Deuteronomy 24:10-15 (NLT)

10 “If you lend anything to your neighbor, do not enter his house to pick up the item he is giving as security. 11 You must wait outside while he goes in and brings it out to you. 12 If your neighbor is poor and gives you his cloak as security for a loan, do not keep the cloak overnight. 13 Return the cloak to its owner by sunset so he can stay warm through the night and bless you, and the Lord your God will count you as righteous.

14 “Never take advantage of poor and destitute laborers, whether they are fellow Israelites or foreigners living in your towns. 15 You must pay them their wages each day before sunset because they are poor and are counting on it. If you don’t, they might cry out to the Lord against you, and it would be counted against you as sin.

In Deuteronomy we find Gods advice to us about how we are to treat the poor. In the time that Moses was writing the law a poor neighbor’s only valuable possession for use as collateral might be his cloak, his outer tunic or only way to keep warm at night. God said that the holder of the pledge is told to return the cloak to the owner by sunset so that he may sleep in it. This thoughtfulness would be totally unexpected. Imagine literally giving the coat off your back to secure money for food to feed your family. Now the end of the day is coming and you haven’t been able to earn enough money to pay back the loan and get your coat back, looks like it’s going to be a cold night. But then a knock on the door, and the man that you owe the money to is standing there and you have no way to repay him but then something unexpected happens he returns your coat and wishes you peace.  This would bring about great thanksgiving! And we are told that God views this as the lender as a just, and righteous act.

As Scripture challenges us to get involved with helping people in need, it also reminds us of our own poor spiritual condition. Without Jesus, we have absolutely nothing to use as collateral for our salvation, and no way we could ever pay it back. Even so, he freely and generously grants us forgiveness and new life. He saved us by dying on the cross.

Are you responding with gratitude and thanksgiving?

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