Deuteronomy 15:1-11

Deuteronomy 15:1-11

[1] At the end  of every seven  years  thou shalt make  a release.  [2] And this is the manner  of the release:  Every creditor  that lendeth  ought unto his neighbour  shall release  it; he shall not exact  it of his neighbour,  or of his brother;  because it is called  the LORD'S  release.  [3] Of a foreigner  thou mayest exact  it again: but that which is thine with thy brother  thine hand  shall release;  [4] Save  when there shall be no poor  among you; for the LORD  shall greatly  thee in the land  which the LORD  thy God  giveth  thee for an inheritance  to possess  it: [5] Only if thou carefully  unto the voice  of the LORD  thy God,  to observe  to do  all these commandments  which I command  thee this day.  [6] For the LORD  thy God  blesseth  thee, as he promised  thee: and thou shalt lend  unto many  nations,  but thou shalt not borrow;  and thou shalt reign  over many  nations,  but they shall not reign  over thee. [7] If there be among you a poor man  of one  of thy brethren  within any  of thy gates  in thy land  which the LORD  thy God  giveth  thee, thou shalt not harden  thine heart,  nor shut  thine hand  from thy poor  brother:  [8] But thou shalt open  thine hand  wide  unto him, and shalt surely  him sufficient  for his need,  in that which he wanteth.  [9] Beware  that there be not a thought  in thy wicked  heart,  saying,  The seventh  year,  of release,  is at hand;  and thine eye  be evil  against thy poor  brother,  and thou givest  him nought; and he cry  unto the LORD  against thee, and it be sin  unto thee. [10] Thou shalt surely  him, and thine heart  when thou givest  unto him: because  that for this thing  thy God  shall bless  thee in all thy works,  and in all that thou puttest  thine hand  unto. [11] For the poor  shall never cease  out of  the land:  therefore I command  thee, saying,  Thou shalt open  thine hand  wide  unto thy brother,  to thy poor,  and to thy needy,  in thy land. 

What does Deuteronomy 15:1-11 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

"At the end of every seven years" is an idiom meaning "during the seventh year." [1] There is some debate among interpreters whether God wanted the Israelites to terminate debts permanently [2] or only suspend them for a year, as the following quotation argues.
"The present passage is a further exposition of the Sabbath year release recorded in Exodus 23:10 and Leviticus 25:2-7. The premise of the exposition offered here is that if the land was left unused in the Sabbath year, the landowner would not have money to pay his debts. To alleviate this hardship on the landowner, the debts were to be released for one year during this time. The sense of the word release is not "to cancel," as may be suggested in some English translations (e.g, NIV), but rather "to postpone." The debt was postponed for a year. This provision was not intended for the "foreigner" ( Deuteronomy 15:3); it applied only to those who lived permanently in the land. The "foreigner" was one who stayed only temporarily in the land. Such a one was not a "sojourner," that Isaiah , a non-Israelite who had come to live permanently in the land." [3]
I tend to favor the complete cancellation view.
God values each person equally as an individual. This perspective comes out clearly in this section. God instructed His people to show concern for the welfare of every individual regardless of his or her economic or social position ( Deuteronomy 15:7; cf. Proverbs 11:24).
"Elsewhere in the ancient Near East men were treated in terms of their status in the community rather than as individuals." [4]
The apparent contradiction between Deuteronomy 15:4; Deuteronomy 15:11 is explainable as follows. The statement that "there shall be no poor among you" ( Deuteronomy 15:4) rests on the condition that the Israelites would be completely obedient to God ( Deuteronomy 15:5). The promise of blessing for obedience appears four times in this chapter ( Deuteronomy 15:4; Deuteronomy 15:6; Deuteronomy 15:10; Deuteronomy 15:18). The statement that "the poor will never cease to be in the land" ( Deuteronomy 15:11) expresses what would really exist since Israel would not be completely obedient. It also represents what would exist among Israel"s neighbor nations even if Israel was completely obedient.
"In Deuteronomy , poverty did not just happen. It was the result of conscious decisions that people made to ignore the divine will for Israel as expressed in the covenant." [5]
". . . poverty among Yahweh"s vassals was a disgrace . . ." [6]