Amen, so Deuteronomy 15 the Bible reads there in verse 1 at the end of every seven years
Thou shalt make a release and this is the manner of the release
Every creditor that lendeth ought to his neighbor shall release it
He shall not exact it of his neighbor or of his brother
Because it is called the Lord's release of her foreigner thou mayest exact it again
But that which is thine that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release
So this was a law that God had in the Old Testament
where that every seven years if you were indebted to somebody of course
this is within the tribe the tribes of Israel a nation of Israel that you were going to be set free from that debt and
that that God did not want to have people just be in this perpetual state of
indebtedness to other people and
We're gonna see here, you know that that debt first of all is a form of bondage
You say why is this so important to God?
I thought people got very rich making, you know by lending and putting others in debt and that's very true
I mean you have to just go look at any you know city skyline that is of any size
And you're gonna see a lot of tall buildings and a lot of them are gonna be owned by banks, you know
And they got that way by a lot of you know lending
But God's system, you know
He does not want people held in debt because debt is a form of bondage
And if you would keep something in Deuteronomy go over to Proverbs chapter 6 go over to Proverbs chapter 6
Bible says in Proverbs 22
The rich rule it over the poor and the borrower is servant to the lender
The borrower is servant to the lender, but it's saying there is that if you owe somebody some money
You know you you are servant to them that they are going to have you know
You know a foothold in your life, and that's very true
You know think about you know, try to not try not paying the credit card bills and see what happens try not paying
You know, we really call it a let loaning
Although it kind of is a form when we talk about income tax. It's an involuntary loan to the government
You know, they're gonna say hey, you're gonna lend this money
We might pay it back at the end of the year
Right try not paying that and see how quickly they don't come along and garnish your wages or even throw you in jail
Because you become servant to the lender now
This is also a principle that's biblical as well
That a person who is indebted is to become a servant to the one whom they owe that was another way out of the
Debt that they would actually begin to work for that person. They would have to work off their debt
so we'll get in that here in a minute, but
What I want us to see first of all is why is this so important to God that every seven years?
Everyone's released from this debt is because debt is a form of bondage and if we're in debt
You know, we should work very hard to get out of debt as soon as possible
You know because that's that you know
Your income is a very powerful tool to do things in your life
And if you're constantly shelling out all this money and interest every month
You know year after year after year that's a lot of wasted money and you have nothing to show for it
Really except for maybe some, you know cheap gifts or something or whatever you got with the Amazon card or the chase card
Or you know, maybe you were like me when I got into serious debt and just spend it all on food, right?
You know, you know, I guess I do have something to show for that
But it's not really something you really want to show right?
But if you're in debt, you should work to get out of debt, you know, you should work hard
That's what we see in Proverbs 6 or I have you look there in verse warrant says my son if thou be sure
T for thy friend if thou is stricken thy hand with a stranger thou art snared with the words of thy mouth thou art taken with
The words of thy mouth do this now my son and deliver thyself
When thou art coming to the hand of thy friend go humble thyself and make sure thy friend
Give not sleep to thine eyes nor slumber to the eyelids
Deliver thyself as a row from the hand of the hunter and as a bird from the hand of the fowler
Go to the ant thou sluggard
Consider her ways and be wise
Which having no guide overseer ruler provided for meat and summertime in the summer and gather at their food in the harvest
How long without sleep Oh sluggard when wilt thou rise out of thy sleep yet?
A little sleep a little slumber a little folding of the hands
So shall thy poverty come as one that travaileth and they want as an armed man the Bible is teaching us here
Look if we've stricken hands if we've been surety, you know if we've said hey
We're gonna you know, I'd be kind of like a cosigner on a loan that you need to deliver yourself from that
You should not be indebted to other people and he likes it onto, you know, a deer escaping a hunter
Because that's what that's that's the the imagery that he's using there
That's what we need to look at it like but that these lenders are not just out to make some money
They mean they want everything they can get you know, what's what's the percentage rate to cap you out?
