Deuteronomy 24:14
Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates: Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates:
The command forbids oppressing a poor and needy hired servant, whether he is a fellow Israelite brother or a foreigner stranger living in the land within the gates. It requires strict integrity and fair treatment in giving the worker his hire promptly on the day it is due, without letting the sun go down upon it. The reason is that he is poor, depends on it, and sets his heart upon it, and withholding it is sin before the Lord, lest he cry against the withholder unto the Lord. Withholding wages or depriving anyone of what is due is oppression and actual robbery that tramples on the rights of others and cheats workers of rightful wages. God condemns and abhors this even when human courts do not punish it, and it is a grievous sin especially when the worker cannot appeal.
The command is broken by those grasping for the earthly crown whose whole thoughts and energies are given to earthly riches until they become insane on that point. They resort to any means to acquire property and without hesitation take advantage of those poorer and less shrewd than themselves to increase their own wealth even if it brings their victims to beggary. It condemns taking advantage of circumstances to hire poor workers for the lowest possible pay and to press their pay down to benefit oneself. Employers must pay liberally, giving workers all they have earned at fair value reflecting the work, including the demands of skilled mental labor and the cost of living, and God knows the motives behind such dealings.
A worker's connection with God's cause or willingness to sacrifice for it does not justify paying less than fair value. Money gained by underpaying is not a rightful offering to God and brings His curse, and any gain kept from workers may be lost through adversity and affliction. By the same principle a worker in God's cause who becomes too weak to continue must not simply be dismissed but must be supported with wages sufficient for his needs as a member of God's family. Christians serve a different master from the world's master of deception and oppression, so in buying and selling under God's eye they must put aside selfish gain and never use oppression in business. When they employ laborers to gather harvest they must not keep back hard-earned money. Oppressing a hired worker parallels defrauding the body through selfish, perverted appetites, which likewise sins by depriving body and soul of what is due to them.