Deuteronomy 15:1

This chapter deals with the year of release, or the Sabbatical Year, and should be compared with Leviticus 25.

"At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release that which he hath lent unto his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother; because Jehovah's release hath been proclaimed. Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it: but whatsoever of thine is with thy brother thy hand shall release. Howbeit there shall be no poor with thee (for Jehovah will surely bless thee in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it), if only thou diligently hearken unto the voice of Jehovah thy God, to observe to do all this commandment which I command thee this day. For Jehovah thy God will bless thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over thee."

The plain meaning of this is that all debts shall be cancelled and forgiven in the Sabbatical Year, all debts to fellow Israelites. However, this is one of the laws of God that the Jews "made void by their tradition" (Matthew 15:6). It is regrettable that a scholar like Keil would have fallen into the devious "reasoning" by which the Jews nullified this commandment, assuming that, Philo and the Talmudists were correct in the affirmation that, "This simply meant lengthening the term for repayment!"[1] If this paragraph in God's Word means simply "declaring a moratorium on debts for one year," it was in no sense whatever a "release."[2] We are thankful that a number of discerning scholars came up with the correct answer here:

"The actual wording here favors the view that the actual release of the loan itself is meant. The early Jewish rabbis so understood it; and we should show that what is in view is the complete remission of debt.[3] This prescribes a release of debts.[4] The remission of the loan was absolute, thereby becoming a gift.[5] This law applies to charitable loans; and their whole remission is intended, not merely the interest, because this type of loan did not bear interest."[6]

A number of other scholars consulted were of the same opinion as these just cited, but these are sufficient to show what the true meaning is generally considered to be. One further point of interest is that this "release" also applied to Hebrew slaves who were to be freed in the Sabbatical Year. It was a genuine freedom that they received, and their former masters' were expected to endow them richly at the same time of their release. That "release" meant such a thing to slaves indicates that nothing less than full remission of debts could fulfil the "release" of debtors.

Deuteronomy 15:4 has the promise that, "There shall be no poor with thee!" This, of course, is the will of God for His people, and actually for all people; it was never the intention of God that people should be stricken with poverty and the suffering associated with it, but it should be noted that there is a qualifier on this promise: "IF ONLY THOU DILIGENTLY HEARKEN TO DO GOD'S COMMANDMENTS" (Deuteronomy 15:5). Deuteronomy 15:4 therefore states God's ideal for His people, an ideal that cannot ever be achieved apart from universal obedience to the commandments of God. Deuteronomy 15:7, below, indicates that the rule of God in the O.T. was exactly the same as it is in the N.T., "The poor ye have with you always" (Matthew 26:11).

There is nothing really strange about the fact of there always being those who are poor. There are many causes of poverty, some of course, being beyond the perimeter of anything that anyone can do to prevent it. Wars, famines, floods, and all kinds of natural disasters, etc., can issue in poverty for millions, but there are other causes of poverty, many of such causes being within people themselves. Immorality, drunkenness, wastefulness, irresponsibility, laziness, gambling, etc., - when such things are within people, poverty is inevitable. All of these things (and others like them) are poverty!

We have already noted that the Jewish rabbis and Talmudists quickly moved to get rid of this law about the remission of debts, and, as Ackland said, "There is reason to believe that this law was never fully implemented!"[7]

"Thou shalt lend to many nations, but thou shalt not borrow ..." (Deuteronomy 15:6) In the long history of the Jewish people, they have tended to fulfill the role of money-lender to mankind. "Both borrowing and lending are precarious practices! `Neither a borrower or a lender be; for loan oft loses both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.'"[8]