Year of Release and Sanctifying the Firstborn of Herds and Flocks

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Deuteronomy 15:1) “At the end of every seven years you shall make a release."

In the book of Deuteronomy Moses reviewed the laws of God.  Here he began the subject of the year of release, which was to occur at the end of every seven years.

(2) "And this is the manner of the release: every creditor who has lent anything to his neighbor shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbor or his brother, because it is called the LORD’s release."

Moses went on to explain the form of the release.  Every creditor who had lent anything to his neighbor was to release or forgive the debt, freeing him from any obligation to pay it.  The creditor must not demand payment from the debtor or his brother because it was the Lord's release, appointed and commanded by Him, to show mercy to the poor.  There is much discussion among the commentaries I study about exactly what this release meant.  Some say it was only a release of debts for that seventh year, since it was also a rest for the land and there was no plowing or sowing, and a poor man would have no means to pay.  Some said it only referred to loans lent because of poverty.  Some said the act of "exacting" meant suing or recovering by law.  That was what was forbidden, but if the debtor was able, he was afterwards bound in conscience to repay it.  It does seem like debtors could take advantage of this release, knowing that if they wait seven years, they need not pay, but then again, I suppose it's not unlike a statute of limitations on a debt.

(3) “Of a foreigner you may exact it, but that which is yours with your brother your hand shall release."

The children of Israel were allowed to demand payment from foreigners to whom they had made loans, but not from fellow Israelites.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, pointed out this was illustrative of God's forgiveness of sins to those who are His own, those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ.  Those who reject Christ and are not redeemed have no share in His blessing of grace, and owe their debt for their sins.

(4) "Save when there shall be no poor among you, for the LORD shall greatly bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance to possess it."

The word translated as "save" here, "ephes", means "cessation" or "end".  The verse could therefore read something like, "Except when there are no longer any poor..."  The law of release was only meant for the poor who were unable to pay their debts.  It was never intended to release a person of means from a debt.  Some commentators read it as "To the end that there be no more poor among you..."  By observing this law, all debts being released at the end of seven years, it would prevent people from falling into extreme poverty.  Either way you understand it, the purpose was to help the poor.  Likewise the meaning of the second part of the verse could be either because the Lord would greatly bless them in their promised land, that there would be no poor; or they could so easily afford to release the debts of the poor because they were so greatly blessed in their inherited land.

(5) "Only if you carefully hearken to the voice of the LORD your God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command you this day."

The previous promise that there would either be no more poor or that they were so greatly blessed in their promised land they could generously help the poor, was conditional upon their obedience to the Lord's commandments.

(6) “For the LORD your God blesses you as He promised you; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; and you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you."

The previous verse 5 could also serve as a preface to this one, that only if the people obeyed their Lord's commandments, would the Lord so bless them that they would be able to lend to other nations and they would, in fact, reign over many nations, and those nations would not ever reign over them.  They could lend, but they could not borrow from other nations.  This promise was conditional upon the people holding up their side of the covenant and following their Lord's commandments.

(7) “If there is among you a poor man of one of your brethren within any of your gates in your land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother."

The Israelites were commanded not to harden their hearts nor refuse to lend to their poor brethren.  It could be that knowing that debts were forgiven at the end of seven years, they might decide it was better not to lend.  However, their Lord commanded them not to forsake the poor.  He once again reminded them that He was giving them this great land, and they should be willing to give, as well.

(8) “But you shall open your hand wide to him and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he wants."

The people were commanded to give liberally and lend whatever was needed.  I can't help but think of lending institutions that often won't lend as much as one needs, ensuring failure.  God's people are commanded to give as much as one needs if in his ability to do so.

(9) “Beware that there be not a thought in your wicked 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 to the LORD against you, and it be sin to you."

Indeed, the Lord, through Moses, warned the people not to consider the year of release being at hand and refuse to lend because of that.  If a person was not compassionate toward his poor brother and refused to give him anything to the point he cried out to the Lord in prayer for his need, that would be considered a sin against the one who refused to lend.

(10) “You shall surely give to him, and your heart shall 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."

The people were commanded to lend or give to a poor brother, and not be grieved at parting with money they had little hope of seeing again.  They were to give liberally and cheerfully, and the Lord would bless them mightily for their acts of generosity.

(11) "For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor, and to your needy, in your land.’"

There would always be some need in the land.  Some question whether this is a contradiction to verse 4.  I don't think so at all, any way you look at verse 4.  The law of release was meant for the poor.  If there were no poor, it would not be needed.  It was not intended for the rich to borrow and then not have to repay.  The practice of lending and then releasing a debt to the poor would prevent the poor from falling into extreme poverty.  The reason the people were to do this was to strive to prevent poverty in their land of plenty, but there would always be a need.  The Lord wanted His people to be proactive in their generosity, giving liberally to the poor or needy in their land.  It's like the scripture in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect..."  In perceived contradiction, there are countless verses that suggest no man is perfect or without sin.  But perfection in the ways of the Lord is that for which we should always strive, just as the people in this passage in Deuteronomy were to strive to eradicate the poor by always being generous with the blessings that had been given them.