24.99, you know that they passed a law years ago that predatory lending right? It's like you could only charge so much interest
Well, they they send you that credit card. They want it as high as they can
They want to get every bit of it out of the out of you as they can
And he's saying look if you're in that position if you've stricken hands if you've been surety, you know
You need to deliver yourself. You need to not give rest to your eyes
You know another one way to do that to interpret this, you know and apply to your life today
Would be maybe it's time to get that second job and pay off that debt
Maybe it's time to put in an extra 10 20 hours at work and get that debt paid off
Maybe go through a season of hardship and difficulty where you're not around as much and but you know
What you're not you're not might not be as home as much but you know what you're gonna pay off some debt
And you're gonna get your you're gonna deliver yourself from this bondage that you're in
Now, of course, there is an exception here in Deuteronomy and you can go ahead and turn back there
He says look there's there's one exception. You're gonna release everybody from their indebtedness unless this exception
There's one exception to that save when there shall be no poor among you
So he's saying look if everybody's doing well if everybody's wealthy and you're and you want to land then go ahead and do it
But he's saying save when there shall be no poor among you for the Lord shall greatly bless thee in the land
Which the Lord thy God giveth thee for inheritance to possess it. So God's fully anticipating God saying look
It's perfectly possible that I'm gonna bless you so much in this land that you're going to inherit
That there won't even be any poor among you that there won't even be a need to release people every seven years
And now that was now I believe this was a very rare exception. In fact, I don't think this ever happened
And I believe that's because of the stipulations that that is attached in verse 5
He says only if thou harken unto the voice of the Lord of thy Lord thy God
To observe to do all these commandments which I command in this day
so the only way that was ever going to happen that they were going to have all this abundance and and
Blessing and wealth so that there weren't even any poor in the land is if they carefully
Excuse me carefully harken under the voice of the Lord their God
Which we know if we've read the story they did not do in fact
They don't they didn't observe many of the Sabbaths and God ends up having to punish them later and take them out of the land
And leave it lay desolate. So that was a rare exception
There was of course the possibility that if everybody's doing great
Hey, there is no need for release, you know when there is no poor among you
But the only way there was ever going to be any poor no poor among them is if they carefully
Harkened unto the Lord their God which they did not do
So I don't believe there was ever a time in their history where there was no poor among them that there was always poor
Among them. I mean we'll recall what Jesus noted the New Testament. You have though you have the poor with you always
You know that was the case then and even here in this chapter in verse 11
If you look there verse 11 you get out you get a hint of that as well that God's kind of already
Anticipating the fact that they were always going to have these poor people with them
Look at verse 11 for the poor shall never cease out of the land
So here in verse 5 he's saying look or verse 4 he's saying look if there's no poor among you
There's no need for release then a verse verse 11, but the poor will never cease out of land
Why because they are not going to carefully harken of the Lord their God like they were supposed to and God foreknew this
He goes on in verse 6 and says
For the Lord God thy God blesseth thee as he promised and thou shalt lend unto many nations
But thou shalt not borrow now shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee
What this is showing us is that people who are lending money are powerful. It's a it's a sign of influence and power
and that's you know, that's why God doesn't want that to be the case for them that because again the
Servant or the the the borrower is servant to the lender it applies to individuals and even nations
He says in verse 7 if there be among you a poor
Poor man of one of thy brethren within thy gates in thy land which Lord thy God giveth thee
Thou shalt not harden thine heart nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother
But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him and shall certainly lend him sufficient for his need and that which he wanteth
Okay, so God is not about you can see God's care for the poor here that God cares about poor people
He doesn't he wants to help people who are suffering
financially and with other needs
Now it says here that they were not to harden their heart or shut up their hand
From and he were they were to open wide their hand and lend unto them that was
Sufficient for his need and that which he wanteth. Of course wanteth is not talking about
You know, whatever the guy wants it's talking about what he's lacking wanteth is just another word for what he lacks
You know, he's working. He's put in the work, but he's coming up short
You know, we've probably all been there
You know, there's just sometimes you know, it's it we're doing everything we can
But that bill comes due that we weren't expecting
And it's got to get paid. There's we're wanting something. There's something lacking we have need, right?
So they were saying look don't don't harden your heart, you know open your hand wide
But he's not saying give he's saying give as they need
He's not saying give to every lazy bum give to every jerk who asks of you
That's not what he's saying here give to every able bodied individual who could easily go out and get you know
A low-paying job and start to pull himself up out of the gutter
Give to that guy, you know, if we were to give that guy what he what was sufficient for his need
It'd be a swift kick in the pants. That's what we would give him. I mean we give him a stronger brook
Hey go get a job bum
Quit being quit sitting around on the corner like a lazy jerk and quit making a mess everywhere and go get a job
That would be what he needs
Well, we don't want to go to that extreme to where like every single person whoever has a need is just some lazy jerk because that's
Not always the case, you know, if we have a brother who has a real need, you know
It has a real and they've fallen on hard times, you know, maybe it's a medical emergency some unforeseen expense
You know life life does that
You know
We should be willing to step in and help and give as we are able and to help them
Make up that which is wanting
You know, I I know for myself I've fallen on such hard times like that
I remember years ago when we first moved here, you know
We're working hard trying to do everything can and something came up and we were gonna come up short on the rent
And I had to go to somebody and I had to borrow some of the money and I said look
I don't have it right now. I'm gonna have it in a few weeks
It's just the timing with the paycheck and everything and and it's not because I'm not working
It's not because you know, we're you know, wasting our money on frivolous things
It's just it's just that's the way life goes. Sometimes you're starting out trying to in a new career
It's low paying, you know all these, you know, so on and so forth things happen life happens
And I had to go this person saying hey, you know, I kind of borrow some money and you know what?
They lent me that money and I paid it back in a few weeks, you know that I was able to pay him back
you know and
If that were ever happened again, you know when things get tight
Sometimes we just need to work more, you know, sometimes you see to go out and get after it
But I want to point out something your God's not talking about just giving them money and never you know
And and not and not expecting it back. I mean, that's a good thing to do
You should be able to do in fact the person I borrowed that money from was so generous
I went to pay him back. They said what's this for?
