THE DEMANDS OF THE COVENANT WITH THE LORD

DEUTERONOMY 24:17-20

"You shall not violate the rights of the alien or of the orphan, nor take the clothing of a widow as a pledge. For remember, you were once slaves in Egypt, and the Lord, your God, ransomed you from there; that is why I command you to observe this rule. When you reap the harvest in your field and overlook a sheaf there, you shall not go back to get it; let it be for the alien, the orphan or the widow, that the Lord, your God, may bless you in all your undertakings. When you knock down the first of your olive trees, you shall not go over the branches a second time; let what remains be for the alien, the orphan and the widow."

After leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, God made a covenant with them. On God's part, the obligation was for God to be Israel's sovereign, to love the people, and to dwell among them. The Israelites, for their part, were to observe God's commandments. The reading from Deuteronomy sets out one of the oldest ethical codes demanded by God. It underscores both the nature of the relationship between God and the people, and the unequivocal nature of the demand.

The code highlights three groups of people in the Israelite world who are the most poor and vulnerable: widows, orphans, and aliens. In the ancient society, women counted for nothing (cf. Matthew 14:21), and when a woman married she became the property of her husband and moved into his clan. In the event of his death, the widow belonged to no one; she was penniless, and became virtually homeless unless taken in by a brother-in-law or relative. The orphan, similar to the widow, belonged to no one and came under no one's care. Aliens, by definition, were foreigners in the land away from their tribe and did not belong to anyone, with no home or family for support. The characteristic common to each of these persons is that they become the poorest members of society by virtue of circumstance.

God's solicitation for this three-part grouping of impoverished people--widows, orphans, and aliens (including immigrants, refugees, and strangers)--dominate the Hebrew scriptures. (See Deuteronomy 10:17-18; 24:17; 26-12; 27:19; Leviticus 19:9-10; 23:22; Isaiah 1:17; Jeremiah 7:5-6; Job 22:9).

It is Isaiah who lifts up God's promise to those who care for the poor: "Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked . . . Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed . . . Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: 'Here I am!'" (Isaiah 58:7-9).