SUMMARY
The Israelites are commanded to leave some of their harvest for the poor and the foreigner to glean.
ANALYSIS
Part of a chapter that deals with various matters of everyday life (sacrificeSacrifice is commonly understood as the practice of offering or giving up something as a sign of worship, commitment, or obedience. In the Old Testament grain, wine, or animals are used as sacrifice. In some New Testament writings Jesus' death on the cross as the... More, sexual relations, economic activity, family relationships, farming, etc.), this law commands the Israelites not to harvest every last stalk of grain or every last bunch of grapes. They are not to “reap to the very edges of [their] field” nor are they to “strip [their] vineyard bare.” They are not to pick up fallen grapes or gather grain that has fallen to the ground. The edges of the field and the leftover grapes are to be left for the poor and the foreigner, so that they might glean and be able to feed themselves and their families. Leviticus reiterates this law in 23:22, and Deuteronomy 24:20-22 also echoes it, adding widows and orphans to the list of those who should benefit from it.
This law is one of several that undergirds the story of RuthThe great-grandmother of David. More. A foreigner and a widowA widow is a woman whose spouse has died, often plunging her into poverty and putting her in a vulnerable position in society. Jesus, in his concern for the poor, regards widows with compassion and concern. More, Ruth is allowed to glean in the field of BoazHusband of Ruth and great-grandfather of David. More, an upstanding Israelite, in order to provide for herself and her mother-in-law NaomiThe mother-in-law of Ruth. More, who is also a widow (Ruth 2). Boaz goes above and beyond the requirements of this law, however, as he instructs his workers to pull out handfuls of grain from standing sheaves so that Ruth can glean from them (Ruth 2:16).
The law not only provides food for the poor and the foreigner, those who do not own their own land; it also gives them the means to provide for themselves. The law, then, is as much about justice as it is about charity.
