June 27 Sermon Discussion Guide
Lucas Yantz shared a message from Deuteronomy 15 about God's word to Israel about its treatment of the poor. Lucas focused on the seeming contradiction between verse 4 and verse 7:
4 “There should be no poor among you, for the Lord your God will greatly bless you in the land he is giving you as a special possession.
7 “But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them.
Elsewhere in Deuteronomy, God gives detailed, explicit instructions about how to handle possessions--how Israelites are to bring the tithe to the storehouse, for example.
Deuteronomy 15, however, is frustratingly devoid of explicit instruction on how to provide for the poor. Instead, the refrain is, be, and be present in a certain way: "Don't be hard-hearted. Don't be tightfisted."
This instruction stands in stark contrast to the hard-hearted, tightfisted kings that Israel has dealt with in the past (see Deuteronomy 2:26, 32; Pharaoh in Exodus).
Here are some of the questions that Lucas raised.
How do we posture our hearts toward openness and generosity?
How can we be present in the ways that God desires?
Who in your life modeled a generosity that you aspire to? Or, is there a certain tendency toward tightfistedness that you have picked up, perhaps without noticing it, from past experiences?
What opportunities do we have, not just as individuals, but as the body of Christ, to exemplify openness and generosity?