The covenantal economics of the people of God are quite astonishing. “If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor” (Deuteronomy 15:7).
What must you do, to take care of those who have become poor? You must “open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be” (15:8). OK, if it’s a loan instead of an outright gift, your neighbor will have to pay you back. Except for this: “Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of debts” (15:1) – all debts will be canceled, all pledges will be released (15:2).
So if we’re at, say, six and a half years, it means you’ll “lend” him the money, and then we’ll hit the seven year mark, and poof, the debt is remitted and you’re not getting your money back. Better not make the loan then. But no: “Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,’ and therefore view your needy neighbor with hostility and give nothing” (15:9).
It has to have been a difficult challenge for the people of Israel to put this principle into practice. I expect that they failed at it often, entertaining that mean thought and letting it control their decision. Even so, if they struggled and often failed to live in generosity instead of meanness, that would still put them well ahead of our present-day culture, which so often doesn’t even consider the question. If we think of the poor and homeless at all, we think of them as “those people.” We have lost the biblical perspective that they are our neighbors, and indeed our cousins. And it’s easier to have mean thoughts when we have already shrugged their need away as if they were not really part of our family.
* * * * *
We are all your children, O Lord: yet we hold fast to the mean thought that we shouldn’t have to give up any of the blessing you have entrusted to us, even though our brothers and sisters are in poverty. Grant us open hearts and open hands, reaching to lift up all the family, so that everyone has enough.
james-ayers.com 
3 responses to “Do Not Entertain that Mean Thought (Deuteronomy 13-15)”
You speak from the position of the lender, someone who hesitates to offer something to a needy person because the seventh year is approaching.
But what of the person in “need”. As we are all too well aware, our society is flush with folks who portray themselves as “needy” simply to ride on the backs of others. And I would imagine that they too are quite aware of the seven year mark — a fresh slate, and they can start scamming and grabbing all over again.
Folks like these just make it difficult to truly attempt to reach out to those who need our help with food, clothing, shelter or anything else. So much abuse — it makes me tired.
LikeLike
You make a good point, Janice.
I would suppose that I’ll never be able to know for sure that the “needy” are truly needy; some scammers are just so good at scamming. So I’d ask whether I want to be so skeptical that I end up turning away some who are genuinely needy, because I know they might be scammers and can’t tell for sure they’re not, or whether I want to be so gullible that I end up helping some who don’t need it, because I know they might be scammers and can’t tell for sure they are. I think I’d prefer to err on the side of being too warm-hearted, instead of on the side of being too cold-hearted.
But yeah. It’s hard to know.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We’ve discussed this at length, more than once, among my friends here. And the consensus opinion is the same as yours. As Christians, we must do the right thing, for the right reasons. If the recipient choses to take advantage of us, that is outside of our realm of control.
LikeLiked by 1 person