Deuteronomy 24: The Outsiders
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When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your god may bless you in all the work of your hands.
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Old Testament laws contained many provisions to protect people from exploitation. Israelites could not charge each other interest for loans (Exodus 22:25). And Deuteronomy set limits on the "collateral," or pledge, that secured a loan. Here, the lender could not accept a millstone, for that would threaten the debtor's livelihood. Verses 10-13 show further safeguards. The debtor was allowed to keep everything necessary for living. And the lender could not even enter the debtor's house to get his pledge.
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One remarkable aspect of Israel's Covenant was the command to care for the poor, the strangers, the widows, and the orphans. These four groups were the outsiders in ancient Israel because they fell outside Israel's socioeconomic system. The poor often had no means to sustain themselves. Strangers were not part of Israel's tribal organization. Widows depended on the charity of others. Orphans were destitute because they had no family to help them survive.
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God provides a reason why Israel must care for the poor and oppressed. Just as the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt- when they were poor, oppressed, orphans in a foreign land- and God responded to their cry for help, so they must care for the poor, oppressed, forgotten, and marginalized in their midst.
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Life Question: Can this be any less true for us today?
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Yes...and no. I think all too often not enough credit is reported on all the good that is done for the impoverished of the world. Certainly, more can- and should- be done, but right here in our own church are two wonderful examples of a Christian community reaching out to the "outsiders" in hopes of not only spreading God's word to them, but also providing for them what should be a better quality of life. The projects of Mozambique and the Indian schools for the Dalit children are wonderful examples of how we can all take responsibility and exemplify the message written here in Deuteronomy.