I said I borrowed that money from it was like hundreds of dollars and like I borrowed that from you a few weeks ago
Oh, yeah, that's right. And that's how Willie how generous this person was that they just gave this money and totally forgot about it
But we should pay that money back when we are able
And that's kind of what God is saying here
You know the release the point of the release was maybe people just get to a point where they can never pay it back where it's just
It's just not going to happen
It's a bondage and you know
I've been indebted to people and and not been able to pay it back for a while and finally they just came and said
You know what? I think we'll just forget about the money
You know, and I've worked hard since then and I ever be in that position again
Of course, that was a long time ago, but that kind of thing happens, you know, but the point being is that God wants
the money to be paid back and
The Bible says in Psalm 37, it says the wicked borroweth and payeth not again
It says the wicked borroweth and payeth not again
So Bible says it's a wicked thing to borrow money because it borrow that's what that infers, right?
You know if you were to lend me something I were to borrow it you're expecting it back
Right. So if I borrow and I pay it not again the Bible says that is wicked to not pay it back
You know, and I heard somebody recently say well that just that just means that well that's only something the wicked do
The only wicked people do that like it, you know, that's for unsaved people
It's like no what that's saying is that's wicked to do
Not that it's only the wicked that do that that only applies to unsaved people like what do you what?
The unsaved people can be wicked or save people can be wicked, you know, save people can still do rotten things, you know
They still have the flesh
They can still get into sin they can still make mistakes
So not saying only the wicked it's not saying that only the wicked do this
But rather that this is a wicked thing to do to borrow money from somebody with no intention of paying it back
And you know this this would apply, you know to us if we were thinking well
I've got all this credit card debt, but you know what?
I'm not gonna pay it back
People do that people go out and they rack up all these thousands of dollars in credit card debt and just say I forget it
I'm not gonna pay it back
Bible says that's a wicked attitude, you know, it's a wicked thing to do to spend other people's money
You know and whether you want to say well, it's wrong for them to charge all that interest and this and that
It's like yeah, but you sign the paper, but you you knew how it worked when you started
you know sliding that plastic through the machine and
It's a wicked thing if we're just gonna borrow things from people and with no intention ever paying it back
Now maybe you know, we borrow something we borrow money from somebody we have every intention of paying it back
But it just seems like we can never get there we can never get traction, you know
That's what the seven years was for
To where the people could just be released and get back on their feet and start over again
But again, it's not just you know lending to every bum that needs it. It's for people who are really
You know in you know
Falling on hard times look here in verse 9 move on it says here
But where that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart
Saying the seventh year the year of the release is at hand and thy eye be evil against thy poor brother
And thou givest him not and he cry in the Lord against thee and it be sin unto thee
So he's saying look, you know, if it's like hey the seventh the year of release is, you know
Six months away and you come to me and be like, hey, I need to borrow a thousand bucks to get
You know this this rent paid or whatever it is, you know, you want to borrow something. I'm like, yeah
Well, you know, I know if you don't pay it off within six months, then I have to let it go
So, you know what? No, you know and I heart what would be that'd be me heart
If you know if I knew I had more time that you were gonna be able to pay me back
Before you just got off scot-free or whatever
you know
He's saying look don't have that attitude don't be this person that's gonna get all stingy because you know
That your release is right around the corner
You know
You should be willing to help your brother out why because it's the right thing to do
To help somebody out who has a genuine need that's the right thing to do and not to harden our heart not to
Be and then let it not grieve us, you know, here you go even giving it grudgingly
Well, I guess I have to you know, we should be willing
We should be thankful that God has given
Us the blessing and that we're God has put us in such a position that we can even be a blessing on other people
You know God is the one who's given us power to get wealth
You know if we have extra and we can be liberal with it and help other people out
You know, we should be glad we should be thankful that we can buy it
Jesus said is blessed it is more blessed to give than to receive
That's a crit. That's a Christian virtue to be able to be generous
You know generosity
Is a Christian virtue look there verse 10
He says thou shalt surely give him and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou giveth unto him
Because for that this for this that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works
And all that thou put ist thine hand to do so
It's kind of a cat, you know, he's saying look if you lend and you do it with the right heart
You know, I'll bless you for it
You know that that and when someone comes to you and has a need you should should not be like oh great now
I got to help this this guy out where I'm gonna be out of thought you should think here's an opportunity
For me for God to bless me for me to help a brother out and that God's gonna see it and I'm doing that a
right motive, you know what and I know God's gonna bless me and
It might not be today or the next day, but you know, if we cast our bread upon the waters
You know, it will receive it again after many days the Bible says
So we should be willing to do that
Go over to Luke chapter 6 Luke chapter 6 because generosity is a Christian virtue
We should be very generous people
We should be willing to give and to and to do it willingly and not grudgingly. It shouldn't grieve us at our heart
the Bible said you're going to Luke 6 it says in Exodus 22 if thou lend money to any of my people that is
Poor by thee there shall not be to him and usurer neither shalt thou lay upon him usury
That's interest saying look if you're gonna lend to the poor don't charge interest. It's a wicked thing to charge interest
And you should never lend to a brother in Christ and charge him interest
Ever at any time if thou take if thou at all
Take thy neighbors raiment to pledge thou shalt deliver it unto him by the time by that the Sun goeth down
He's like, you know
He says hey, I need to borrow this will give me your coat that I so I know you'll come back and pay me
Or bring that back God's saying you better not keep that coat before the Sun goes down
You don't even get to have it for a day. You don't even get to have it for 12 hours
You better take that coat back and give it to him and not take it as a pledge
He said for that is his covering
Only it is his raiment for his skin wherein shall he sleep and shall come to pass when he crieth unto me
That I will hear for I am gracious
You know God is the one who eventually who hears about it when the when the poor cry
When the people were being oppressed because of you know, you know financial situation was taking advantage of their of their poverty
You know God notices that God will hear it. You're there in Luke chapter 6 look at verse 35
He says but love be your enemies and do good and land
Hoping for nothing again, you know, even your enemies we should Jesus saying look you should land
Hoping nothing and get for nothing again. Say I'm gonna give this to you and I don't expect anything in return
That's the attitude we're supposed to have and you know, that's that's not always the easiest attitude to have visit
Sometimes we get pretty attached to our things we get pretty attached to stuff that's in our in our wallet
You know we get attached to our money
But he's saying here look you should be willing to just kiss it all. Goodbye
You just say here take it hoping for nothing again land hoping for nothing again and your reward shall be great
It's not just like, you know
God's gonna not God's gonna notice that and he's gonna reward you for it and he shall be children of the highest
For he is kind under the unthankful and to the evil, you know, that's if you'd have that kind of an attitude
You would be the children of the highest. What does that mean?
