The Seventh Year Release

Rev. David Boisclair, pastor at Bethesda and Faith Lutheran Churches in north St. Louis County, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Deuteronomy 15:1-23.

As the LORD provided rest for His people on the seventh day, so He instructed His people to give release to debts in the seventh year. Through this provision, the LORD teaches His people to show concern for the poor. The LORD knows their propensity for greed, so He seeks to give them a generous heart like His own. The same sort of concern for the poor in the land is to be shown in the matter of a fellow Israelite who sells himself into slavery to pay a debt. As the people live together in the land, they are to remember that the LORD had freed them from slavery and continued to provide for their every need.

“The Law of God is Good and Wise” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Deuteronomy. Though Moses’ lengthy sermons in Deuteronomy may be tempting to skip, this influential book is essential reading for Christians. As Moses strengthened Israel on the plains of Moab before the people entered the Promised Land, so the book of Deuteronomy still strengthens the Church as we prepare to enter the Resurrection with Christ, the Prophet greater than Moses.