Deuteronomy 15-18

“Beware, lest there is a base thought in your heart, saying, “The seventh year, the year of remission, is near” (15:9).  Every seventh year, Israelites were supposed to release each other from debt (v1-2).  God warned the Israelites not to allow this law to make them less generous or less willing to lend.  Instead, “you shall not harden your heart nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him” (v7-8).

Obeying the law didn’t make anyone good in the Old Testament, nor does it today.  God looks for a heart-response of love, faith, and mercy toward one another.