The God of Justice and Compassion
For Meditation (Corey Widmer)
At first glance, the laws in Deuteronomy 23–24 may seem like a collection of unrelated social instructions—about runaway slaves, debts, wages, and gleaning. But together they reveal a profound vision of what life looks like under God’s gracious rule.
At the heart of these commands is a simple conviction: every person bears the image of God and therefore possesses unshakable dignity. Yet Deuteronomy also recognizes the tragic reality that life in a fallen world is not fair. Some are more vulnerable than others—because of poverty, loss, displacement, or exploitation. So God gives His people laws that tilt toward mercy: protecting the weak, restraining the strong, and weaving compassion into the fabric of daily life.
This is not a list of random rules; it is a portrait of divine character. God is a God of justice and compassion, and He calls His people to mirror His heart. “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt,” the text repeats. In other words, never forget your own story of grace. Justice is not driven by guilt but by gratitude—by the memory of the God who saw our suffering, set us free, and restored our dignity.
Ultimately, this vision finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ—the One who entered our vulnerability to redeem us and who is even now restoring the shalom that sin has shattered. Through Him, God is creating a community where every person’s worth is honored and where mercy and justice embrace.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
These laws emphasize both the dignity of every person and the protection of the vulnerable. How do those two truths—dignity and vulnerability—work together to form a biblical vision of justice?
Deuteronomy repeatedly ties Israel’s call to justice with the command to “remember that you were slaves in Egypt.” How does remembering your own experience of grace or deliverance shape the way you treat others?
In what ways do our modern systems—economic, social, or political—still exploit those who are vulnerable? How might God’s people respond differently?
Think of a time when you experienced compassion or advocacy from someone else. How did that reflect God’s heart toward you?
As followers of Jesus, how can our community embody this vision of justice and shalom—so that the world sees, through us, what God is like?
Deuteronomy 23:15–16; 24:10–22
When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into their house to get what is offered to you as a pledge. Stay outside and let the neighbor to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. If the neighbor is poor, do not go to sleep with their pledge in your possession. Return their cloak by sunset so that your neighbor may sleep in it. Then they will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the Lord your God.
Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it. Otherwise they may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.
Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.
Do not deprive the foreigner or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.
When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.
Read along with us this fall! Download our Deuteronomy Reading Guide here.