“If one of your brethren becomes poor, and falls into poverty among you, then you shall help him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you.” —Leviticus 25:35 (NKJV)
Cain’s question to God—”Am I my brother’s keeper?”—was rhetorical, arguing against responsibility for Abel’s death. It also served to deny responsibility for the lives of any other brothers he might have.
A similar question appears in Luke 10:29. An unnamed legal expert asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus knew the man wanted to limit his responsibility to people living nearby, people I know, or members of my community, but His parable turned that idea on its head.
In a strictly literal sense, the law was on the expert’s side. The Hebrew word for “neighbor”—rea’—is also translated as friend, companion, fellow, intimate, fellow-citizen. Similarly, ‘ach—Hebrew for “brother”—refers to actual siblings, other close relations, members of one’s tribe.
We could say that the lawyer adhered to the letter of the law, but avoided its spirit. Giving this type of reading its most cynical twist, we might observe that we can’t choose our brothers but at least we can choose our neighbors.
In reality, the legal expert enjoyed the benefit of having God’s law to study but his heart was unaffected by it; he was no different than lawless Cain. In the parable, Jesus cast him in the role of one of the villains—including the priest and Levite—who left the man for dead beside the Jericho road.
My brother, my neighbor
The law expert would have known a verse like Leviticus 25:36. He would have been familiar with its larger context—Leviticus 25:35-55—that shows us how brothers are to be helped, not sent away. They’re not to be treated harshly, but their dignity maintained. Land and freedom, if lost, must be restored to brothers as soon as possible.
But had he noticed that the verse says an impoverished brother must be helped in the manner of “a stranger or sojourner”? He, like most people, believed brothers (and neighbors) deserve primacy over strangers and sojourners, and better care than aliens and foreigners.
What are we to make of this?
The passage is thematically tied to an earlier one in Leviticus 19 where, in verses 9 and 10, Israel is told to allow both the poor AND strangers to glean the corners of fields. Poor citizens presumably have land but insufficient crops, while poor strangers have no land and therefore no crops. Citizens and strangers are to be treated alike, even though they’re acknowledged as being distinct. They exist in a common precarious, life-or-death, situation. They equally deserve attention and help.
Leviticus 19:11-18 bring other categories of people under the same umbrella:
- Verses 11-12 command Israel not to lie to or about one another
- v13 - don’t rob or oppress a neighbor; don’t withhold a hired person’s wages beyond an agreed upon timeframe
- v14 - don’t abuse people with disabilities
- v15 - judge a neighbor fairly, impartially… whether poor or rich
- v16 - don’t verbally take a neighbor’s life (slander)
- v17 - don’t hate a brother; you may reprove a neighbor but not sin against him
- v18 - don’t take vengeance or bear grudges against sons of your people; love neighbors as you love yourself
I suppose each of the above injunctions could be parsed separately, as relating only to the specific category of person mentioned. For instance, I can imagine someone saying verse 14 is limited in scope only to proper treatment of the visually or hearing impaired, but that would be ridiculous. It’s more in keeping with the law’s spirit to take that law as referring to anyone with a disability. And it’s more accurate to look at all of these laws together and view the various terms used for people groups as interchangeable.
God knows how likely sinners are to harm each other, and He doesn’t leave any room for it. Similarly, He knows how many different ways we’re prone to neglect others, and He doesn’t allow an inch of that either.
“Love your neighbor as yourself” is clearly intended as the summation of this section of law. Indeed, Paul says all laws are summed up in this very point (Romans 13:9-10).
Building a culture of life
Similar passages of law further restrain our worst impulses and encourage the best:
➤Deuteronomy 15:7-11 – This context again refers to a mix of brothers, neighbors, poor, and needy, but its focus is on the people who are in a position to help. Specifically it’s addressed to “you” (and me) and points a finger at my heart, my hands, and my eyes.
- Is my heart hardened against the poor, hoping I’ll never be asked for help? When requests are presented, am I grieved over what I must give up?
- Do my hands greedily cling to possessions, or do I hold them loosely so they can be freely shared with others?
- Do my eyes look with hostility and suspicion on the poor, or with compassion and pity? (See also Matthew 6:22-23 and 20:15.)
As James 2:15-16 implies, my response to a brother or sister who lacks food and clothing reveals whether I have any faith in God, whether it’s alive or dead. Wishing someone well… praying for him… and failing to ensure he won’t starve after leaving church, is meaningless, futile. If generosity were to actually cause me to lack food and clothing, do I have as much faith in God as I expect this poor person to have? Will He not care for me?
