Deuteronomy 24:19
When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.
When grain is cut and a sheaf is accidentally forgotten in the field, it must not be fetched again but must be left where it lies for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. The same law forbids stripping the harvest clean, for the olive boughs must not be gone over a second time and the vineyard must not be gleaned afterward. The second beating of the olive tree and all the gleanings of harvest-field, orchard, and vineyard belong to the poor and must be left for them.
God thereby gave the poor a right to a definite portion of the produce of the soil. The stated reason is remembrance that Israel had been a bondman in the land of Egypt. The command expresses His principles of mercy, compassion, and love, and it taught kindness and generosity through practical care for people in need.
Israel was to leave part of the harvest for strangers and the poor, including orphans and widows, rather than gather every sheaf and crop for itself or keep everything for its own benefit. Such harvest giving was to be joined with remembrance of God's mercy and gratitude for His blessings. This provision belongs to God's demand for justice and compassion, and to exploit the poor or withhold what is due them stands under His condemnation.
Obedience brings His blessing on all the work of one's hands, and He has promised blessing in keeping with such acts of love and mercy. The blessings of salvation, temporal as well as spiritual, are for all mankind, for God is benevolent and has made ample provision for the wants of all through those to whom He has entrusted His goods. Though Israel was to stand distinct and holy and separate from nations that knew God not, the command teaches kindness to the stranger, not looking down on him because he is not of Israel, but loving him because Christ died to save him as truly as to save Israel.
Sharing the temporal harvest in this way points to sharing spiritual blessings, receiving strangers who choose the society of those who know God so they may learn the law of Jehovah and glorify Him by obedience. The verse calls for strict integrity in all the details of life, putting aside all desire for selfish gain and acting in business as under the eye of God. It forbids oppression, overreaching, false balances, keeping back harvest wages, perverting justice, taking a widow's pledge, or enlarging possessions by a neighbor's hardship, and it requires paying laborers, relieving a less fortunate brother, accepting only a fair price, and frankly telling defects even at loss. The Jewish nation failed to follow this instruction, withholding help from suffering people.