19:9,10
This command tells them not to reap the harvest right to the edges of the field, nor to gather the gleanings of the harvest. Nor were they to go over the vineyard a second time. The “crumbs” from the harvest were to be left for the poor and the foreigner. Other peoples had a similar rule, but the law here was unique in mentioning foreigners. The most notable example of this is in the story of Ruth, who was gleaned from the edges of the field (Ruth 2:3), and this played a very important role in meeting Boaz and ultimately being married to him. So we see that a seemingly minor law played a very important part in God’s purposes.
To widen out the application of the law, it is a warning against trying to eke out the last bit of profit or efficiency from an enterprise. Seeking out the last penny of profit actually diminishes us as persons, and eventually leads to economic disaster.
19:11
We now get a list of various ethical laws. These echo some of the ten commandments. They were not to deceive each other. In every society there are those who seek to deceive others. Scam emails or phone calls are a particular example of this in our day, but deception has always been a problem.
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