If Your Neighbor Cries Out To Me,

I Will Listen

If you lend money to my people, to the poor among you, you shall not deal with them as a creditor; you shall not exact interest from them. If you take your neighbor’s cloak in pawn, you shall restore it before the sun goes down; for it may be your neighbor’s only clothing to use as cover; in what else shall that person sleep? And if your neighbor cries out to me, I will listen, for I am compassionate.

Exodus 22:22-24

When God gave His people instructions in the desert, He told them they had a responsibility for widows and fatherless children. They were to leave some of the harvest in the field for them, and every third year they took up a special collection for the needy. God expected His people to hear the cries of the powerless; defend their rights, and care for them.

The Israelites were commanded to care for others as a remembrance of their experience in Egypt. When they were in trouble and cried out to God, He heard their cries and helped them. So their memory of oppression and release was intended to hold their values, attitudes, and actions toward the powerless in the land. Let us imitate our Father by hearing the cries of the needy in our world.

The closer you are to God, the more you’ll have a heart for others.

Our Daily Bread – September 10, 2008