Bible Study Outline
"Moses' Second Address: Instructions
On Debts And Debtors"
Deuteronomy 15:1-18
Lesson 15
Bible Study Outline
"Moses' Second Address: Instructions
On Debts And Debtors"
Deuteronomy 15:1-18
Lesson 15
| These Bible study outlines were written and submitted
by: Joseph M. Willmouth, Pastor of Trinity Bible
Church in Biloxi, Mississippi 39532. This contributed article is copyright
protected, and the sole property of the contributing author.
It may be freely copied and used provided the above credits are included.
Document expiration: indefinite.
Dr. Willmouth writes, "These Outlines were prepared for our Sunday Evening Bible Study, as a 2 page handout (front & back), at Trinity Bible Church, Biloxi, Mississippi" |
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The webservant of bibleteacher.org began using these excellent studies in our local Bible study group. Any additional notes added by bibleteacher.org as a result of this independent study will be marked and enclosed by this type of table. This way the original work of Dr. Willmouth will in no way be modified. |
I. The Canceling Of Debts (15:1-11).
1. Releasing debtors (vv.1-6).
A. At the end of every 7 years the debts among the Israelites were to be canceled (vv.1-3; 31:10; Ex.23:10-11; Lev.25).1) Two views ("release," shemittah {shem-it-taw'}: letting drop of exactions, temporary remitting, release from debt):B. If this principle is applied, then there would be no poor among them (v.4).A) This is only a cancellation of repayment for 1 year, but the debt is continued the next year.2) The 7th year probably coincided with the sabbatical year (Ex.23:10-11; Lev.25:1-7).
B) This is a total cancellation of all debt (this seems to be the best view).
3) The debts of foreigners did not have to be canceled (v.3).
C. The blessings for obeying God's command (vv.5-6).
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Sabbatical Year |
FOCAL - Deuteronomy
15:1-2 "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 neighbor shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbor,
or of his brother; because it is called the LORD'S release."
The "Lord's Release", Yhovah [yeh-ho-vaw'] shmittah [shem-it-taw'], literally means "Jehovah's Release From Debt". What was "the Lord's Release?". EXTERNALLY this was a very simple command that God gave to the entire nation of Israel. The command was this: Every seven years the Israelites were to CEASE ALL AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION in the land that God gave them: Leviticus 25:4-7 "But 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. [5]That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land. [6] And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, [7] And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat." Exodus 23:10-11 "And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: [11] But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard." In that seventh or Sabbatical year all farming, that is, the sowing of seed and tilling of the soil, was to completely cease. What grew naturally from past harvests could be gathered and eaten by the poor of Israel, but the land was absolutely to be left uncultivated. Since Israel was a farming nation, and since farming was suspended in this Sabbatical year, IF an Israelite had lent money to a fellow Israelite, then the creditor was NOT allowed to demand payment for this debt in the Sabbatical Year. Why? Because no one was working, no one was farming, no one was in the business of "making money" that year. FOCAL - Deuteronomy 15:3 "Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release" Those who were NOT of Israel were not bound by the Sabbatical Year, and if the Israelite lent money or goods to a foreigner {nokriy [nok-ree'], outlander, stranger in the land} he could demand repayment from that individual. The STRANGER was not under Jehovah's Release - only your fellow Israelite. Now that we've seen the SIMPLE explanation for the Lord's Release/ Sabbatical Year, let's look at WHY God placed this injunction on Israel. The Israelites were a holy nation, set apart by God to serve Him and Him alone. God gave the Israelites all that they possessed because of His Grace. They neither earned nor deserved the blessings that they were given. God gave to Israel because He loved them equally as His children .... and He wanted them to treat each other as the Spiritual Family that they were. Once the Israelite entered the Sabbatical Year they were to: 1. RELY on the Grace of God for their very sustenance that year, believing that God was able to save them to the uttermost. This was an outward manifestation of their faith in God's provisions. 2. REPRODUCE the very Grace that God gave them by forgiving those who owed them money or goods that year. It's one thing to rely totally on God, but another thing to REPRODUCE the action of His Grace toward others within the Royal Family. This was not a new thing that God asked the Israelite to do. Who, as a parent, has not had a child break something valuable, or borrow money, and has forgiven that child the debt. Then, once having forgiven that debt, does not the parent expect the child to forgive his or her siblings just as freely? Our Lord Jesus taught us both of the Fatherhood of God, as well as the unity of the Royal Family. When our Lord taught us to pray He commanded us to follow after this pattern: Matthew 6:9-12 "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. [10] Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread. [12] And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." As Father has richly given Grace to we who believe through the precious Blood of Jesus Christ, even so we are called, by Grace, to remember our former estate of sin. To remember that all we have, we have because of His rich Grace, the Grace of Calvary. And in remembering, we are to forgive those who are indebted to us, just as God richly forgave us in Jesus. Not because they have earned nor deserved that forgiveness, but because we, and the believing Israelite, are called to emulate God our Savior. FOCAL - Deuteronomy 15:4-6 "Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it: [5] Only if thou carefully hearken 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." Verse 4 can also be rendered "in order that there be no poor among you". God does not want His people to have poor among them, for this is a terrible witness of the Children of God. Those who are of the family of faith should never be in want. Has not God promised to His children that, if they but cross over the Jordan, that the land was already provided? The seven stronger nations, shall they withstand the power of God, and refuse the blessings of Grace to the children of the Dayspring, our Lord Jesus?: Luke 1:78 "Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us .." If God had not refused Israel the nation the blessing of the land, how dare any Israelite hold his brother in bondage? Those who have been liberally given to by the blessed Savior should be willing to give liberally to their own family. If each Israelite would, as children of the Family of God should do, take care of one another in Love, as Jesus has taught, then God promised that the nation as a whole would be liberally blessed. Israel would be a nation that the rest of the world owed money to, not a nation that fed off of itself in greed. God did not want His Israel to be a nation of paupers, but a family, a Royal Family, that exercised Love toward God and Love toward one another. |
