Focus
Stop and thank God for being present with you today. Ask for God’s guidance as you hear God’s voice through scripture and the writer.
Read
Deuteronomy 24:17-25:4 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow’s garment in pledge. Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this.
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 left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all your undertakings. When you beat your olive trees, do not strip what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.
When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this.
Suppose two persons have a dispute and enter into litigation, and the judges decide between them, declaring one to be in the right and the other to be in the wrong. If the one in the wrong deserves to be flogged, the judge shall make that person lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of lashes proportionate to the offense. Forty lashes may be given but not more; if more lashes than these are given, your neighbor will be degraded in your sight. You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.
Reflect
Well, here we are at the end of January. Another Thanksgiving and Christmas season has come and gone. It seems during the months of November and December, everyone is in a loving and giving spirit. We give to this charity or that cause. But how many of us stop to realize that people are in need 365 days of the year, not just the 61 days of November and December?
Having been a pastor’s wife for many years and working in a school district, I have seen the community needs firsthand. I remember one time that it became so vividly clear to me. I was leading a class of children one Sunday evening. The lesson was to prepare the children to attend Children’s Fest the next weekend. I gave each child a piece of paper, crayons, and a pencil. We talked about adventures and they were asked to draw an adventure they would like to go on. Then we had time to share. Of course, we had the usual Disney World, the beach, zoos, etc. There were two children (brother and sister), sitting on opposite sides of the room and they had had no interaction during the drawing time. When it came time for them to share, they had both drawn a table with a family around it – in a pizza restaurant! They had never had that experience. I knew they had daily needs, as Brian and I, and the church had shared food, clothes, etc. with the family. It brought me to tears! People need food everyday to sustain themselves. People need clothes for every season. People need basic personal care supplies every day. People need their clothes washed every week. People need medical assistance.
Perhaps today’s scripture is telling us to stop being glutinous and wasteful. God has blessed us, as he blessed those who had been enslaved in Egypt. God told them when they reaped their harvest and forgot a sheaf in the field, to leave it for those less fortunate, and so on and so on with the olive trees and vineyard. But more importantly, maybe it is telling us to be mindful of those need – the alien, the orphan, the widow. The child in your class at school or your class at church. The widow in your neighborhood. Those experiencing homelessness in your town. God has blessed us. And, He will bless those in need, if we allow Him to use us.
Pray
Loving God, give us the eyes and heart to see those in need. Help us to be willing to share your love. Amen.
Go with God!
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