And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
The law was given to the Israelites. And the law is for sin. But that doesn’t mean that the rest of the world doesn’t need the law; that the rest of the world does not sin. We know this because “Death reigned from Adam to Moses.” (Romans 5:14) In the law is proclaimed what sin is and the punishment for it. The wages of all sin for all sinners has always been death. “For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law.” (Romans 2:12) All the law applies to all.
This verse also is in the law and applies to all. Thou shalt leave them unto the poor. The law demands mercy. The law demands compassion. When we think of the law, we think eye for eye and tooth for tooth. The rigid, stern death of the law is a picture into the mind and heart of God and shows us what he thinks of sin. Likewise, this verse is also a picture into the mind and heart of God, but shows us what he thinks of the sinner. “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” (Matthew 5:3)
God says, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) There’s nothing holy about us save the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.” (Matthew 23:23) As the law demands sacrifice from all for sin, so also it demands mercy from all. Mercy is part of God’s holiness.
God the Father provided the sacrifice through His Son and his righteousness is fulfilled in us. But do the requirements of the law end there? Remember the parable of the unforgiving servant. “O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?” (Matthew 18:32,33)
Look not to yourself to perform such requirements. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it…” (Phillipians 1:6) Just as the Father provided the sacrifice through His Son, He’ll perform the mercy, compassion, and love in us through His Spirit. He does it all. All we must do is let Him. Wouldn’t you like to love like He’s loved you.