Leviticus 23:22
‘When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the Lord your God.’”
My wife and I have been traveling for most of the month of July. We have visited many midwest and southern cities in our travels. The one thing in common in all of these cities is the number of homeless and sign-carrying men (and women) looking for food and/or money. It is a sign of our economy, a result of our policy, and an outcome of our decisions. However, this is not unique to the U.S.A. Nor it is unique to this century. In the above passage God recognized that there would be needy in the land. He knew that the choices and the depravity of man would result is some being wealthy and some being poor and needy. He instructs the nation of Israel to make allowance for this issue of life and to leave parts of their fields full of bounty. He knew that the average person would want to glean the entire field and leave nothing. But, to show mercy to the needy God instructs them to leave the edges of the field when they gather the harvest. This would allow the needy of the land to have food available, but to have to work for the food. The system God puts together is not based upon a free offering to the poor. It is not solely based upon the generosity of the wealthy. The system we have here is that the farmer is to have faith that leaving the edges of the field will be cared for by God's grace and the poor will need to get up and find the edges of the field and work for their food. There was no welfare system in God's plan. Both had to have faith that God would care for them. But, God caring for them didn't mean that all the food in the field growing on the plant was theres. Nor did it mean that God will care for them by dropping money in a bucket at their feet. God would honor those who trusted Him on either end of that spectrum.
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