➤Deuteronomy 24:10-22 reiterates much of what Leviticus 19:9-18 and 25:35-55 have said. What’s new are notes of caution about debtors who offer their cloak as collateral for loans. They must have access to that garment overnight or risk freezing to death. Similarly, workers must be paid at the end of the day so they’ll have a meal and live to work another day. We must learn to recognize hardships as potentially threatening people's physical lives.
God is pro-life and very concerned about these details, otherwise He would not have included them in His law. We need to ask Him what these words mean for us.
➤Deuteronomy. 25:5-10 – This passage does apply to actual siblings and blood relatives. They are obligated to care for widows left behind when a man dies, to perpetuate his lineage. It too is a matter of life and death. Lest hostility be expressed toward the man's widow, this law is instead contemptuous of brothers who fail in their obligations. This law seems designed to avoid repetition of the ugly treatment Tamar received from her dead husband’s family (Genesis 38), and to promote the beauty of brotherly love that is on display in the book of Ruth.
In summary, these laws teach us to recognize life-or-death situations and take action to keep brothers and neighbors in the realm of the living. This is what a life-affirming culture looks like. The law of God shows us what is required of us under the pro-life ethic and how to build a culture of life.
Effect of the Fall on brotherliness
Even before he received the commandments on Mount Sinai, Moses felt strongly about brother-keeping. One day he came across two Israelites fighting each other. In Stephen’s telling (Acts 7:26), Moses appealed to their sense of kinship: “Men, you are brothers, why do you injure one another?”
Brothers struggle with and even kill each other because of the Fall. The Fall also complicates our best intentions for doing right and our most sincere efforts of caring for brothers and neighbors. Many thorny questions are raised simply because of the sheer volume of people who need help: How can we help them all? Who should we help first? What is the best way to help?
One thing we can be sure of, brotherliness is a priority with God. These laws reflect His own nature. We must at least be predisposed toward helping. And even though we will never be perfectly helpful, we can at least make the attempt.
God's law says, "Thou shalt not kill (murder)" AND, in effect, thou shalt keep your brother, neighbor, and enemy alive. Yes, even our enemies. Remember, one of the things that distinguishes murder from manslaughter is any hatred or enmity that the killer previously expressed toward the victim.
Recall Jesus’ insistence in the Sermon on the mount” that disciples give to those who ask, lend without expecting a return, and give your cloak also to the person who wants your shirt (Matthew 5:40-42, Luke 6:34-35). These words and phrases are borrowed directly from Leviticus and Deuteronomy. And within the immediate context, Jesus includes evil people and enemies as recipients of our help.
Here’s a parting question to consider: If we did a better job taking care of brothers and sisters, neighbors and enemies, what effect might it have on one of the thorniest issues of our day—abortion?
Next: The poor are always with you
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Related posts:God hears the cries of marginalized people
The best and worst of brother-keeping
Why and how should I be pro-life? (Psalm 112)
Biblical heroes prevent unjust deaths
Images: The Good Samaritan, Ferdinand Hodler, 1875 (https://www.artbible.info/art/large/1098.html, https://www.wikiart.org/en/ferdinand-hodler/the-good-samaritan-1885), public domain
What an interesting question! `If we did a better job taking care of brothers and sisters, neighbors and enemies, what effect might it have on abortion?' If we valued the profession of caretaking more would there be fewer abortions? I don't know.
ReplyDeleteTaking care of someone's personal needs is very demanding and can be draining: financially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. More often than not this work goes unpaid and is done not out of a desire to make a living but out of a desire to show love and honor to God and to the person for whom the care is done.
If our society did a better job of valuing the care of brothers and sisters, neighbors and enemies then maybe `personal care attendant' could become a profession and people could make a living wage. If we did a better job of supporting child-care workers, teachers, and nursing home attendants would there be fewer abortions? I don't know. It's an interesting thought.
Maybe we are taking a pro-life stance when we take care of someone's personal needs whether helping with money or by serving them in some way. Maybe we are demonstrating our pro-life position when we express gratitude for and appreciate the value of people who take good care of us and others.
Thank you again for your thoughtful post and probing question.
Yes! What if we did a better job of caring for each other? Period! If we demonstrated willingness to be involved, to care, to not conclude caring is a waste of time or energy, perhaps people wouldn't feel so alone, generally.
DeleteI think it's not necessary (or possible) that we have all the answers or can fix all the problems... no one person can do that for another. We can't even solve our own problems or answer our own questions. But it's good to at least be with someone in the struggle, show we care. That's what compassion is, and a new word I learned, "compathy." We can go to God for help together, and lighten the burden by being in on the struggle... sharing that we have burdens too, not pretending to have none.
And those caregiving roles--paid and unpaid--are so vital, worth a lot. I've met many who really put a lot of themselves into their work, and they could never be paid all they're worth. Bless the ones who do see it as ministry.