Deuteronomy: Gleaning Laws

“You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless, or take a widow’s garment in pledge, but you shall 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 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.

Deuteronomy 24:17-22 ESV

https://bible.com/bible/59/deu.24.17-22.ESV

Rev. Kyu 

Gleaning is contrary to the gospel of greed of today

We are a culture that accepts greed and the maximization of profit. Don't reap to the edges of the field? What CEO would promote such a thing? We are God's people. We are to use the land and resources that God has given us for the sojourner, the widow, the poor. This is the kingdom that good desires. 

Gleaning is justice

Gleaning is the right of the poor. We are given resources by God not simply for ourselves. We need to find edges of our time, our budget,... and give to the organizations that care for the poor, the migrants.

Gleaning is not charity, it is an opportunity

Gleaning is not about a handout. It is an opportunity. Ruth did not get grain delivered to her door. She went with her mother in law and gathered grain from Boaz's field. She worked to survive. 

The gleaning laws are a glimpse of God's desire

God wants to build a community. He wants a community that resolves conflicts peacefully. One where people care for one another. This is the good life that God calls us to. 

In contrast, we have the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Big houses, sports cars, and travel to exotic places. We save and scrape in order to get this sort of lifestyle, but is this what God desires for us?

Doing good is not because we are good. We are called to do this because God first served and gave to us. God gave land to the Israelites. God saved us by the blood of Jesus. This is why we serve. In an age where cruelty, stinginess, and selfishness seem to be the way, we, as God's people, are called to be generous, kind, and loving. We are to bear witness to what God has done for us.