Open Thine Hand Wide
In the law of Moses there was a “year of release” described this way: “At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the Lord’s release.” As I thought about this I wondered at how the behavior of people would change as the year of release approached. For example, if the year of release was the following year, people might be less willing to lend as opposed to the year after the year of release. The Lord seems to have anticipated that: “Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because th...