Leave Di Edges of Your Farm

One farmer dey swing im sickle through golden barley. Line after line. Then, near di edge of di farm, e stop. E leave one whole part standing. On purpose. And e waka go.

Dem never born dat farmer yet. Right now, di people of Israel camp for di desert for Mount Sinai. Dem no get any farm at all, na only tents and sand and manna every morning. But God dey prepare dem for land wey go be their own, with vineyards and harvests. Through Moses e talk to di whole community. Be holy, e talk, because I, di Lord your God, dey holy. And then e show dem how holiness dey look. No be only for di tabernacle. For farm, for market, for di town gate, for inside heart.

When you dey harvest your crop, God talk, no cut reach di edges of your farm. And no go back to pick di small small ones wey fall. For your vineyard, no strip every last grape or gather di ones wey drop. Leave dem for di poor and for di stranger. I be di Lord your God. Think about wetin dat one mean. One widow wey no get land, one stranger wey just arrive, one family wey don fall into hard times: dem fit waka enter farm for harvest time and gather food with their own hands. No be as beggars, but as guests wey God don already provide for. Di farmer farm get space wey God build inside am for other people.

Then God continue, one command after another, each one about how to treat people. No steal. No lie to each other. No use my name to make false promise. No cheat your neighbour or rob am. If you hire worker for di day, pay am before night, because e need am. No curse di deaf, even though dem no fit hear you. No put something for blind person front to make am fall, even though e no fit see you. Fear your God, wey dey see everything. When you dey judge case, be fair. No favour di poor because you dey pity am, and no favour di powerful because e impress you. And no dey waka go spread gossip.

Now God go deeper, enter di heart. No hate your brother for your heart. If person dey do wrong, talk to am with honesty, instead of to let bitterness grow. No take revenge, and no keep grudge. Instead, God talk, you go love your neighbour as yourself. I be di Lord. And then, later for di chapter, e add di people wey dem fit dey tempted to forget. When stranger come live for your land, no treat am bad. Treat am like person wey dem born among you. Love am as yourself. And see di reason. Una once be strangers, for Egypt. Una remember how e be. Remember am, and be kind.

For nineteen hundred and eight, for di old city of Gezer, archaeologists find one small limestone tablet, maybe from around di tenth century before Christ. Dem scratch one farmer year inside am: months of planting, of flax, of barley harvest, of harvest and feasting, of taking care of di vines, of summer fruit. Dem dey call am di Gezer Calendar. E show say na harvests shape Israel year, di very times wey dis law ask farmers to leave space for di poor.

Leave di edges of your farm. You go find dis words for Leviticus chapter nineteen, verse nine to eighteen, and thirty-three to thirty-four. Centuries after, Jesus call love your neighbour as yourself one of di two greatest commandments. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Wetin you fit leave for di edge of your farm dis week, so that another person go get enough?