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how does this command compare with jesus' teaching on lending and generosity in the gospels?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Deuteronomy 15:7-8

“If there is with you a poor man, one of your brothers, within any of your gates in your land which Yahweh your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor brother; but you shall surely open your hand to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.”

This passage is part of Moses' farewell address to the Israelites, given just before they enter the promised land. It lays out laws for how they are to live as a community, including specific instructions for justice, generosity, and care for the poor among them.

what practical steps could open your hand to someone in need this week?

Then — the setting

Deuteronomy, likely compiled over centuries before reaching its final form around the 7th-6th centuries BCE, addresses the Israelites as they prepare to settle in Canaan. It presents a vision for a just society under Yahweh, distinct from surrounding cultures. This command specifically aims to prevent the permanent impoverishment of fellow Israelites by establishing mechanisms of mutual aid and debt forgiveness (like the Sabbath year, mentioned elsewhere in chapter 15). It assumes an agrarian society where debt could easily lead to slavery or loss of land, threatening the social fabric and the family unit. The emphasis is on internal community care and solidarity.

Across the Testaments

The Old Testament, particularly the Law and Prophets, frequently calls for care of the poor, the widow, and the orphan, framing it as a core aspect of justice and faithfulness to God. Deuteronomy 15:7-8 commands lending to a 'poor brother' without hardening the heart. Jesus' teaching in the Gospels, such as in Matthew 5:42, elevates and broadens this principle, instructing followers to 'give to him who asks you, and don't turn away from him who desires to borrow from you,' and in Luke 6:34-35, to 'lend, hoping for nothing back,' even to those who cannot repay, including strangers. While Deuteronomy focuses on lending within the covenant community to preserve its economic stability, Jesus extends radical generosity beyond expected returns and even beyond the community, rooted in the character of God who is generous to all.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Leviticus 25:35-38
This passage gives similar commands about not charging interest to fellow Israelites in need.
Proverbs 28:27
This proverb highlights the blessing of giving to the poor and the consequences of ignoring their cry.
Matthew 5:42
Jesus directly instructs his followers to 'give to him who asks you, and don't turn away from him who desires to borrow from you.'

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