You mean you'd be you would be emulating our Father which is in heaven
You it would be a godlike thing to do and you think about that's very true
I mean for harsh that he became poor for our sakes that we might be made rich through him
You know Jesus, you know, he left all heaven. He left all his glory and came down here and condescended to man
He didn't have to do it. He didn't owe us that you know, he lent his own life
He spread, you know spilled his own blood for us
Expecting nothing again in return. He just did what he needed to do and
That's something, you know, God is very gracious you think about a god is very generous, you know
God is very gracious towards us if we do that if we have that same attitude, you know, that's us displaying that same
Attribute that's us, you know being the children of the highest. That's how people are gonna know
That's how our righteousness is gonna shine before men
He says given verse 38 give and it shall be given unto you
You know, it just might not be that person you gave it to that gives it to you
Maybe God will open up another Avenue. Maybe your business will be blessed. Maybe you'll get a raise, you know
Maybe you'll fall in hard times and somebody will be there to help you out
Good measure pressed down and shaken together and running over shall men give into your bosom
For with the same measure that you meet with all it shall be measured to you again
That's a very important principle to keep in mind, you know
And it makes me think a lot about our church faithful word Baptist Church
You know, we have the opportunity to do a lot of great works for God that a lot of other churches don't you know
We we're very blessed
We have enough resources that we can rent this building and buy nice new chairs and you know
Pay a guy to come down here and preach and you know and our pastor, you know
He can he can devote himself full-time the ministry and we can do it
You know
We can expand the building and we can paint nice murals and we can paint print tracks and buy bibles and print
Make DVDs and hand them out and go on all kinds of mission trips all that cat costs money
You know and so that and it cost a lot of money. We add it all up, you know
And why is it that faithful word always has seems to have enough that there's never we've never been lacking
We've never been in debt. We've always been able to do these things
It's because because the faithful word Baptist Church is a church that gives
It's not just gonna pile up in the in the coffers
The money that comes in goes right back out into the work of God and God knows that and I believe that's why he opens
Up the fountains of heaven or the windows of heaven upon us and that's why he gives back into our bosom
Because we give unto others, you know through the preaching of the gospel and through the distributing of materials and so on and so forth
If you would turn over to James chapter 2 James chapter 2
You're going to James chapter 2 the Bible says in Leviticus 25 and if thy brothers be waxed and poor and fall in decay with thee
Then thou shalt relieve him. Yea, though he be a stranger or sojourner
That he may live with thee
Take thou no usury of him or increase but fear thy God that thy brother may live with thee
Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury nor lend him thy victuals for increase
God's you know, you could see over and again. He's against this taking advantage of people's poverty and need
Look there in James chapter 2 verse 15 if a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, right?
You know, that's that's that's a really poor person
I don't think we any of us even in this room even knows what it even means to be poor
Most people in America will never even come close to this
You know even in what we would consider some of the most poorest areas in the world. They still have like shelter
They still have you know food. They still have clothing
I mean and that's what those are the things that God promised us by the way
Those are the things that he's he knows our needful that he will give to us is
Our food and our clothing and our food and our rain it that's what God promised us
and nothing more but
You know, he's saying here if thy brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food of daily food
He's not saying, you know
If they be standing on the street corner with a science as anything helps while smoking a cigarette and checking their cell phone
That's not destitute. That's not poor. That's lazy. There's a huge difference
I know I kind of go off but every chance I get I'm gonna these guys drive me nuts
Because they always ask me, you know, and I've talked about this before it just must be something on my face
They just say here comes the sucker, you know, and they say let's ask this guy
I'm like, what do I look that I'm trying to grow the beard back. So I look a little meaner, you know
Don't ask me for nothing, you know
But you know, that's that's what true
Being destitute truly is that's the kind of poverty we're talking about here. Look I don't have clothes to wear
I mean my clothes are wearing out
I don't have anything, you know, especially back then we didn't just you didn't just go down to you know
Ross dress for less or the goodwill or something like that and spend a few bucks and pick up a bunch of clothes
Back then everything was made, you know
It was much more difficult and much more expensive to get good durable clothing and he says in destitute of daily food
You know, they don't have anything to eat
And then he goes in verse 16 and one of you saying a depart in peace be warmed and filled
You know, he's not saying look it's not enough to just say well god bless you
You know you come with me they come out and through their threadbare jeans and they pull out their pockets
Like I haven't eaten in days. Oh god bless you
You know god bless you be warmed and filled. No, he's saying look that's the that's the time for you to step up
and reach into your own pocket and put some clothes on their back and buy them a bag of groceries and
Do the give them those things which are needful for the body
Otherwise, what does it profit? I mean, how is that a Christian virtue?
