Deuteronomy 15 begins with God’s command for the Israelites to cancel certain debts every seven years. The principle was that God’s people were not supposed to hold one another permanently captive to debt. They were to show mercy because they themselves belonged to God. This points to something much greater in Jesus. Sin created a debt that we could never repay on our own. Jesus came to pay that debt for us. Colossians 2:13–14 says, “And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.” Jesus did not reduce our debt or give us more time to pay it. Through His death on the cross, He paid the price for our sin.
In this chapter, Moses says to the Israelites, “If there is a poor person among you, one of your brothers within any of your city gates in the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him enough for whatever need he has.” God warned Israel not to become selfish or hardhearted toward those in need. We always must remember that Jesus is our example and Jesus demonstrated this same heart throughout His ministry. Jesus fed the hungry, healed the sick, cared for the outcast, showed compassion to the poor, and taught his followers to love and serve others. Jesus gave the greatest gift possible. He gave himself. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” Jesus is the ultimate example of generosity. He gave up His position in heaven, humbled Himself, and gave His life so that we could receive eternal life.
Deuteronomy 15:15 tells Israel to remember that they were once slaves in Egypt and that God redeemed them. I know all of us have heard the expression “remember where you come from.” This expression has been true all the way back to this time period. It was important for the Israelites to remember where God brought them from because they were more likely to show mercy to others. It would do us good to remember what God has brought us from and what God is presently bringing us through. We should always remember what Jesus saved us from. None of us earned salvation. None of us deserved forgiveness. Romans 5:8 says, “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” It is impossible for us to truly understand how much mercy God has shown to us. The God of the universe literally sacrificed himself for us so that we could have relationship with him. He created us and he literally moved heaven and earth to bring us back to himself. This should absolutely change the way we treat other people. Who are we not to forgive someone? Who are we to look down on someone trapped in sin and think “I’m better than them.” Instead, we should think “Without Jesus, I would still be trapped too.” Understanding that we would be trapped in sin without the blood of Jesus is what gives us the power to forgive. No matter what someone has done to us we should be able to look at the cross and find the power to forgive. Jesus was beaten to an inch of death, spit on, whipped, made to carry a cross on his back over a half a mile, had a crown of thorns pierced through his skull, nailed to that same cross, and looked up to the sky begging the Father to forgive the people that were doing this to him. For us to think we are too good to forgive someone is an abomination to God. He put the weight of all of the world’s sin on his shoulders and forgave them all. This is the picture that should push us to forgive anyone and everyone that has ever wronged us. We love because Jesus first loved us and we forgive because we have been forgiven. Love y’all! Have a great day!
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