Basic Care for Your Neighbor

Reformation Baptist Church

As God continues to instruct on how to be a holy people, after speaking about sharing your peace offerings, He now switches to talking about how to provide for the poor. Providing for the poor starts with giving them opportunities to provide for themselves by leaving the gleanings when you harvest crops. Giving a handout is much different than reducing the amount of labor required to provide while still requiring labor. They don't have to do the sowing and dealing with the things that destroy crops, but they have to do some labor. Honesty is the next thing that He lists as a requirement for a holy people. Since God is truth, to be a people that represent Him, they must speak and walk in truth and not deceit. The last is being fair to those who are weak. Not making it more difficult for people who have difficulties, but not being unjust either. Being unjust is also to spread tales about your neighbor to harm them rather than to bless them. We are to be a holy people and these are the basic things to start with.