Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20030212.htm

DEUTERONOMY: GETTING OTHERS TO BE VICTORS, NOT CASUALTIES
Part XXIV: Discipling Others On Their Responsibility Toward The Weaker
(Deuteronomy 23:19-25:19)
  1. Introduction
    1. Since the second greatest commandment is to love one's neighbor as himself (cf. Mtt. 22:37-40), how we treat the weak becomes a deciding measure as to the degree we indeed love our neighbor.
    2. Moses expressed details of our responsibility toward our vulnerable neighbors as follows:
  2. Discipling Others On Their Responsibility Toward The Weaker, Deuteronomy 23:19-25:19.
    1. Just before his death, Moses addressed Israel on her need to heed God's Law for blessing, Deut. 1:1-5.
    2. A part of that address supplied Israel with guidelines on what was involved in loving one's neighbor as himself specifically as it related to the responsibility toward those who are vulnerable to harm:
      1. If close neighbors who are financially weaker than we are need to borrow money from us, loving them means not putting them under burdensome loan rates in the process, Deuteronomy 23:19-20.
      2. In the same spirit, God expects us to make no promises to Him that we are unable to keep, meaning we are not to take advantage of God's graciousness toward us, Deuteronomy 23:21-23.
      3. If we are destitute and seek welfare assistance for our need, loving others who help us involves not fleecing the parties to which we look for help for any more than we actually need, Deut. 23:24-25.
      4. Having a godly love for vulnerable women in a patristic culture meant inhibiting the emotional abuse of women in not tolerating a man who divorces his wife ever to wed her again, Deuteronomy 24:1-4.
      5. If a couple has just married, loving the emotionally vulnerable couple means relieving him from any public service that would take him away from his bride for the first year of marriage, Deut. 24:5.
      6. If a man depends upon a material possession for his livelihood in any way, loving him requires that others allow him to keep that possession regardless of his business or debt obligations, 24:6, 10-13.
      7. If a party kidnaps another vulnerable person for financial profit, love for one's neighbor demands the kidnaper be executed for a gross lack of respect and consideration for his victim, Deuteronomy 24:7.
      8. If a party contracts an infectious and/or lethal disease, love for others vulnerable to the condition requires the diseased party shield others from exposure to his disease, Deuteronomy 24:8-9.
      9. If an employee's livelihood depends upon immediate payment for services rendered, loving him requires the employer to pay him for his services as soon as he completes them, Deut. 24:14-15.
      10. Loving others demands that provisions be made for fair and equitable justice and consideration be shown toward those found guilty of wrongs not worthy of death, Deuteronomy 24:16-18; 25:1-3.
      11. If a farmer realized he had forgotten a segment of his field for harvesting, meaning he doubtless really did not need to harvest it, loving his neighbor meant he was to leave it for the poor, Deut. 24:19-22.
      12. By way of a proverb about an ox being unmuzzled while it threshed, God showed loving others meant an employer whose livelihood depended on an employee's service was to reimburse the employee well and in a timely way, Deut. 25:4. (Paul applied this to the hire of ministers of the Word, 1 Cor. 9:9-14)
      13. If a man died leaving no heirs to carry on his name, love for the deceased and his family required the surviving closest male relative to raise up children for the deceased through his marriage and union with his widow, Deuteronomy 25:5-10. (The Law of the Kinsman-Redeemer, cf. Ruth 3:1-4:22)
      14. Loving others demanded that cruelty performed by anyone against his neighbor who was vulnerable to such cruelty was to be met with severe punishment, Deuteronomy 25:11-12.
      15. Loving others demanded just weights and balances in the marketplace, Deuteronomy 25:13-16.
      16. Love for the vulnerable demanded Israel utterly destroy the Amalekites for their preying on the weak in Israel who lagged behind them in the wilderness wanderings, Deuteronomy 25:17-19. Weak folk like widows, orphans, aliens, etc. God Himself protected in exemplary compassion for His people.
Lesson: Righteousness demands we sense our RESPONSIBILITY toward those who are less endowed than we are in ANY way, and treat them compassionately by helping them in their need out of our bounty as GOD treats US in OUR areas and moments of weaknesses!

Application: We should disciple others to use strength NOT to HOARD God's blessings, but to HELP those who NEED what we have to SHARE of GOD'S bounty to US with THEM in THEIR need!