Assembly Testimony Bible Class

by J. Riddle (Cheshunt)

DEUTERONOMY

17) “THE LORD'S RELEASE”

Read Chapter 15

This chapter falls into two major sections:

(1) the Sabbatic Year, v1-18;
(2) the Sanctified Firstlings, v19-23.

We should notice once again that the enjoyment of the land is linked to obedience, v4-5.

1) THE SABBATIC YEAR, v1-18

The section divides into three paragraphs.

(A) The Release of a Brother's Debt, v1-6;
(B) The Relief of a Brother's Poverty, v7-11;
(C) The Reward for a Brother's Service, v12-18.

The word “brother” occurs in each section: see v2, 3, 7, 9, 11, 12.

A) THE RELEASE OF A BROTHER'S DEBT, V1-6

“At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.” The year of release evidently coincided with the sabbatical year: see Lev.25.4, “In the seventh year shall be a Sabbath of rest unto the land, a Sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.” Compare Ex.23.10-11. We should notice:

i) The provision for a brother, v2. “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.” In modern parlance, this is called ‘forgiving the debt,’ and the passage is a forcible reminder of the will of God for us in the matter of forgiveness. “Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye,” Col.3.13. See also Eph.4.32. In the parable of the two debtors, the creditor “frankly forgave them both,” Lk.7.42. W. E. Vine explains that the words, “frankly forgave,” translates one Greek word (charizomai) meaning ‘to forgive (as a matter of grace).’ C. A. Coates is worth quoting here: ‘Let us turn over our ledgers and see if we have any entries standing against brothers or sisters!… If we keep up personal grievances against our brethren we are missing the creditor's privilege in the year of release.’

The consequences of not making ‘a release’ are very serious: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive you,” Matt.6.14-15. Notice the emphasis in 1Cor.6.6, “brother goeth to law with brother, and that before unbelievers.” Compare Acts 7.26, where Moses addresses the two striving Hebrews as follows: “Sirs, ye are brethren: why do ye wrong one to another?” See also Gen.13.7, “Let there be no strife I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen, for we be brethren.”

Good relationships are vital in the Lord's work. It has been said that there is nothing quite so incongruous as ‘a bunch of irreconcilable people preaching a gospel of reconciliation!’ This requires conscious effort on our part: “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace,” Eph.4.3. The word “endeavouring” means ‘to make haste, to be zealous, and hence, to be diligent’ (W. E. Vine). It is important to notice that “the release” in this chapter is not called ‘a release to the debtor’: it is called “the Lord's release,” or ‘a release to Jehovah’ (JND). That is, He undertakes the obligation of the debtor. The creditor would be marvellously compensated by the Lord Himself! He would not be ‘out of pocket!’ See v4, 6, 10.

ii) The position of a foreigner, v3. “Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again, but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release.” See also Deut.23. Quite obviously, Israel was not expected to be a ‘charitable institution.’ To exact a debt of a foreigner was perfectly fair and just: there was not the slightest ‘sharp practice’ involved or the slightest infringement of integrity. But accepted commercial practice in this way did not apply amongst God's people. Having said this, it is important to remember that the Lord Jesus warned His disciples against double standards in their relationships: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you; pray for them that despitefully use you,” Matt.5.43-44.

iii) The prosperity of the land, v4-5. These verses have been rendered as follows: ‘But there will be no poor among you (for the Lord will bless you in the land which the Lord God gives you for an inheritance to possess), if only you will obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments which I command you this day,’ RSV. The implication is that the prosperity of the land would eliminate the need for debt in the first place, but this prosperity was dependent on obedience. The route to a prosperous spiritual life is exactly the same. If we are obedient, we will never lack.

iv) The promise of independence, v6. “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.” See also Deut. 28.12, 44. This reminds us that we are not to be indebted to the world, and that the world is not to exercise any authority over us. We must keep the world in its proper place in our lives. It must be subject to us, and that can only happen when we are spiritually prosperous. Spiritual poverty will bring us into bondage to the world with its pleasures, pursuits, and interests.

B) THE RELIEF OF A BROTHER'S POVERTY, v7-11

This was not just a matter of grudgingly obeying a command. “If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of the gates, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother,” v7. There was to be no hard heart, and no shut hand. If the heart is right, the hand will be right.

i) There was to be an open hand, v8. “But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and thou shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.” This was true of the Macedonian believers: “How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the deep riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves,” 2Cor.8.2-3.

ii) There was to be an open heart, v9-11. The ‘open hand’ should reflect an ‘open heart.’ God's people are warned against two forms of inward resentment: a “wicked heart,” v9, and a ‘grieved heart,’ v10.

“Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the 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.” Even if “the seventh year” was imminent, “thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need … Thou shalt open thy hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to the needy, in thy land,” v11. We must beware of the spirit which says, ‘If I do this, there will be little or no return on my expenditure.’ This means an open heart in material things. Read 1Jn.3.16-18 and Jms.2.14-17. It also means an open heart in spiritual things. Paul exemplified this when he said, “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved,” 2Cor.12.15.

“Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto.” We know that “the Lord loveth a cheerful giver,” 2Cor.9.7, because He is exactly that Himself: He “giveth unto all men liberally, and upbraideth not,” Jms.1.5.

The ‘open hand’ and the ‘open heart’ attract the promised reward, “for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto,” v10, and address the perpetual need: “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 the poor, and to the needy, in the land,” v11. There is always the need for teaching and pastoral care amongst the people of God, and there are always believers who need to be on ‘high maintenance.’ The statement “the poor shall never cease out of the land” does not conflict with “save when there shall be no poor among you,” v4: the former describes actual conditions: the latter describes ideal conditions which are contingent on obedience.

C) THE REWARD FOR A BROTHER'S SERVICE, v12-18

In this section we should notice the procedure:

(i) on Releasing a Servant, v12-15, 18, and
(ii) on Retaining a Servant, v16-17.

i) On Releasing a Servant, v12-15, 18. Three things call for our attention here: the liberality, remembrance and appreciation on his release.
The liberality on his release. “Thou shalt not let him go away empty. 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,” v13-14. This is the way in which God has dealt with us. He has not dealt with us “grudgingly, or of necessity!” 2Cor.9.7. The released servant was to be given the best possible benefits, and this is the spirit which Paul desired in Philemon; his runaway slave was to be received “not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved … as myself,” Phil.16.17.

The remembrance on his release. It was to be made in a manner worthy of God. “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 today,” v15. ‘It is only as we keep before our hearts the marvellous grace of God displayed towards us in the redemption which is in Christ Jesus that we shall be able to pursue a course of true, active benevolence,’ (C. H. Mackintosh).

The appreciation on his release. “It shall not seem hard unto 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,” v18. What is done should be right, and the spirit in which it is done should also be right! How much do we value the service of others: in relation to ourselves, and in relation to the assembly?

ii) On Retaining a Servant, v16-17. If the preceding verses teach the importance of valuing the service of others, then these verses teach the importance of love towards those whom we serve. This is an advance on the previous section. The servant's love for his master and joy in serving him is now mentioned: “he loved thee … he is well with thee.” This spoke well for both parties! The servant's love for his master engendered the desire to serve him perpetually and to bear the identifying mark of his devotion, rather than living for himself. “Ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another,” Gal.5.13. We should be characterised by “unfeigned love of the brethren,” 1Pet.1.22. It is striking that the servant's love for his master was exhibited by affixing his ear to the door of the house, and we serve one another particularly in our identification with “the house of God,” 1Tim.3.15. It is most important to notice that the passage applies to both manservants and maidservants. This speaks for itself!

These verses should be compared with Ex.21.2-6, which gives us a beautiful picture of the love and devotion of the Lord Jesus.

2) THE SANCTIFIED FIRSTLINGS, v19-23

“All the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the Lord thy God,” v19. This should be read in conjunction with Ex.12.2, 13.1-2. Israel was reminded in this way of their redemption from Egypt when divine judgment fell on the firstborn of Egypt. It also reminded Israel that they were God's “firstborn”, Ex.4.22-23. The church is called “the church of the firstborn,” Heb.12.23. Unblemished and blemished animals were involved.

i) An unblemished animal, v20. “Thou shalt eat it before the Lord thy God year by year in the place which the Lord shall choose, thou and thy household.” It was to be eaten in fellowship with God. Our fellowship with God is in Christ, “the firstborn among many brethren,” Rom. 8.29; “the firstborn of every creature,” Col.1.15; “the firstborn from the dead,” Col.1.18.

ii) A blemished animal, v21-23. “And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish (so it could not be a picture of Christ!), thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the Lord thy God. Thou shalt eat it within thy gates: the unclean and the clean person shall eat it alike, as the roeback, and as the hart.” The simple but important lesson in these verses is that only the best will do for God. A blemished animal was not fit for “the place which the Lord shall choose.” The chapter ends with a familiar warning: “Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof; thou shalt pour it upon the ground as water,” v23. As we have noted previously, the lessons of the blood were so distinctive that it was always to be connected in their thoughts with atonement.

—to be continued (D.V.)