Deuteronomy 24 Devotional

Left in the Field on Purpose

“Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from that place. Therefore I am commanding you to do this.”Deuteronomy 24:18 (BSB)

A lender may not walk into a borrower's house to pick out what he will hold as security; he must wait outside (24:10-11). If the borrower is poor and has handed over his cloak, it must be returned by sunset so he can sleep in it (24:12-13). A poor worker is paid before the day ends, because he depends on that wage (24:14-15). At harvest, a forgotten sheaf stays in the field, and the olive trees and vines are not gone over twice. What is left belongs to the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow (24:19-21).

Twice the chapter gives the same reason: Israel had been slaves in Egypt, and the LORD redeemed them (24:18, 22). These laws show a God who protects the dignity of the poor and wants mercy built into ordinary business. His people are to treat others the way he treated them when they had nothing. Remembering your own rescue can make you slower to take everything you are owed and quicker to leave something behind for someone else.

To think about: In your work or spending this week, where could you leave something behind for someone who has less?