Readings for today: Deuteronomy 24-27
By now, the news is beginning to settle in. The stock market is plunging. Jobs are being lost. People are being laid off. The economy is bracing for a deep recession. And while we are all praying for a quick resolution to the national crisis we face, experts like Francis Collins are telling us it could be June before things begin to calm down. I don’t know about you but that feels like an eternity to me. Reports are trickling in from my own congregation and the people they are connected to regarding the financial vulnerability of so many. It’s scary. And it’s tempting to turn inward. To hoard. To become selfish.
Perhaps that’s why I love the words from Deuteronomy today to a people who were no strangers to hardship. To a people who had experienced plague and famine and drought and disease without the resources we enjoy in the 21st century. As the people of God prepare to enter the Promised Land and establish a new way of living, God directly addresses the economy.
“When you make your neighbor a loan of any sort, you shall not go into his house to collect his pledge. You shall stand outside, and the man to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you. And if he is a poor man, you shall not sleep in his pledge. You shall restore to him the pledge as the sun sets, that he may sleep in his cloak and bless you. And it shall be righteousness for you before the Lord your God.“ (Deut. 24:10-13) God is concerned with the dignity of a person. Fortunes rise and fall and so much of what we go through economically depends on forces outside our control. What is in our control, however, is how we treat one another. And God wants us to be as merciful and gracious as possible with those who are facing hardship.
"You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns. You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the Lord, and you be guilty of sin.” (Deut. 24:14-15) God is a God of justice. He is a God of righteousness. He demands that we treat one another well. He will hold us accountable for how we treat one another. Especially the poor in our midst. He will also honor the sacrifices we make on behalf of those who are under-resourced or less fortunate than us.
"When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over them again. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not strip it afterward. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this.” (Deut. 24:19-22) God stands against greed. God stands against hoarding. God stands against price gouging. God stands against those who would use this time for their own economic gain rather than look to assist the needs of others. The people of Israel were to be intentionally generous. They were to remember their plight in Egypt and, as a result, make sure to play their part in making sure everyone had what they needed to survive.
It begs the question, doesn’t it? What can we do to bring relief for those who need it most in the midst of our current crisis? What can we do to relieve the financial burdens so many bear? Are we able to provide rental assistance? Make a grocery run? Help with a few bills? Are we checking on our neighbors to see what they need and doing all we can to help out? What about our food service workers who’ve been laid off? Or those in the entertainment or sports industry? I’ve been so thankful that so many companies are making huge sacrifices to keep their employees on the payroll. I believe God will honor such decisions and I’m praying their example inspires all of us to help out in whatever way we can.
Readings for tomorrow: Deuteronomy 28-30