The Motivation for Neighbor-Love – The Eighth Commandment

The Motivation for Neighbor-love

The Eighth Commandment

We were all at one time poor and slaves.

Deuteronomy 24:19-22

“‘When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over them again. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not strip it afterward. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I command you to do this.’”

The motivation for caring for the poor through the institution of gleaning was the memory of what it was like to be oppressed and enslaved in Egypt. Even if the initial pass of reapers and harvesters was not thorough, or if sheaves were forgotten in the field, they were to be left for the needy, who had to fetch them in themselves or, as in the case of Naomi and Ruth, find someone to do the work for them.

As we remember what it was like to be slaves to sin, and that God redeemed us freely by His grace, our hearts should go out to all who are similarly trapped, so that we “go the extra mile” to show them the love of God and call them to join us in the Lord’s harvest.

We are now accepting registrations for the course, Spiritual Maturity 1: Revival. This free, six-session course by T. M. Moore allows you to study by yourself or with a mentor, and includes free resources from Patrick, Columbanus, Luther, and Edwards, among others. Visit The Ailbe Seminary for more information on this training opportunity.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.