Over the past year or so I've been dipping in and out of studying Deuteronomy using Ajith Fernando's commentary. It has been a delight! Something I really appreciate about his writing is that he is from Sri Lanka and it's been a new and wonderful thing to read commentaries often applied specifically to non first-world situations. It has made me realise how good it is not to just read Western authors. Some of Fernando's applications are completely different to anything I've read before and this is so refreshing. It means his commentary is much more relevant to our situation here (but definitely not just restricted to here). There is so much I'd love to have shared from chapters 1-14 but I don't think I'm going to be able to catch up on it all so I'll just try to share some things from the chapters I've been studying recently.
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Give generously to them and so so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
Deut 15.10
Verse 10 presents the promise of blessing for individuals who give generously to the needy: “You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.” Jesus highlighted this truth when he said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). When we consider the above points—namely, the urgent calls to obedience, the threat of punishment for disobedience, and the promise of blessing for obedience—together, we can conclude that when it comes to obedience, it is better to be safe than to be sorry. We must be wise in the way we use our resources. It is better to play safe by giving to the needy than to be sorry because by not giving we displeased God and missed his blessing and merited his punishment.
AF
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This is quite counter to how we normally think. We have a lot of needs here and it's easy to start from the point of view always of being so careful not to give too much or unwisely. It's a healthy counter balance to think it's better to be safe than sorry and to be generous (while being wise of course too).
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