Leviticus 19:9, commentary and pictures

When the harvest is reaped the corners of the field are to be left unreaped and the gleanings are not to be gathered, so that food remains for those in need. What is left includes scattered grain and what falls from the hands in reaping, and reaches to orchard and vineyard, for it is the Lord's portion reserved to relieve the poor and the stranger, who have a right to a share of the soil's produce. The requirement teaches that fields, harvests, and possessions belong to God and men are only stewards of His gifts, keeping His claims first and sanctifying property to Him. It makes holiness practical as justice and unselfish love to neighbor, spoken by Christ Himself with the same high standard of love taught in the New Testament. By this permission the disciples could pluck and eat standing grain as they passed through a field, and its principle still binds today to deal generously with those struggling to gain a place, to give proportionately and thankfully, and to love one another as Christ has loved.

Harvest Law Explained

When reaping the harvest of the land, the corners of the field must be left unreaped and the gleanings of the harvest must not be gathered, so that produce and food remain available for those in need. This is practical love for others, requiring landowners to leave the corners uncut and not collect all the gleanings, preserving food for the poor and the stranger. It is part of God's guidance for a holy life, reflecting practical care for others by leaving what the needy may gather.

What is left includes the scattered grain and what drops from the hands in reaping, and the same rule extends to orchard and vineyard, with some of the vineyard's fruit left for the needy. The corners and gleanings left in harvest-field, orchard, and vineyard are the Lord's portion, reserved to relieve the necessities of the poor and the stranger. The harvest is not wholly the landowner's to gather, but part is set aside as provision for those in need, and the poor have a right to a certain portion of the produce of the soil. All the gleanings of the harvest field, orchard, and vineyard belong to the poor. When hungry a man may go into his neighbor's field, orchard, or vineyard and eat of the grain or fruit to satisfy his hunger.

This provision taught Israel to put God first and to remember that fields, harvests, and possessions belonged to Him, and that they were only stewards of what He had given. Property was thus sanctified to God, His claims were kept paramount, and in almost every article Israel was reminded of the Giver by being required to make returns to Him. The same provision supplied practical support to the poor, the stranger, the destitute, and servants from the edges of the field and among the gleanings. It taught liberality and care for those in need and expressed unselfish love for neighbor. It also welcomed strangers to share in Israel's material blessings and accompanied their welcome into the community of those who knew God, where they could learn His law and share in spiritual blessings.

Holiness Justice and Love

The command was spoken by Christ the Redeemer Himself from the cloudy pillar. It sets forth the same high standard of love that is taught in the New Testament. In it holiness is made to include leaving part of the harvest uncut and not collecting all the gleanings, so that the poor and the stranger can gather food. This is holiness lived out as justice in dealing with others and as practical, unselfish love for neighbor. It forbids oppressing fellow Israelites and brethren in any way and requires that God's gifts be shared, with the corners and gleanings left in harvest-field, orchard, and vineyard as the Lord's portion reserved to relieve the necessities of the poor and the stranger.

Holiness like God's holiness is required in order to be accepted and approved of God. That means practicing godliness in every circumstance and giving mercy and relief not only to one's own sect but to all who need it. It means first being a blessing to the members of one's own family at home and then to fellow men, loving neighbors as self. It means striving daily against selfishness and self-centeredness, and cultivating the attributes of Jesus, which are the attributes of God, growing up to the full stature of Jesus Christ. It means living as individual believers in Jesus Christ as personal Saviour rather than being saved by membership in a particular church.

The instruction was given as a lesson for the benefit of future generations. It calls those who have received the great gift of Jesus and all heaven in Him to love one another as Christ has loved them.

Scripture Link and Application

The leave to enter a neighbor's field and eat to satisfy hunger is the legal ground on which the disciples were entitled to pluck and eat the standing grain as they went through a field on the Sabbath day. The same requirement stands together with letting the land bring forth of itself for the needy every seventh year, and with the tithe, the ransom price for the first-born son, the first-fruits of flocks and harvest, sacrificial offerings, trespass offerings, sin offerings, release of debts every seventh year, hospitalities, gifts to the poor, assessments on property, and special freewill offerings. All of these were proportioned to what each person possessed and were required of all, so that among conscientious givers about one third of income went to religious interests and to the poor.

For Christians the divine claims remain just as binding, calling not only for proportionate giving according to the tithing system but also for the presenting of sin offerings and thank offerings, and failure in such beneficence is robbing God and must be met in the final reckoning. The same principle now requires helping those who are struggling to secure a place, dealing with them generously and mercifully and not making their work harder than necessary, while still gathering up the remaining fragments so that nothing is wasted. Under the old order even servants were to have a share from the edges of the field and from the gleanings, and to withhold even the gleanings reveals the absence of the sacrificial spirit the command enjoins.