This small group Deuteronomy 15 Bible study guide contains commentary, discussion questions, cross-references, and application to encourage life change. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.
Deuteronomy 15 Bible Study Commentary And Questions – The Sabbatical Year
Outline
I. Debts forgiven every seventh year (1-6)
II. Looking after the poor (7-11)
III. Rules for indentured servitude (12-18)
IV. Firstborn animals dedicated to the Lord (19-23)
I. Debts forgiven every seventh year (1-6)
Discussion Questions
• What was to happen every seven years?
• What was the purpose of this law?
• How would God respond to those who obeyed these commands?
• What do you learn of God’s heart toward the poor?
• What do you learn of their responsibility toward the poor?
• Do we have a responsibility toward the poor today?
• How should a Christian view loaning money toward others?
• What should we do if a person cannot repay us?
• How does the Bible view loaning money generally? What about loaning on interest?
Cross-References
Leviticus 25:1-4 – The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord. For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits, but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the Lord. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.
Luke 6:34-36 – And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
Exodus 22:25 – If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him.
Psalms 37:21 – The wicked borrows but does not pay back,
but the righteous is generous and gives.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. Grant a release at the end of every seven years – Moses gives instructions for the “Sabbatical year.” Every seventh day was to be a rest day for the people of Israel. Every seventh year was to be a rest year for their fields (Leviticus 25:1-4) and also a year to forgive incurred debts.
God’s chosen people were to treat each other like a family. They were tribes of closely related people. It was their friends, family, and neighbors who would be borrowing money from them. God wanted them to treat each other with kindness. They were not to exploit others financially just because they had the power to do so.
They were prohibited from charging interest to their countrymen (Exodus 22:25).
This law is more than just a command to not exploit others financially. It was a command to take personal loss in order to help those in financial distress. Israel was to be a community that treated one another like family, supported each other, and took care of the poor.
At various times in their history, they did not follow these commands. Instead, the rich tried to get richer on the backs of the poor. The prophets were very angry when they saw this occurring (Nehemiah 5:1-19).
The goal was to ensure that there was not a class of people who were perpetually poor and in so much debt that they could not work their way out of it. Each seven years, there was to be a new start with new opportunities. There is an element of trust in this policy. The one borrowing money should not intentionally take advantage of this law by borrowing without planning to repay. The law was there for desperate cases when people could not repay, not as a loophole for the unscrupulous to exploit.
Application – We are not under the Old Testament law. However, this law shows us God’s kind and gracious character. People are more important than wealth. God wants us to be kind to others.
Proverbs 3:27 – Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
2. But there will be no more poor among you –
Deuteronomy 15:4 – But there will be no poor among you; for the Lord will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess.
God promised to take care of the entire nation. Their obedience to the Sabbatical year of release was one of the mechanisms by which the poor would be provided for.
In Deuteronomy 14:28-29, we see another way that the poor are to be taken care of. Each third year, a tithe of crops was to be stored in each village for distribution to those in need.
Yet another policy to support the poor is the practice of gleaning found in Leviticus.
Leviticus 19:9-10 – When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.
The lesson is simple. God cares for the poor, and we should care for them too.
3. Of a foreigner you may exact it – The Jews were allowed to loan money to foreigners on interest and to require repayment even after the seven-year period.
Even today, we are likely to treat our family and strangers differently when it comes to loaning money. A family member that we trust enough to loan to would not intentionally renege on the deal. Many loan to family members on more favorable terms, such as not requiring interest.
The different laws showed that the Jews were to treat others as family.
However, this law was still advantageous to the foreigners who lived among them. Without it, the Jews likely would not have loaned to them at all. It goes against human nature to loan to a stranger without any possibility of gaining a return and at great risk of default. Because they were allowed to require repayment and collect interest, it meant that loans would be freely available for the foreigners.
II. Looking after the poor (7-11)
Discussion Questions
• What does God’s concern for the poor show us about His character?
• How does God want us to treat the poor?
• What are some reasons people give for not helping the poor?
• What do you think about those reasons?
• What command did God give toward those who did not want to lend out of fear it might not be repaid (verses 9-10)?
• How would God respond to a gracious lender?
