Deuteronomy 24:14 - Meaning and Application

Here, first, masters are told to deal fairly with their poor servants, (Deuteronomy 24:14, 15). They must not crush them by piling on too much work, giving unfair and harsh rebukes, or holding back what is needed for their support. Even a servant who is a stranger in Israel must not be mistreated. The reason is clear: “Remember that you were a slave in the land where you were a stranger” (Deuteronomy 24:18). You know how bitter it is to be under a hard master, so be gentle with servants and strangers, and thankful to God who gave you freedom and a land of your own. Masters must not act like tyrants, because they themselves have a Master in heaven. See also (Job 31:13).

They must also be steady and honest in paying wages. “Give him his pay on the same day,” means more than just paying eventually. As soon as the worker has finished the day’s labor, if he asks for it, he should receive his wages, like the laborers in (Matthew 20:8) when evening came. Someone who works for daily wages usually lives from day to day, so he cannot provide tomorrow’s food for his family until he is paid for today’s work.

If wages are held back, two serious harms follow. First, it causes sorrow to the worker. Poor people look forward to their pay, and they depend on it as part of God’s provision for their families. A kind master, even if it is a little inconvenient, should not disappoint that hope. Second, it brings guilt on the master. The wronged servant will cry out to the Lord, since he has no other court to appeal to, and that will be sin against the employer. Even if the servant says nothing, the fraud itself will cry out, as (James 5:4) says of wages kept back by force. Many people do not think this is a great sin, but it is. God will see that poor servants, laborers, and workers get justice if men do not.

Second, magistrates and judges are told to be fair in their public duties. In criminal cases, a fixed rule is given here, that fathers must not be put to death for their children, or children for their fathers, (Deuteronomy 24:16). If children break the law, let them suffer for their own crime. If parents are guilty, let them die for their own sin. It is true that God, as the Lord of life, sometimes brings a family under judgment, especially for idolatry, and sometimes deals with nations as whole groups. But he does not allow people to carry out justice that way. So we read that Amaziah spared the children even when the fathers were put to death for killing the king, (2 Kings 14:6). Saul’s sons were put to death for Saul’s offense only in an unusual case, and no doubt by special direction from heaven, and they died more like sacrifices than criminals, (2 Samuel 21:9, 14).

In civil cases between one person and another, judges must be careful not to let a just cause suffer because the person is weak, friendless, or poor, especially in the case of strangers, orphans, and widows, (Deuteronomy 24:17). They must not twist judgment against them, or force them to give even their clothes as security by taking advantage of them. Judges should stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves and have no friends to speak for them.

Third, the rich are told to be kind and generous to the poor. The law of Moses gives many commands in this direction. One clear example is that farmers were not to gather their grain, grapes, and olives so carefully that nothing was left behind. They were to leave some behind for the poor to gather, along with the gleanings, (Deuteronomy 24:19-22).

They should not say, “It is all mine, so why should I not keep every bit of it?” They should learn to think little of small losses. One forgotten sheaf or two will not leave them poorer by the end of the year, and it may help someone in need. They should not say, “I will decide exactly what I give and who gets it. Why should I leave it for unknown people to gather, who may never thank me?” Instead, they should trust God to direct their charity, and he may send it to the people who need it most. Or, they may well expect it will reach those who are most willing to work and gather what the law provides for them.

They should also not say, “What can poor people do with grapes and olives? Bread and water are enough for them.” Poor people have the same senses as the rich, so why should they not have some share in the good things that refresh life? Boaz had handfuls of grain left on purpose for Ruth, and God blessed him for it. What is left behind is not wasted.