"When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands." [Deut. 24:19]"Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless." [Ex. 22:22-24]"When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God." [Lev. 19:33-34]
As you can see from many of my posts, one of the things I'm following on this walk through scripture are the groups God has identified for our compassion and benevolence. Over and over again, He focuses on three - widows, orphans and aliens. That's where God's heart is. Even though, objectively, if I were to survey God's holdings and monetary work on earth, I'd have to conclude he's actually into real estate and staff. I know that sometimes we say that the government is trying to do the work of the church and is getting glory that should go to God. If given more, would we give more to those who need it or build bigger and bigger barns? In fairness to the church, it's priorities are a reflection of our own. A lot is spent on amenities because as individuals we spend a lot on amenities. A lot is spent on speakers and flat screens and projectors and creative help to craft Powerpoint because as individuals we spend a lot on entertainment. We are the church.
Of those three groups God directs us to in scripture, aliens might be the most surprising. Even though we're a land of immigrants, I'm not sure we're real happy with modern day immigrants. Why? Because there is an underlying perception perhaps that they are here to take what is ours - jobs, resources, assistance from the government and healthcare communities. As Christians, we should know that we are as alien to this land and culture as the aliens among us are.
Lord knows.
[P.S. Also thought it was interesting in this reading, the reason given for being sanitary with waste in the Israelite camp: "the Lord your God moves about your camp to protect you...."(Deut. 23:13-14) He's there. So keep it clean. ]
My post from last year on this date.
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