Deuteronomy 15

At the end of every seven years, you shall cancel debts.

This is the way it shall be done: every creditor shall release that which he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not require payment from his neighbor and his brother, because the LORD’s release has been proclaimed.

Of a foreigner you may require it; but whatever of yours is with your brother, your hand shall release.

However there will be no poor with you (for the LORD will surely bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance to possess)

if only you diligently listen to the LORD your God’s voice, to observe to do all this commandment which I command you today.

For the LORD your God will bless you, as he promised you. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow. You will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.

If a poor man, one of your brothers, is with you within any of your gates in your land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor brother;

but you shall surely open your hand to him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need, which he lacks.

Beware that there not be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, “The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,” and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing; and he cry to the LORD against you, and it be sin to you.

You shall surely give, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because it is for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you put your hand to.

For the poor will never cease out of the land. Therefore I command you to surely open your hand to your brother, to your needy, and to your poor, in your land.

If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you.

When you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty.

You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your wine press. As the LORD your God has blessed you, you shall give to him.

You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you. Therefore I command you this thing today.

It shall be, if he tells you, “I will not go out from you,” because he loves you and your house, because he is well with you,

then you shall take an awl, and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise.

It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you, for he has been double the value of a hired hand as he served you six years. The LORD your God will bless you in all that you do.

You shall dedicate all the firstborn males that are born of your herd and of your flock to the LORD your God. You shall do no work with the firstborn of your herd, nor shear the firstborn of your flock.

You shall eat it before the LORD your God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, you and your household.

If it has any defect—is lame or blind, or has any defect whatever, you shall not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.

You shall eat it within your gates. The unclean and the clean shall eat it alike, as the gazelle and as the deer.

Only you shall not eat its blood. You shall pour it out on the ground like water.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter sets forth laws aimed at fostering justice, generosity, and remembrance of redemption within the covenant community, centering on the sabbatical release of debts, care for the poor, and the manumission of Hebrew slaves, while also addressing the consecration of firstborn animals. These provisions reflect the social holiness required of God’s people and are rooted in His past redemption and promised blessing.

Flow.

Begins with the command to cancel debts every seventh year, framing economic mercy as an act of obedience to the Lord’s release.
Shifts to the call to give generously to the poor, warning against stinginess prompted by the nearness of the sabbatical year.
Introduces the release of indentured Hebrew servants after six years, requiring that they be sent away with abundant provisions.
Concludes with instructions for consecrating the firstborn males of livestock, specifying where and how they may be eaten, with exceptions for defective animals.

Connections.
Following chapter 14, which distinguishes clean and unclean foods and outlines the tithe system as expressions of holiness and worship, chapter 15 extends the demand for consecration into social and economic life. It prepares for chapter 16, which begins a broader discussion of covenant worship and justice, by showing that true obedience includes not only ritual fidelity but also mercy and generosity toward the vulnerable. The theme of remembrance—especially of slavery and deliverance—connects this chapter to both the past (Egypt) and the future (the worship reforms in the chapters ahead).

What it teaches.
God requires His people to reflect His character through economic justice and compassion, recognizing that their land and prosperity are His gifts. The release of debts (v. 2) and servants (v. 12) embodies the principle of renewal and dignity, grounded in the exodus redemption (v. 15), echoing the moral law’s concern for human flourishing (WCF 19.2; HC LD 34). The command to give freely, even when the poor are always present (v. 11), affirms that stewardship and mercy are inseparable from faithfulness (LD 44). The treatment of firstborn animals underscores the sacredness of what is due to God by right of creation and redemption (Ex. 13:2; BC art. 26), to be handled according to His holy order.

Apply.
When lending to those in need or releasing others from obligation, act with liberality and joy, as one who has been redeemed and entrusted with God’s blessings.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.