2. Taking care of the poor (vv.7-11).
A. Israel was not to hold back from lending money to the poor (vv.7-8).1) A potential creditor would be hesitant to loan money to a poor person if a they had to forgive that debt in the 7th year, therefore losing money.B. Warning against being stingy (vv.9-11).
2) The poor always had needs, so it would be inevitable that they would need financial help even during the 7th year.1) Holding back from loaning money to the poor, because their debt would have to be forgiven, was a sin (v.9).
2) The poor's needs where to be generously met with a right attitude (v.10).
3) The issue of loaning to the poor in light of the sabbatical year would be an issue that would never go away, so they were to be generous to them (v.11).
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FOCAL - Deuteronomy
15:7-10 "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 lend 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, 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. [10] 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."
God warned the Israelite against refusing to lend to a fellow believer who was in need because the Sabbatical Year was at hand. This type of thought was worldly, and far beneath the member of God's Family. Thinking, "How in the world will I regain my wealth if I loan to this person? Surely God will understand! The Sabbatical Year is at hand and, after all, I have children to think of!" God warned all who thought such thoughts: ~ FOCAL ~ Deuteronomy 15:9b "... thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee." Matthew Henry made this statement, "This year of release typified the grace of the Gospel, in which is proclaimed the acceptable year of the Lord; and by which we obtain the release of our debts, that is, the pardon of our sins. The Law is spiritual, and lays restraints upon the thoughts of the heart. We mistake, if we think thoughts are free from God's knowledge and check. That is a wicked heart indeed, which raises evil thoughts from the good law of God, as theirs did, who, because God had obliged them to the charity of forgiving, denied the charity of giving. Those who would keep from the act of sin, must keep out of their minds the very thought of sin. It is a dreadful thing to have the cry of the poor justly against us. Grudge not a kindness to thy brother; distrust not the providence of God. What thou doest, do freely, for God loves a cheerful giver." God does love a cheerful giver: 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. [8] And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" And even greater than this, reckons that we are truly His Children when we love one another. The early Church, exercising this great spiritual love, pooled their resources so that even the poorest Christian could be fed. And consider the actions of our Lord Jesus: John 13:4-16 "He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. [5] After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. [6] Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? [7] Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. [8] Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. [9] Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. [10] Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. [11] For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. [12] So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? [13] Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. [14] If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. [15] For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. [16] Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him." Jesus had just finished presenting the Lord's Table to His disciples. He had taken the Bread, broke it, and said "This is My Body, broken for you". He had taken the fruit of the vine and said, "This is My Blood, shed for you". Jesus was preparing Himself, getting ready to make the greatest sacrifice that anyone in human history would ever make. He, who was without blemish, without sin, would lay back on a tree that had been used before to kill criminals, a blood stained device of torture, and allow His pure blood to flow where only sinners had been. He would bear the penalty for our sin, so much so that the Father would turn away in anguish, and He would cry out "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Jesus would do all this. But first... He would kneel down after the supper, gird Himself, and wash our feet. In those days the feet were often the dirtiest part of a person's body. People who had money wore open toed shoes, whereas the poor went barefooted. The streets were filthy with the garbage of the city, and this filth, this excrement, often collected on your feet as you walked. The disciples' feet were not dirty at this time, for I am certain that they probably washed them on entering the place of their Supper. But whether they were filthy or not, it does not matter. The Lord of all, the Creator who "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." (John 1.1-3). This Jesus, our Savior, our Lord and God, knelt down and washed the feet of the disciples. He who should only be worshipped knelt and, showing us the way of the Royal Family, placed His brethren by faith above Himself. Every believing Israelite was family, with God as their Father. Would family let a brother starve to death? Every Christian is family, saved by the precious Blood of the Lamb. How then shall we live? How then shall we treat one another? We must treat one another like Jesus treated us. We must follow our Lord's example: Philippians 2:1-8 "If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, [2] Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. [3] Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. [4] Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.[5] Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: [6] Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." |
Application: The
releasing of a debtor from his debts every seven years, and generously
giving to the poor was a continual reminder to the Israelites of the
grace of God (who had themselves experienced God's grace for the remission
of their sins). As a result of God's grace in their lives, it should manifest
the spirit of grace in their financial relationships with others. Often
a person's faith can be measured by their attachment to their wallets.
