CHERRY-PICKING THE BIBLE

Michael Medved writes a hilarious and revealing column. Here's the heart of it, what Medved thinks is:

...one of the most important of all verses in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Leviticus 19:15 declares: "You shall not commit a perversion of justice: you shall not favor the poor and you shall not honor the great, with righteousness shall you judge your fellow."

It should, indeed, come as a revelation and a rebuke to all liberals that Holy Scripture identifies "favoring the poor" as "a perversion of justice."

He goes on to spin and spew about how bad the liberals are and I won't discuss these idiotic points here. I do want to point out other passages from the Bible that under any ordinary interpretation can be considered liberal.

First, let's consider the Sabbath Year:

Seventh Year Also Called "Year of Release"

In Deuteronomy 15:1-18, the seventh year is called the LORD'S release, and all debts are to be forgiven. The reason for this law is to relieve the poor.

Exodus 21:1-6 describes how Hebrew servants were to be released in the seventh year, unless they voluntarily desired to be lifelong servants.

Deuteronomy 31:9-13 says that the Law is to be read at the end of the seventh year, at the Feast of Tabernacles. This would ensure that former debtors and servants were properly taught God's Law so they might not have to become poor again.

Next, here are some passages about the poor:

Leviticus 19:10
You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 15:11
Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, "Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land."

Deuteronomy 24:
10 When you make your neighbor a loan of any kind, you shall not go into the house to take the pledge.
11 You shall wait outside, while the person to whom you are making the loan brings the pledge out to you.
12 If the person is poor, you shall not sleep in the garment given you as the pledge.
13 You shall give the pledge back by sunset, so that your neighbor may sleep in the cloak and bless you; and it will be to your credit before the Lord your God.