In 23:15-16 Moses gave a word about taking care of an escaped slave.
"You shall not deliver to his master the slave who has escaped from his master to you" (v. 15). Contrary to what we might think, God did not allow an Israelite to send an escaped slave back to his master. Rather, the one to whom the slave escaped was to help the slave.
"He shall dwell with you, even in your midst, in the place which he chooses among your towns, wherever he pleases; you shall not oppress him" (v. 16). It seems that, according to God's arrangement, a slave had a right to escape and then to dwell in the place of his choice. This reveals what kind of heart our God has. God's heart is always willing to forgive and to release, not to condemn. This indicates that we should have the heart to forgive our brothers in the Lord.
An Israelite was not to make a brother pay interest on money, on food, or on anything on which one pays interest (v. 19). An Israelite could make a foreigner pay interest but was not to make a brother do so, in order that Jehovah his God might bless him in all his undertakings (v. 20). This was a matter involving not only an Israelite and his brother but also God, who is above all and sees everything.
"One shall not take a handmill or an upper millstone as a pledge, for he takes the livelihood as a pledge" (24:6). The Hebrew word for "livelihood" here is nephesh, which means soul, life. In this verse we see that an Israelite was not allowed to take one's handmill or upper millstone as a pledge, for that would be to take one's livelihood as a pledge. God would not tolerate this. Even if a borrower had nothing other than a handmill or upper millstone to give as a pledge, the lender was not to take such a pledge. Instead, he was to make the loan without a pledge. This statute reveals that God is loving and full of care.