If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again. (13:6-11)Zero tolerance. If it's your relative He expects you to be the one to take care of it. I wonder if these verses were ever put into practice at all? I don't recall reading anywhere in scripture about anyone actually doing this. I'm not sure what to make of this.
I'm also not sure what to make of this...
However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. (15:4-5)Then just a few verses later he says:
There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. (15:11)The first passage does have a conditional statement: "...if only you fully obey the LORD your God..." Is it possible he's simply assuming that isn't going to happen? Maybe there's something else I'm missing here.
One thing is for sure...God expects us to take care of the poor among us.
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