I mean you can say god bless you all you all you want
But if you're not giving them those things that they need
Then it's not really a virtue at all
It's just you sounding spiritual go over to Matthew chapter 6, you know
Generosity is a Christian value. You should be willing to give
Ecclesiastes chapter 11 the Bible says
Cast thy bread upon the waters for thou shalt find it after many days
Give it a portion of seven and also to eight for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth
You're saying look a good reason for you to give is because you never know when it's gonna come time where you have need
You know might come back around to where it's like it might be you who's daily who destitute of daily food and
That's why Jesus says here in Matthew 6 if you're there look at verse 12 and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
You can apply this to generosity giving forgiveness
You know, you might be the one who needs somebody to forgive you one day
You might be the one who's the need of somebody to help you out financially or whatever it is one day
You know Jesus to do one to others that do one a minute you would have that to do one to you
That ought to be the attitude that we have
So when we're you know, when we're given an opportunity to help somebody, you know, maybe we should stop and think well
What if I were in their position? What would I want somebody to do for me?
You know, we should we should consider that before we speak or make our decision and
I think that would that would help us to you know
Stay out of hot water and make sure that when that time does come that you know
We're gonna be taken care of as well
the Bible says in Psalm 18 I'll read to you with the merciful that will show thyself merciful and
With an upright man that will show thyself upright
With the pure that will show thyself pure and with the froward that will show thyself forward
You know forward is not a good thing. That's a bad thing
But what it's showing us there is that God is going to behave toward us the same way. We behave toward other people
The way we treat other people that's how God's gonna treat us
You know, so when it comes to you know, our brothers and sisters in Christ
We got to be very careful how we treat them that we treat them
well that we you know be willing to give them and help them as needed because God takes notice of all that and
He's saying look I'll show myself forward the forward and I'll show myself up right with the upright
So that's something that you know, we don't want to be selfish greedy people
And if you would go back to Deuteronomy where you were actually keep something in Matthew 6. I'm sorry keep something in Matthew 6
No, I don't know if you notice there in verses 7 through 10
I'll read to you in Deuteronomy if you're there you can look at it as well
But how often the heart is what's mentioned, you know, that's the real problem. That's where this all stands from
He says if there be a poor man and one of thy brethren within thy gates in thy land
Which the Lord thy God giveth thee thou shalt not harden thine heart, right?
He said the beware lest there be a thought in thy wicked heart
He said thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him
so the problem when people getting greedy and
Selfish and unwilling to lend and to help is a heart problem. You know, it's something that's wrong with their heart and
Look there in Matthew chapter 6 verse 19 Matthew chapter 6 verse 19
Jesus said lay not out yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven
Where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal for where your treasure is
There will your heart be also
You wonder you know, why is it some people just don't want to serve God like other people?
It's because their heart isn't there because their treasure is in other things. It's on earthly things
Whether it's jobs or money or possessions or vacations or you know, I'm not saying there's wrong anything wrong with those things
They all have their their time and place
But where are you laying up your treasure? Where what are you investing in? Is it in heavenly things?
Is that a heavenly reward or is it just gay?
you know being a gaining things here and gaining things on the earth that are just gonna the Bible says
Rust and
Grow old and decay and someone might even break through and steal them, you know
I'm putting all my money in the in the stock market
Well, make sure you're not investing in some pond, you know, but Bernie Madoff isn't getting your cash, you know
And he's just you're gonna have anything to show for it, you know
You could have invested that money in God's work and and God would have blessed you for it
So when we see a brother or sister or somebody come along who's truly in need and truly
You know destitute and and really and I'm falling on hard times that's an opportunity for us to help them and
and for God to
To bless us for doing so
It's a way to ensure that when our turn comes if and when it comes
That someone will be there for us that God is going to make sure that he'll take care of us when we fall
On hard times. It's an opportunity for us to lay up treasures in heaven where there'll be a great reward
You know, maybe you won't get all that, you know Lord
I've been helping all these people out, you know all these years and I've never seems to come back to me
Well, maybe it's in heaven, you know, I'll take that reward. That's eternal. That's gonna last
Now if you would turn back to Deuteronomy Deuteronomy chapter 15
Now he's saying here look we're gonna have plenty of opportunity to do all this
Because of the fact it says in verse 11 for the poor shall never cease out of the land
Therefore I command thee saying thou shalt open thine hand wide and thy brother
Do they pour into thy needy in thy land?
