At least that is my interpretation of Leviticus 23:22 where God says, “When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the LORD your God.”
God looks out for the poor. Even in the many Mosaic laws and commandments, He did not forget the welfare of the poor, even the foreigners living in the land. The verse even ends with “I am the LORD your God.” I think this means its important for God enough for Him to put a sort of signature on this command.
Remember Ruth from, yes, the book of Ruth? In chapter 2, Ruth goes out to gather grain behind the harvesters. As it happened, this was the field of Boaz, who in the book, will come out as Ruth’s redeemer. And we know what happened in the end. Ruth became the ancestor of Jesus.
Ruth was able to glean from Boaz’ fields because of this provision for the poor people. If it were not for this command, Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi would’ve starved. God takes care of and provide for His people.
Does this verse have any meaning for us today? My personal opinion is that we should consider this principle. After all, Jesus had compassion for the poor, the downtrodden and the oppressed.
How do we do that?
We tithe right? And if you will agree with me, this is to give back to God 10% of our income. Over and above this, we should set aside a small amount for charitable acts (“…do not harvest the grain along the edges…”) from our income. This act can come in the form of giving actual money to the poor either through a non-profit organization like Operation Blessing, or going out to buy bread to be distributed to hungry street children.
Whatever way you do, when you do it, offer the act to God. Give glory to Him for all good things come from Him. Remember, this command was given in the context of giving the instruction on how perform the festival of harvest. God will be pleased because He said, “I am the LORD your God.”
