Release of Debts and Slaves: Those who see the order of the Decalogue reflected in the structure of the laws in Deuteronomy 12–26 relate the whole section from 14:28 to 16:17 to the fourth (sabbath) commandment. The sabbath commandment focused on the needs especially of the dependent sections of the population (5:14) and was motivated by God’s redemptive action on behalf of Israel when they were oppressed slaves (5:15). Chapter 15 is saturated with the same social concern and the same motivation. It is the flagship for a flotilla of smaller sections in a similar vein in the following chapters. There is a warmth and compassion to this chapter that we find easier to identify with than the severity of, say, chapter 13. And yet, as was pointed out regarding chapter 14, it is vital that we hold…