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Money And The Christian Mindset |
One of the greatest traps that befall
the Christian in any age is the trap of money. We should be of the
mindset that our Lord will provide - that money is just a thing provided
by God, not something to be worshipped like an idol. Money is designed
to be a medium of exchange. Money as coinage was actually created in the
7th Century BC by the Lydians. There are ____ things that the believer
needs to know about money.
1. When money becomes a god to you, when it MATTERS that much, you are certainly in idolatry: Matthew 6:24-25 "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. [25] Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?" There is absolutely nothing at all wrong with laboring to earn money. The Scripture tells us that we must provide for our families, or: (1 Timothy 5:8) [we] "... hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." You are expected to work, earn money, and provide for your families. But all the while you do this, you need to, you MUST keep the proper mental attitude toward money. Money is merely a means toward an end. God our Father has given us life, Jesus our Lord has given us Eternal Life. These are the GREATER things. If God has provided the GREATER thing, life, then certainly He will provide the lesser thing, sustenance so we can remain alive. When we forget this principle and begin to worship money, then perhaps God will TAKE AWAY our blessings in time, cause us to wander in the wilderness and die just as Israel did because of her idolatry. 2. The love of money, not money itself, is the ROOT of all evil: 1 Timothy 6:7-11 "For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. [8] And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. [9] But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. [10] For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. [11] But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness." I will not say that there are no "rich" Christians, for I am sure that a few within the Kingdom are spiritually mature enough to handle riches. Yet truly, believer, riches are a snare, a trap for most people. Those who are rich and unsaved are generally already consigned to Hellfire, for they place their trust in their riches rather than in God. William Barclay said, "To the rich man, Lazarus was part of the landscape. If ever he did notice him, it never struck him that Lazarus had anything to do with him. He was simply unaware of his presence, or, if he was aware of it, he had no sense of responsibility for it ... A man may well be condemned, not for doing something, but for doing nothing". The rich man caused our Lord Jesus to say: Luke 18:25-27 "For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. [26] And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved? [27] And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." Money has caused many a Christian to fall under the chastening hand of God. Money has often brought shame on the Church of Christ. The Protestant Reformation started because the Monk Martin Luther abhorred the practices of the Catholic Church in "selling indulgences", that is, priests were telling their parishioners that they would "forgive their sins" if they'd kick a little money in the plate on Sunday. This so offended Luther that he started the Protestant Reformation. What would Martin Luther and John Calvin, those great Reformers, do today if they saw the television evangelist demand money so they can send you a "blessed handkerchief", or demand money so they would pray for you? Paul told Timothy, "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness." 3. Jesus Christ expects His children, His followers, to use money RIGHTEOUSLY: Matthew 25:36-46 "Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. [37] Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? [38] When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? [39] Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? [40] And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. [41] Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: [42] For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: [43] I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. [44] Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? [45] Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. [46] And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." James 2:15-16 "If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, [16] And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?" We are not called to acquire riches for our own comfort. This is the way of the heathen, the idolater, the Hell Bound. We are of the Royal Family of God by faith in Christ Jesus, and we are called to "take up our Cross and follow Him". Jesus gave and gave and gave, until He gave His very life's blood. Jesus took what He had and shared it. He moved among the sick, and comforted them. Never once did He ask for money, but gave of Himself as Perfect Love must give. We must not be as the heathen, weaving a safe nest of money and goods, devil take the world. We must be as our Lord Jesus ... think on that, live that! 