And if thy brother and Hebrew man or Hebrew woman be sold unto thee and
Serve these six years that in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee
So, you know, that's that's these are some verses. This is where it gets a little more interesting here
Like this is a new concept. It's not something we practice in modern-day America
And let me just come out and say this this is not slavery
Okay, this is not someone being you know, taken captive against their will
You know and brought to a strange land or whatever and forced into labor
You know without and being oppressed if that's not what this is. This is more of an indentured servitude, you know
It's a it's binding someone by you know as an apprentice or a laborer, you know, so they can work off debt and
I'll just you know, the people they hear this thing. Oh, well, I don't know about that. I mean
Well, that's what the Bible says
The Bible says every word of God is pure and that his ways are above our ways and God knows better than we do
Okay, and and it's just maybe we it rubs us the wrong way just because it's a new concept to think that hey if we can't
Pay this back. It might just we might just have to go work for that person and work off the debt
We might actually have to be sold onto another person to work these things, you know
Sell ourselves into labor to work off dead. I mean, that's what it's teaching here
Now this is a and this is a better system than what we have. Okay
Because in this system that God sets up
The lender right the person who lent the money or what we might consider the victim of the crime, you know
The person who's not going to get their money back because of whatever reason they are the one that is profited
You know and they're guaranteed a profit, you know
Just because you take someone to a modern-day court of law and sue them for money
That doesn't that's no guarantee. You're gonna get that money
Just say well, I don't have it. No, there's just nothing to take. How are you gonna get paid? You're not
At least in this system you're getting something for your money. They're gonna come work for me
You know and with with four kids in the house, you know, and my wife's busy. Am I busy?
You know, we could use some help around there, you know, we could put some people to work, right?
We could we could we could do that. Of course, we'd have to have money to lend begin with but so that's another story
but
In this system of God's at least a person who's been offended the person who's been
Taking advantage of or whatever you want to call it. The victim is is actually going to get restitution
The Bible says in Exodus 22 if a thief being found breaking up and be smitten that he died
They shall no shut blood be shed for him
If the son be risen upon him, there shall be bloodshed for him. So this is kind of a side note
It's going somewhere
But just real quickly the Bible is teaching here that you just can't shoot somebody comes to your house in the daytime
It's saying if the son be risen upon him
There shall be bloodshed for him
Meaning, you know if you see something because here's the thing if they're coming into your house and I've heard stories about this
People breaking into someone's house during the daytime not knowing the person was home
And then that person, you know, the thief being this close to being killed or severely hurt without even knowing it
You know, they turn around there's a gun pointed at him or there's some guy holding a golf club ready to take their head
Off, you know, I've heard as these kind of stories the Bible saying that would not be the right thing to do
Someone breaks into your house and this is an important thing because I think a lot of people and you know in the gun culture and
Things like that. Some people get an attitude that they're just they're just itching to plug somebody and I've run into guys like that
They think well, I hope somebody comes on my yard tries to take my whatever, you know
They'll get a lead salad if they come around here
Well Bible says if you do that during the day that blood shall be shed for that thief and guess whose blood he's referring to
Yours, you know and and you see these signs on people put up forget the dog beware of the owner
It's got a gun pointing at you, you know, it's like that's that's not a good attitude to have that's not biblical
You know and some people anyway, I'm I'm not gonna go off
But he's saying look, but if the son it be not risen upon him then it's justified
You know, you're breaking in my house in the dark in the middle of the night. I don't know what you're there for
You know bad bad intentions. I'm gonna assume you're there to do the worst things
So you're going down and that point Bible says a okay
Right
The verse 4 he says if the theft be certainly found in his hand alive
The guy makes it out right he gets out of there. He doesn't take the the 9-iron to the head
You know, he gets out he has it and then he's later caught
He says whether it be ox or ass or sheep. He shall restore double, you know
He didn't say he shall go before the magistrate and be sentenced to you know, whatever amount of time in jail
You know, he's gonna get the minimal minimum penalty or whatever
He's gonna spend years in prison
That doesn't profit anybody except the prison system
Nobody makes any how does that help the victim?