• What can you do personally to help the poor?
• Since actions come from the heart, how can you develop a more compassionate heart toward those in need?
Cross-References
Proverbs 19:17 – Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.
Proverbs 22:9 – Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.
Proverbs 21:13 – Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.
2 Corinthians 8:9 – For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
James 1:27 – Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
1 John 3:17 – But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. You shall not shut harden your heart or shut your hand against your brother –
Reflect – Why would a Jew loan money to another Jew if there was a risk it wouldn’t be repaid?
These verses address this problem. One could rightly conclude that there was nothing to gain (and everything to lose) by loaning money to a countryman in need. A self-centered person would not want to do it. So why do it?
God commanded them to. They were to do it out of obedience to Him. He loved the poor and as a nation they were to take responsibility to care for the poor. That responsibility by necessity would fall on those who were well off.
Deuteronomy 15:9 – Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin.
In modern countries, such a law would not generally work. Some countries have attempted various models of socialism, but human selfishness always gets in the way.
Israel was to be different. They were a nation established by God and for God. He was their king. Israel was a theocracy. They were to shine the light of God by showing the world an example of how a country could be if it obeyed God’s laws. They were to be a model to the world. As they obeyed God and practiced His ideals, the world would take note and be attracted to the Lord.
Isaiah 42:6 – I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations.
However, Israel did not fulfill their mission historically. This law of debt forgiveness was often not followed. Many other laws were cast aside as well. Israel acted like the other nations. The result was that Jesus would come and be the light to the nations. He would fill up what the nation was lacking.
The wealthy Jews were to take a personal loss to forgive the debts of their poorer counterparts.
That is what Jesus did for us. He took on all the debt of sin across the world. He put that debt onto His shoulders and paid it. Jesus was the perfect Israelite. What they failed to do, He did. He perfectly fulfilled every Old Testament command.
Colossians 2:14 – By canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
2. You shall give to Him freely… You shall open wide your hand –
God wanted His people to be generous. It started from the heart. He didn’t want them to practice cold-hearted logic and analysis but to give freely and without compulsion.
2 Corinthians 9:7 – Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Reflect – How does this passage apply to us today?
We are not under the law. We are not commanded to loan to our neighbor without interest. However, we have every reason to be generous to others. Consider what God has done for you. Jesus gave His own life as a sacrifice on your behalf. You did not deserve it. It was grace.
Sometimes we can be harsh in our evaluation of the poor. We might blame them for their situation. Perhaps we say it is the result of a bad work ethic or unwise decisions.
We should be thankful that God did not look at us in that light. Those things are true of us. We are entirely to blame for our situation. Every sin we commit is an unwise decision. Yet God still gave His only Son.
Application – Be generous. Perhaps when someone asks for a loan from you, you can consider just giving them some financial help without thought of return. Loans can cause divisions in relationships. Value people as more important than money.
Wisdom and discernment are also important as we decide who to give to and how much.
III. Rules for indentured servitude (12-18)
Discussion Questions
• Why might a Hebrew be sold to another Hebrew?
• How is what is described different from what we might think of as slavery?
• What protections were given to these servants?
• What did they gain from the deal?
• What did their employers gain?
• How did this arrangement actually help society?
• What were they to do when they set the servants free?
• Why might a servant want to stay?
• What was to motivate their kindness?
• What should motivate you to be kind to others today?
• How would God reward their obedience?
Cross-References
Galatians 3:28 – There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 4:1 – Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. Rules for indentured servitude – This section of the law has all been about community. Restrictions were placed on the nation to ensure that each person was treated fairly, humanely, and with kindness.
Verses 12-18 contain rules for indentured servitude. The term for “slavery” was to be for six years. At the end of that time, the servant was to be set free.
How or why would a Hebrew be sold as a slave to another Hebrew?
Kidnapping was forbidden.
Exodus 21:16 – Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.
Therefore, it would not be a forced sale. A person would generally enter indentured servitude out of desperation.
When a Western person thinks of slavery, he thinks of the slave trade where thousands of Africans were stolen from Africa by slave traders, transported in terrible conditions, sold in slave markets, kept as slaves permanently, mistreated and abused, all because of race. That is a wicked and dehumanizing practice that should never have been allowed or excused.
