In the 18th century, groups of Enlightenment thinkers joined forces with many evangelical Christians to form an anti-slavery movement. This was unprecedented because, at the time, slavery existed on every inhabited continent. Israel also lived in a world where slavery was a part of everyday life. One could become a slave due to debt or through being captured in war. God’s people had experienced this oppression firsthand during their time in Egypt.

In Deuteronomy 23, Israel was given laws to regulate certain aspects of this practice. What is surprising is the law outlined in today’s reading. If a slave ran away from their master, Israel was instructed not to hand them back (v. 15). Instead, they were to give the fugitive space to live among them and instructed to “not oppress them” (v. 16). This is just one of many counter- cultural and compassion-based laws.

Some other laws in this section are also grounded in compassion. Israelites were not to charge interest on loans to any fellow Israelite (v. 19). Loans were meant to help the vulnerable, not to make a profit. There were different rules for loaning money to foreigners (v. 20). The law also gave rights to people to eat grapes from a vineyard while traveling or pick grain (vv. 24–25). Of course, they could not harvest someone else’s produce, but this provision would have supported and refreshed people, and in a world without convenient restaurants or gas stations helped them to procure food.

These laws demonstrate God’s compassion for the poor and vulnerable. In a world riddled with sin, there will always be the oppressed. The church is called to embody God’s care for them (James 2:14–17; Gal. 2:10; 1 Tim. 6:18)—“whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD” (Prov. 19:17).

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