Deuteronomy 14: Blessing Those in Need

^“28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, ²⁹ so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.” -Deuteronomy 14:28-29

Long before modern government, God set in place a system to care for those in need. His simple plan included citizens donating one third of their farm yield every three years.

Interesting to me were the groups involved: 1) the Levites (who served as priests and cared for the tabernacle), 2) immigrants, 3) the fatherless (children in single-parent homes), and 4) widows. God cared greatly for both priest and immigrant, fatherless and widow. All were of deep importance to him.

Finally, I appreciate God’s promise. He declared that if the Israelites obeyed this law, he would bless all the work of their hands. They would still have to work (It wasn’t a lottery jackpot!) but their work would produce results.

Does principle apply today? We are still called to care for those in need, including the full spectrum of those without, whether American or Afghan, priest or poor, male or female, young or old. God may not grant us financial riches, but we will be blessed for investing in the lives of others, both in this life and in eternity.

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Dillon Burroughs is the author and coauthor of numerous books and is handwriting a copy of all 31,173 verses of the Bible at HolyWritProject.com. Find out more about Dillon at Facebook.com/readdB or readdB.com.