The Tuesday after the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on September 16, 2025 by under
Scripture: Deuteronomy 15:7-15 (NKJV)
15:7 “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, 8 but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs. 9 Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the Lord against you, and it become sin among you. 10 You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. 11 For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’
12 “If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed; 14 you shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. From what the Lord has blessed you with, you shall give to him. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today.”
Devotion
The motivation for charity toward our neighbor is the grace and mercy which we have received from God. Verse 15, “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you.” In the New Testament we remember that when we were poor in spirit our God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to provide the forgiveness which we did not deserve.
Deuteronomy 14:28-29 speaks of the tithe of the land’s produce which was to be given to the poor twice every seven years. Deuteronomy 15:1-6 directs that no loan payments were to be required during the seventh year. Today’s text from Deuteronomy 15 is concerned with the believer’s heart, motivation, or desires. Verse 7, “…you shall not harden your heart.” Verse 9, “Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart…” Verse 10, “…your heart should not be grieved when you give to him.”
God is not only concerned about the performance of good works, He also cares about the motivation of the believer’s heart, which should be love of the neighbor and a desire to truly help him. St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” To be able to give to others as we have been blessed by God, we need an increase of faith, hope, and charity.
Collect: Almighty and Everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and that we may obtain that which Thou dost promise, make us to love that which Thou dost command; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
