Deuteronomy 24:17-22

Deuteronomy 24:17-22 "Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this. When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this."

There's alot in this section of scripture. I'll try to be brief.

First, we see three groups of people that are supposed to be given help, and that special effort is to be made not to allow them to be taken advantage of: The alien, the fatherless, and the widow. I think the one thing that is common about these three groups is that they have no social capital, no network to fall back on. These are the people that don't have the resources to help themselves and are the most deserving of help.

Next, we see the word remember used twice. This point was doubly important. "Remember where you came from, remember what it is like to be a slave, remember..." This returns to problems with our compassion for the poor is that so many of us either don't remember what it means to not have money for anything else besides macaroni and cheese, or remember what it means to work a 10 hour shift at a fast food restaraunt and then spend the rest of the evening at a laundromat.

I remember those things. I remember smelling of burgers, and grease and my feet always hurting. I remember eating ramen noodles for most meals and hoping there was food left at closing time.

Without remembering, or at least trying to imagine the plight of the poor, we will always be lacking in real programs to help them.

Thanks for reading,

AC