But the “slavery” mentioned here is far from the idea of slavery most have in the Western world.
It was a type of bankruptcy law. Under this law, the government (there wasn’t really a government) did not step in, but a person who had lost themselves to debt could sell the only thing they had left, their ability to perform labor. This was a type of loan. In six years, the loan would be paid off, and they were set free. Bondservants who did this made a wage, had their debt covered, a home to stay in, food to eat, and on-the-job training. This almost sounds better than college, which doesn’t cover debt and you have to pay for it!
It was actually beneficial for those who entered into this arrangement as servants. Food and board were provided, meaning they had a stable place to work off their debts without worry. It was also beneficial to their masters as they could secure longer-term workers who would be stable.
The Sabbatical year was to be a year of release from debts and freedom. Each person would have a fresh start.
2. You shall not let him go empty-handed –
Deuteronomy 15:13-14 – And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him.
If these servants were set free with nothing but the shirts on their backs, it likely wouldn’t be long until they were back again. They would never be able to truly gain freedom or independence. It is very hard to start from nothing.
God, therefore, commanded their masters to generously supply them with provisions. They were to be given food to eat, presumably seed to plant, wine to drink, and even animals from which to start a little flock.
The entire system was created in such a way as to help the poor regain their footing and set them up for the best possible chance for success moving forward.
3. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt – Their history and God’s redemption of them in history was to motivate them to treat the less fortunate well.
Application – Consider what God has done for you. Think about your past, your sins, and God’s forgiveness. Meditate on His grace in your life. What are some practical ways you can pass that forward? How does remembering these things motivate you to treat others with grace and kindness?
4. The servant could choose to stay permanently – Some would prefer the stability of serving with their masters. Perhaps they loved their master and the family. Or perhaps it was easier economically. Whatever the reason, that servant could choose to remain permanently.
A visible sign would be made on his ear to seal the deal. Once decided and agreed upon, it was final. Long-term threats on one side or the other would not be tolerated.
IV. Firstborn animals dedicated to the Lord (19-23)
Discussion Questions
• What were the people commanded to do in these verses?
• Why should they sacrifice the firstborn of their flocks and herds?
• What would they be reminded of when they sacrificed the firstborn to God?
• What is the universal principle behind this command?
• How can we dedicate the following things to God?
o Our home
o Our car
o Our children
o Our money
o Our possessions
Cross-References
Romans 12:1-2 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Colossians 3:17 – And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. Dedicate the firstborn males of the flock to God – Each firstborn male of the flocks and herds was to be dedicated to God. Oxen were not to be raised up and used for plowing. Sheep were not to be raised and shorn for wool. The people were not to get profit from the firstborn animals.
Instead, they were to take these animals and eat them at the sanctuary in remembrance of God’s goodness to them.
More on that is seen in Deuteronomy 14:22-26.
This practice has some similarities to the New Testament practice of partaking of the Lord’s Supper. As we eat the bread and drink the cup, we are to remember Christ’s sacrifice for us. It is a time for solemn remembrance and worship.
As the Jews enjoyed a meal of the firstborn of their flocks, they were to remember God’s deliverance in bringing them out of Egypt. They were to do this year by year. The annual practice would be a regular time to worship God and remember His goodness.
It was also an act of faith. Killing the animals was generally not the first choice economically. By killing the animals, they would be trusting in the Lord to continue to enlarge their herds and provide for them.
In addition, it was a way to acknowledge that everything they had belonged to God.
In the Old Testament, they were to give of their first fruits.
Proverbs 3:9-10 – Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
We could do the same today. Here are some ways to give God your “firstfruits.”
• Donate the proceeds from the first sale of your new business to God.
• Donate the first month of royalties from a book you publish to the Lord.
• When you move into a new house, pray and dedicate it to God. Fast the first day while you live there.
• Use your car to show hospitality to others.
• Give the prime cut of an animal you butcher to a friend.
• Set aside a certain percentage from your paycheck at the beginning of the month to give to God (rather than giving the leftovers to Him).
These are just a few ideas.
Reflect – What ideas do you have for dedicating the first of your wealth or possessions to God?
