Deuteronomy 15:1-23
Open Your Hand
1At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.
2This is the manner of remission: Every creditor shall cancel what he has loaned to his neighbor. He is not to collect anything from his neighbor or brother, because the LORD’s time of release has been proclaimed.
3You may collect something from a foreigner, but you must forgive whatever your brother owes you.
4There will be no poor among you, however, because the LORD will surely bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance,
5if only you obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commandments I am giving you today.
6When the LORD your God blesses you as He has promised, you will lend to many nations but borrow from none; you will rule over many nations but be ruled by none.
7If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother.
8Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs.
9Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
10Give generously to him, and do not let your heart be grieved when you do so. And because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything to which you put your hand.
11For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.
12If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you must set him free.
13And when you release him, do not send him away empty-handed.
14You are to furnish him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. You shall give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you.
15Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; that is why I am giving you this command today.
16But if your servant says to you, ‘I do not want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your household and is well off with you,
17then take an awl and pierce it through his ear into the door, and he will become your servant for life. And treat your maidservant the same way.
18Do not regard it as a hardship to set your servant free, because his six years of service were worth twice the wages of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.
19You must set apart to the LORD your God every firstborn male produced by your herds and flocks. You are not to put the firstborn of your oxen to work, nor are you to shear the firstborn of your flock.
20Each year you and your household are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose.
21But if an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.
22Eat it within your gates; both the ceremonially unclean and clean may eat it as they would a gazelle or a deer.
23But you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.
Berean Standard Bible
Every seventh year Israel was to release debts. Moses recognizes that poverty will remain in the land, but he refuses to let that recognition become an excuse for closing the hand. The people are commanded to give generously to a poor brother and not resent the approaching year of release.
The reason is Israel's own history: they were slaves in Egypt, and the LORD redeemed them. A person who remembers receiving freedom cannot treat a poor neighbor as an inconvenience to be managed. Care for the poor is tied to worship and memory.
Hebrew servants are also to be released in the seventh year, and they are not to leave empty-handed. The master is told to provide generously from the flock, threshing floor, and winepress. If a servant chooses to remain because he loves the household, the decision is marked publicly at the door.
The chapter closes with instructions about firstborn animals. The best belongs to the LORD, while animals with defects are not offered but may be eaten in the towns. Release, generosity, worship, and the treatment of animals all belong to the same covenant vision.
Questions
1 What happened in the seventh year?
AnswerIsrael was to release debts, refusing to keep a poor neighbor permanently trapped by what was owed.
2 Why should a person give generously?
AnswerThe LORD had redeemed Israel from slavery, so His people were to let that mercy govern how they treated the poor.
3 How was a released servant to leave?
AnswerThe servant was not to leave empty-handed but was to receive a generous share of the household's provision.
4 What did the firstborn animals represent?
AnswerThey belonged to the LORD and were to be offered, while defective animals were not acceptable sacrifices.
What This Means for Us
Deuteronomy treats generosity as a test of whether redemption has reached the hands. A family can believe that God has been merciful and still keep its resources arranged so that no one else benefits.
Look for a debt, need, or person your household has learned to ignore. Open the hand in a way that costs something and preserves the other person's dignity.
Prayer
Redeeming LORD, make us generous with what You have given. Keep us from using another person's need against them, and teach us to remember Your mercy when it is time to release and share. Amen.