In this message on the rehearsing of the general statutes and judgments, we will consider some further matters concerning aid to the needy.
Deuteronomy 15:12-18 speaks of the freeing of a Hebrew male servant or female servant. Such a servant was one of God's people who sold himself to be someone's slave.
"If your brother, a Hebrew man or woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years; but in the seventh year you shall set him free" (v. 12). The reason a Hebrew servant was to be set free after six years of service is that God is a God of rest. After doing the work of creation for six days, He rested on the seventh day (Gen. 2:2). The people created by God were also to work for six days and rest on the seventh day. In Deuteronomy 15:12, the principle of resting after a period of work is applied to a Hebrew servant. From this we see that God is not only wise but also that He sympathizes with man. God is concerned for man and cares for man.
"When you set him free, you shall not send him away empty-handed; you must supply him richly out of your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress; as Jehovah your God has blessed you, so shall you give to him" (vv. 13-14). God is not a God of scarcity but a God of riches, plenty, and surplus. For this reason, the master was to richly supply the servant who was being released.