TOPIC :  “WILLINGNESS TO HELP “

Text:  Deuteronomy 15:12-23

12. And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.

13. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty;

14. Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress; of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.

15. And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee; therefore I command thee this thing to day.

16. And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee;

17. Then thou shalt take an aul, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise.

18. It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away free from thee; for he hath been worth a double hired servant to thee, in serving thee six years; and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest.

19. All the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the LORD thy God; thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep.

20. Thou shalt eat it before the LORD thy God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, thou and thy household.

21. And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God.

22. Thou shalt eat it within thy gates; the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roebuck, and as the hart.

23. Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water.

KEY VERSE: Deuteronomy 15:15

“And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day.”

MESSAGE

God cares for His children and He has good plans for them regardless of their present situation. No doubt, there are times they may suffer hunger, poverty or misfortune in life. Even then, the provision of God will still be available for the penitent and the obedient.

God had, in His mercy, set a period of six years for the Jews who were forced by negative situations into servitude. No matter the level of indebtedness, the debtor brother or sister must be set free in the sixth year. Besides that, they also must be financially empowered by their masters so they would have resources to start their new life. Those who choose to stay with their masters must publicly renounce their liberty and bear the mark of servitude for life.

The Israelites were to remember their years of slavery in Egypt and how God redeemed them. They too should be willing to show kindness to the underprivileged. God also told them to sacrifice all firstborn male of their herds to Him, except the deformed ones. This is because He deserves the best from His people.

By compelling the Israelites to set their servants free after six years, God was giving everyone the opportunity to love and care for each other. He wants us to care for each other because it is a demonstration of our appreciation to Him who brought us out of our shameful past into the glorious liberty of His Son and abundance of His Kingdom.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
You can reduce poverty through giving.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Chronicles 26-29

Daily Manna is the daily devotional of the Deeper Christian Life Bible Ministry (DCLM). It is an extraction of God’s Word designed to draw the sincere seeker closer to God on a daily basis through an insightful exposition and analysis of God’s Word.