Year 4, Day 166: Deuteronomy 15

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Provision

• Provision: God gives us what we truly need.  God knows our needs better than we can know them.  We learn to trust God to provide for us.

In Deuteronomy 15 we find two topics: slavery and the poor.  Ultimately, both of these topics are rooted in God’s provision.  Perhaps more importantly, both of these topics are rooted in how we understand God’s provision and how we live out our belief that God will provide.

For example, take slavery.  God does not approve of the type of slavery where one person dominates over the other, beats the other, doesn’t give them rights, and gives no opportunity for escape.  Such a system gives no hope for God’s provision.  But God does encourage a system where a person who has no ability to provide for his family can voluntarily enslave himself to a person who can provide for his family.  Such an arrangement can last at most 7 years until the slave is automatically released from his bondage.  Under this system God provides for the ability of the slave to find provision for his family, God provides the master with a work force, and God provides hope for the slave that there will come a day when the volunteer slavery terminates.  In this sense, the slavery is not much different than employment.  But it is a question of provision.  The to-be slave must ask if God is providing through the promise to serve the master.  The master must ask if God has provided him with enough means to cover his own family and the family of another.

In the case of the poor, we find that perspective of provision pushed even further.  God tells us that we shall always have the poor around us.  He also tells us that we should give freely to the poor. Which leads me to a meaningful but often trite question: who can out-give God?  If I give generously to the poor, can God not give generously back to me?  This is where the question of provision comes into play.  Giving to the poor is often a question of believing that God will replace what I voluntarily give away.  Sometimes that is a difficult choice.  But fundamentally that is always at the heart of the issue.  Am I willing to part with something that is within my possession because I believe enough in God’s provision that He will provide for me all that I need anyway?

Talking about provision is always a tricky topic, and it is a topic that many people would like to avoid.  But it absolutely is a topic that is rooted in God and our relationship with Him.

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