Old Testament
Leviticus 19:9-10
9 “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.
10 You shall not glean your vineyard, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.
New Testament
Galatians 6:9-10
9 Let’s not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season if we don’t give up.
10 So then, as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good towards all men, and especially towards those who are of the household of the faith.
Leviticus commands Israel not to harvest to the edges. Leave something standing. Let gleanings remain. It is an economy with margins intentionally kept porous, so the poor and the foreigner are not shut out of sustenance. The field is not treated as a private kingdom.
Inclusive growth is not simply ‘more’. It is more shared. It is the decision, built into law and habit, that the vulnerable will not be left to beg for scraps after the strong have taken everything. It is also a confession: all the land belongs to the Lord.
Paul’s words in Galatians are not sentimental. Bear one another’s burdens. Do not grow weary in doing good. And as we have opportunity, work the good toward all. Opportunity is a gift; it is also a responsibility. We do not get to call ourselves a household of faith while shutting the door on those in need.
Lord, give us economies with open hands. Teach us to resist the anxious instinct to take every last stalk for ourselves. Shape the Church into a community where the vulnerable are neighbours rather than a project, and where those with power to hire, price, lend, and invest remember that you watch the edges as well as the centre.