4. Jesus expects us to LOVE as we have been LOVED: 1 John 4:16-21 "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. [17] Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. [18] There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. [19] We love him, because he first loved us. [20] If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? [21] And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." Love one another. If you see a believer in need, seek to fill that need as Jesus gives you the ability. "There is no situation so chaotic that God cannot from that situation, create something that is surpassingly good. He did it at the creation. He did it at the cross. He is doing it today" -- Handley C. G. Moule C.H. Spurgeon .. "We should love, but we should love with the love which expects death, and which reckons upon separations. Our dear relations are but loaned to us, and the hour when we must return them to the lender's hand may be even at the door. The like is certainly true of our worldly goods. Do not riches take to themselves wings and fly away? Our health is equally precarious. Frail flowers of the field, we must not reckon upon blooming for ever. There is a time appointed for weakness and sickness, when we shall have to glorify God by suffering, and not by earnest activity. There is no single point in which we can hope to escape from the sharp arrows of affliction; out of our few days there is not one secure from sorrow. Man's life is a cask full of bitter wine; he who looks for joy in it had better seek for honey in an ocean of brine. Beloved reader, set not your affections upon things of earth: but seek those things which are above, for here the moth devoureth, and the thief breaketh through, but there all joys are perpetual and eternal. The path of trouble is the way home. Lord, make this thought a pillow for many a weary head!" |
II. The Freeing Of Servants (15:12-18).
1. Freeing servants (vv.12-15, 18).
A. An Israelite who couldn't repay their debts could become an indentured servants to work off their debts (v.12a).2. The bond-servant (vv.16-17; Ex.21:1-7).1) The Jews were not allowed to permanently enslave their own people, but could do so with foreigners (Lev.25:39-43).B. The indentured Israelite was to be freed after they completed 6 years of service (vv.12b-15, 18).
2) Other ways of becoming slaves: as prisoners of war (Num.31:7-9); by purchase (Lev.25:44); as a gift (Lev.25:39); by birth from current slaves (Ex.21:4); and those who were arrested that could not pay for what was stolen (Ex.22:2-3).1) This law assumes that 6 years of service would adequately repay their loan (v.12b).A) The master was forbidden to treat servants severely (Lev.25:43).2) When the servant was set free he was not to go away empty handed (vv.13-15, 18).
B) If the master inflicted serious injuries on the servant, they were to be freed (Ex.21:26-27).
C) The servant's debt could be paid off by himself or someone else to gain freedom early (Lev.25:47-55).
D) Servants did not have to work on the Sabbath, and they were allowed to participate in the National Feasts of Israel (16:11, 14; Ex.23:12).
E) If a slave escaped from a pagan master and set foot in the land of Israel, they were considered free (23:15-16).
F) Female Israelite slaves had special provisions given about them (see Ex.21:7-11).A) Masters were to send them away with generous gifts that would help them start a new life over again; such as livestock, grain, and wine (vv.13-14a).3) God would bless the masters that obeyed His Word (v.18b).
B) The measure of the master's giving was to be according to how the Lord had blessed him (v.14b).
C) Masters were reminded that they were once slaves in the land of Egypt and when they were freed, they too were sent away with gifts in return for their years of enslavement (v.15a; Ex.11:2; 12:35-36).
D) This wasn't an option for the master, but a command by God (v.15b).
E) Master's were to realize that the servant had earned their freedom because it would have cost them much more to hire someone to do the same work (v.18a).
A. A servant may come to have a love for his master and his family, and refuse to leave them (v.16; Ex.21:1-5).Application: While slavery has never been God's desire for mankind, He made provisions for the fair treatment of them as examples to the lost world of His love for man. The Israelites knew what it was like to be enslaved, and likewise should want to treat others better. The biggest message here is that of our relationship to Christ as His bond-servants (Gal.1:10; Phil.1:1; James 1:1; 2 Pet.1:1; Jude 1). Our love for the Lord should be great enough to make us want to willingly and gladly serve Him for the rest of our lives.
B. The master's response (v.17).1) The servant may have had to be taken before judges to be officially recognized as a bond slave (Ex.21:6).- Note the text says "to bring him to God," a phrase which means, "to the place where judgment was given in the name of God." (1:17; 19:17: Keil & Delitzsch, Commentary on the O.T., Vol 1, p.406).2) The master was to pierce the servant's earlobe with an awl (like an ice pick) that was an indication of their servant hood for life (v.17; Ex.21:5-6).