Like oh, you know, maybe he gets his ox or his ass restored, but the Bible says he shall restore double
At that point. I almost want people to steal from me
If I knew I was gonna get double twice amount back
You know, maybe I'd go out there and kind of leave that ox kind of a little bit too close to the open fence
You know no leash on it. Just you know
Trying to get a second ox out of the deal
Right, but wouldn't you rather have that? I mean if somebody came and stole your car
And they said hey, we can either send this person to jail or we can give you another car
What would you take? I'd say give me that car right who wouldn't
Now this could also take the form of I believe like a garnishing of wages
You know if someone steals or they fail to pay back, you know, you could you could even you know
Send them to work for somebody else and then you know part of their wages like because let's say
You know, maybe I don't have the work for them to do. I don't even need like they're gonna
Oh, I'm gonna come work for you. Well, I got everything covered. I don't need you
You know, you owe me money or whatever and and you say well, I'll work it off
Well, I don't have any work for you to do
Well at that point I could send you to go to work for somebody and get part of your wages
Like a wage garnishment, that would be another thing that could take place in the system
Look at verse 13. He says
Now send us him out free thou shalt not let him go away empty
So it wasn't just that you know, this guy was going to work for six years and then have nothing to show for it
you know he won he's gonna work off the debt the money that he owed or maybe something that he stole or whatever and
Then he when he gets sent out when the year when he when he's set free after six years
And he's not gonna go away empty-handed
He's saying you should not let him go empty thou verse 14 thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock
Not just give him some meager little parting gift, you know, thanks for coming. There's a participation trophy or you know a consolation prize
Say no, you're gonna load him up. You're gonna furnish him liberally out of thy flock
and out of thy floor and out of thy winepress of
That wherewith the Lord thy God shall bless thee thou shalt give unto him
so
You know this guy wasn't gonna leave and have nothing to show for it
He was gonna have some things he was gonna be
Because think about it and this is perfect
You know if you if you this guy let's say someone has to work off the debt that they owe you
Right, they're sold unto you and you put him to work in the field or whatever. Okay, and then it's time for them
They've worked it off. It's time for them to go and
Now they go away with nothing
They're right back in the same position where they started having to go borrow money again
See how it's just a vicious cycle. So he's saying look you're gonna get you're gonna get restitution
Fact you're gonna get more than that. We'll see this in a minute. You're gonna even get more than just the money paid back and
Anyway, and then you're gonna furnish him
So now he can start off on the right foot and get out of this vicious cycle of lending and serving and lending and serving
He says there in verse 15 and thou shalt remember that thou wast upon man in the land of Egypt and the Lord thy
God redeemed thee therefore I command thee this thing today
He's saying look why are you gonna do all this because if I hadn't redeemed you you'd still be doing back-breaking labor as a slave in
Egypt and
You know, there's no sense in making life harder than it needs to be for people
You know, we don't not everyone needs to be on easy street
But you know there need God's very reasonable saying look let him work off the debt and then let him start out on life
Right, you know, let him get off to a new foot a new a new lease on life
You know and this just this whole thing just goes to show us, you know
Generosity the giving
You know sending away the the the laborer not sending away empty-handed
That you know our goal in life should not to see how to be how stingy we could be
That we shouldn't just move through life trying to squeeze blood out of a rock as the saying goes
You know that we should be very open-handed people that we should be willing to just give
You know that generosity really that that is something that should define us as Christians
Look here in verse 16
It says and it should be if they say into thee I will not go away from thee because he loveth thee in thine house
Because he is well with thee so it might be this guy comes in to work off some debt and say hey
You know what? I love living here. I love working for you
I just want to stay and he says and if you agree to that great then he can stay and
Then thou shalt take an all which is like that sharp pointy. It's like a punch basically
Now shall take an all and thrust it through his ear now
It's not talking about through his ear. It's not like through his ear. Okay, we'll make that clear in case you ever have to do this
You know, you don't need any lobotomies going on. So you thrust it through his ear probably the lobe
You know the the part with the least amount of nerves in it and he shall be thy servant forever
So another stipulation here, he's not saying put the all in and leave it there
He shall be thy servant forever nailed the all anyway, you got to pull the all back out
Right, and he's still your servant
He says it shall not seem
hard under the verse 18
He says, uh, let me back up verse 17 thou shall take an all and thrust it through his ear into the door
And he shall be thy servant forever and also under thy maidservant shall thou do likewise
So maybe it's you know, a lady who gets in this position and she wants to say same deal
It shall not seem hard under thee when he's when thou sendest him away from thee
So maybe the guy does want to go he doesn't want to stick around it's time for you to send him away
He's saying look don't don't make that think that it's a hard thing for you
Don't get all bitter about it. Don't get all you know, don't get up don't get to poochy lip, right?
You know don't get all sad-faced
You know, it should not be hard unto thee, you know, you should be well, it should be a good thing
That's a day of rejoicing. Hey, this guy's worked off his debt. I profited it
He says why should it not be hard for you? Well, look it reads there it says
For he hath been worth a double hired servant to thee in
Serving thee six years and the Lord thy God shall bless thee and all that thou doest
Now I read that I love that's why I love the Bible because God he says things and he lets you figure it out
You know, God doesn't just say everything cut and dry, you know, what is so what does he you know?
He says things it puts us in the Bible
That we actually have to stop and think about how that what he means by that
Right, and this is one of them where he says that he hath been worth a double hired servant unto thee
So how is that how is that that this guy who is in debt to me?
Comes and works off my works off his debt and then I send him away
How is that guy worth and he's saying basically worth having hired two people, right?
well
It's got how is he saying?
