to remedy alone. Our sister is the cancer patient with no health insurance, struggling under huge financial debt while fighting to stay alive. Our brother is the homeless man suffering from mental illness with no money or means to stabilize his condition. Our sister is the single mother in
To one individual, the list of needy neighbors is daunting. How can one person help all these people? Logically, no man or woman can singlehandedly bring an end to the widespread poverty even in our immediate surroundings. We alone do not have the power or ability to call an end to all debts, nor will our society today even entertain such a thought. This is where we must reclaim the concept of the church as a familial community, much as the Israelites did. Though one person can do a few things to ease symptoms of poverty, it is the wider neighborhood of believers that has a greater ability to help others. We as the church hope for the day that there “be no one in need among [us],” but we still must acknowledge and act upon the fact that “there will never cease to be some in need on the earth.” Together as the body of Christ, let us reach out to the homeless, the hungry, the sick, and the hurting, both within our community and outside it. As Deuteronomy’s law says, we must open our hands in love and generosity to the poor and impoverished, granting them the respect they are worthy of and the assistance that they need, for they are our brothers and sisters.
[1] R. Clements, “Deuteronomy,” NIB 2:404.
[2] Hoppe, There Shall Be No Poor Among You: Poverty in the Bible (
[3] Walter Bruggeman, The Covenanted Self: Explorations in Law and Covenant (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1999), 80.
[4] Clements, “Deuteronomy,” 2:405.
[5] Bruggeman, The Covenanted Self, 80.
[6] Clements, “Deuteronomy,” 2:404.
[7] Clements, “Deuteronomy,” 2:404.
[8] John Rogerson, Theory and Practice in Old Testament Ethics (
[9] Rogerson, Theory and Practice in Old Testament Ethics, 25.
[10] J.G. McConville, Law and Theology in Deuteronomy (Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1984), 12.
[11] Hoppe, There Shall Be No Poor Among You, 30.
[12] McConville, Law and Theology in Deuteronomy, 15-6.
[13] D. Christensen, “Deuteronomy” Word Bible Commentary 6a:322
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