The Tuesday after the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on September 1, 2026 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
There are some who use the plight of the poor for their own political advantage. It is often done to extort money from the citizenry. More taxes are needed for more government programs. They say this is the compassionate thing to do. Are we to help the poor? By all means! However, care for the poor is not something that should be wrung from people under the guise of governmental compassion. It is to be done cheerfully and willingly, from a heart truly concerned for one’s fellowman.
The point Moses is making in today’s reading is that one should be concerned about how one’s own heart views the poor. If one does not have concern for the poor, he should examine his own heart. Moses warns against having “a wicked thought in your heart.” The Hebrew word literally means “worthless.” A worthless heart is one that is only concerned about itself. The politician decrying the plight of the poor is often more worried about his vote count, not the poor. Our Lord God would rather have us freely change our hearts, by the help of the Holy Ghost, so that we desire to care for others willingly. This is the same heart that is in our Lord God, for He willingly does all for us poor sinners. He concerns Himself with our welfare, even to the point of offering up His own life for us.
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.