Well, it's kind of saying well
It's kind of been like you got a two-for-one special when that guy came to work for you and work off his debt
Well, if you think about it, and this is kind of how I reasoned it. Hopefully it makes sense
You know, hopefully I'm right about this. He says if they paid you the debt, you know that basically look at this way
You know you paid they paid you debt
That you would have spent on somebody else's labor, right
So if I'm if I'm if I own a field or whatever
I have a business and a guy owes me money and
He comes to work off that debt and I put him to work in my business
You know, he's doing work that I would have paid somebody else
Right. So if let's say he's in debt to me and he pays me that money
Well, I just have to turn on give that money to somebody else to do the same work. He's gonna do
So he's saying he's worth double because not only is he paying back the money in the form of labor
But you're also profiting from his labor. That's why people hire other people to make them money
You know, that's that's that's a good motto to have on the job. By the way, I'm here to make the company money
You know bosses don't hire people because you know, they just feel bad for you or something. You're there to make the money
Right, and that's the attitude we had to have so this guy comes to you. He's indebted to you
You're gonna put him to work and he's gonna work the debt off
In a position that you otherwise would have paid wages for and now he's working off not only the debt
But he's also making you money. So hopefully that make that's how I understand it. Why is how is he worth double?
Because you know, you're not paying for labor that you otherwise would have paid for and you're still making money on top of that
You know, he's profiting you
So he goes on in verse 19
He says all the first thing males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto Lord thy God
Thou shalt do no work with the first thing of thy bullock nor shear the firstling of thy sheep
So, you know this kind of it kind of shifts gears here real quick
it goes from talking about the poor and people working off their debt and at the very end here he kind of mentions this that
You know any of the herd of the flock all the first thing of the males, you know
They're they are holy unto the Lord their God their gods and if you think about it here
He says that they shall don't do no work with the first firstlings of thy bullocks because they you know
Wasn't like that Bullock was born and then they just immediately sacrificed on the Lord, you know
They would wait, you know
and they would usually go like every three years and they would take their tithe with them as we read last week and
They would sacrifice and they would give
And he's saying look so that that all the time you have that Bullock
He's not to do any work. He's like the kopi beef, right?
The cows that are suspended and get massaged every day
So they're nice and tender, but he's not to do any work at all
And but really what is that why is that because it's symbolic of Christ
You know that because it because it won because it belongs to God you shouldn't be using that which belongs to God
You know for yourself that that's God's just because you have to hang on to him until the time comes to go and sacrifice
them
You know, it doesn't mean you get to use them
But I think it's also symbolic of the fact that salvation is by grace and not of works
He's showing look, you know, there's no you have to be working
With this animal
He says thou shalt eat it before the Lord thy God year by year in the place
Which the Lord shall choose and thou in thy household if there be any blemish therein
And if they'd be lame or blind or have any ill blemish thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the Lord thy God
You know elsewhere he tells you to replace it with another one
So again, this is just more symbology of Christ
You know, this is symbolic of the fact that Jesus Christ was perfect that he was holy that he was God and he was divine
You know, and that's a first Peter chapter 1 you see that
reiterated where he says
For as much as you know
You're not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers
Well with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot
So these are just you know, these rules are in place because these animals are symbolic of Christ
That you know, it was a picture now, of course sacrificing those animals is not what saved them
They understood that you know, they were always saved by faith
They just understood that this is a picture of what God is going to do in the future
He says in verse 22 thou shalt eat it within thine gates
The unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike as the row book and as a heart
Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof
Thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water again because the blood is what sanctifies us, you know
It's it's symbolic that it was to be poured out like Christ's blood was poured out for us
So it's an interesting chapter, you know it, you know parts of it might in our modern society you might say well that's archaic
That's barbaric
But it's better. It's it's frankly better that you know, because in God's system the people who have been offended are the ones that are
Restitution is made to it doesn't go into some system, you know and people we see that people are able to you know
Make their amends with individuals and society and move on with their life
Then it's not just hung over their head for the rest of their life
so God's system is better because of these things that people are getting paid back and
They're able people are able to make things right once and for all and move on with their lives
And the other thing is to you think about if we actually put this system into practice, you know, people would probably
Likely, I would hope work harder to stay out of debt
If you knew that there's a possibility if I don't am not able to pay this back
I could end up working for this individual
I could end up having to go live in their household in some quarters somewhere
You know eat at their table and working in their field, you know
You'd probably be a little more careful before you you know, sign that contract or whatever, you know ask for that loan
And you probably work harder to pay for things with cash or stay out of debt
You know if bankruptcy wasn't an option, you know, we could just say well I just claimed bankruptcy
You know, that's what people do today. They get it they get it in over their head
Well bankrupt, you know, and not that there aren't that doesn't make things difficult
But you know that it's kind of like a get-out-of-jail-free card and the person the true victim in the whole thing
You know, it's not the person who went into debt. It's the person who's out all the money, you know
They are the ones getting restored
Well, you know really the overarching kind of theme here in this this this chapter that we can learn from this
Is that we need to be generous people and that's what got and not have evil wicked hardened hearts
when it comes time for us to help another person out help a brother and sister in
Christ that we should not be doing these things grudgingly that we should you know that there's a reward for it
You know that in that we're laying up
treasures in heaven that God is gonna take care of us when our turn comes to be in need and
That God notices all these things, you know, we should be willing to help those in need
Just as God was willing to you know, help us
Freely to a much greater degree and we think of how much God did for us
You know, we could not we could never even begin to pay back what God did for us and you know
That's why we should be generous people. That's why because so much has been done for us already
And we should be willing to help others, you know
Generosity is something that ought to define who we are as people. Let's go ahead and pray