(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."

There were three different ways an Israelite could be sold to another.  In extreme poverty, he could sell himself; parents in extreme poverty might sell their daughter to be a handmaiden, or because of a criminal activity, one might be sold to pay off his debt.  However he or she came to be owned by another, he was only to serve six years, and must be released in the seventh year.  There was never to be perpetual slavery.

(13) “And when you send him out free from you, you shall not let him go away empty. (14) You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, and out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress; of that which the LORD your God has blessed you, you shall give to him."

Whenever a servant was released, he was not to be sent away empty-handed.  The people were commanded to give generously out of what God had blessed them with, from their livestock, from their harvested grains, and from their wine.  This was in keeping with giving liberally to the poor.  A servant was not to be sent out into extreme poverty, but rather with adequate provisions.

(15) "And 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."

The people were never to forget that they had once been slaves in Egypt, how it had felt to be in terrible bondage and hardship.  They were to show compassion to their fellow Israelites because God had shown mercy to them in delivering them out of bondage and bringing them to this land of great promise and blessing; they were likewise to release their brethren from servitude and furnish them with plenty of good things with which to start their lives again.

(16) "And it shall be, if he says to you, ‘I will not go away from you,’ because he loves you and your house, because he is well with you, (17) Then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise."

If at the time of his release, a servant said that he did not want to leave because he had come to love his master and his family and household, and because he was quite content in his position in the household, then his master was to thrust an awl through the servant's ear to the door.  According to Exodus 21:6, he was brought to the judges to declare his desire to remain with his master.  Boring the ear to the doorpost was a ceremonial symbol of permanent servitude with his intention to always hear his master's orders and obey them forever, that is, for the rest of his life or until the year of Jubilee when all servants were released.  Likewise, a maidservant was to be treated in the same way as a manservant.

(18) “It shall not seem hard to you when you send him away free from you, for he has been worth a double hired servant in serving you six years; and the LORD your God will bless you in all that you do."

The people were commanded not to begrudge their servants their liberty when they released them after six years, nor were they to begrudge all with which they sent them away.  Their servants had been worth double hired servants because if their servants had been hired, they would have been required to pay them wages, as well as food and housing.  Additionally, there is a verse in Isaiah that speaks of the days of a hireling being three years.  The meaning in verse 18 might also mean that they had had their servants double the time as usual hired servants.  Once again is the promise that the Lord would bless them in all that they did if they would follow His commands, in this instance, treating their servants as He commanded.

(19) “All the firstborn males that come from your herd and your flock you shall sanctify to the LORD your God; you shall do no work with the firstborn of your bulls, nor shear the firstborn of your flock."

Moses reviewed the law concerning the firstborn of the people's herds and flocks.  All the firstborn males were to be sanctified to the Lord in remembrance of, and in thankfulness for, sparing the firstborn of Israel, when the firstborn of the Egyptians, both of man and beast, were slain by the destroying angel.  No work was to be done with the firstborn male of cattle, and no wool could be sheared from the firstborn of sheep; they were the Lord's.

(20) "You shall eat it before the LORD your God year by year in the place which the LORD chooses, you and your household."

Dr. Gill wrote that if this referred to the firstborn males from verse 19, then only the priests were allowed to eat of those animals sanctified to the Lord.  However, if verse 20 referred to all Israelites, then they must be firstborn females or "second" firstlings which the people voluntarily separated every year; they were not to eat them in their own houses, but before the Lord in the place that He would choose to put His name.

(21) "And if there be any blemish in it, if it is lame or blind or has any ill blemish, you shall not sacrifice it to the LORD your God."

However, if there was any blemish or defect in the firstborn, if it was blind or lame or had any other defect, it was not to be sacrificed to their Lord God.  It would not be fit to honor God with, nor to typify Christ, who was the perfect Lamb without blemish.

(22) “You shall eat it within your gates; the unclean and the clean alike shall eat it, as the roebuck and as the hart."

The firstborn animals with defects were allowed to be eaten within their own households, and the ceremonially clean and unclean alike might eat of them, just as was allowed with the roebuck and the hart, which were not offered as sacrifices, but were clean animals that were allowed to be eaten.

(23) “Only you shall not eat its blood; you shall pour it on the ground as water."

The only prohibition was that the people not eat the blood of the firstborn animal that had a defect; they were to pour its blood out on the ground.  Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, commented that although we were no longer under this law of the firstborn, making no difference between a first calf or lamb or whether or not it had a defect, we should be mindful that it is all God's.  We owe Him the first of our time and strength, "as a kind of first-fruits of his creatures, and using all our comforts and enjoyments to his praise and under the direction of his law, as we have them all by his gift."