15:6
If they had been able to reach the standard, then they would “lend to many nations and borrow from none” and “rule over many nations, but none will rule over you”. There are a couple of points to note from this. The first is that God’s people were meant to have a worldwide influence. This has not changed with the gospel (except now, as it is based on Christ, it will work!), as the Great Commission shows (Matt 28:19,20). Now this worldwide influence, even dominance, may concern some people. So the second point to note is that God’s idea of dominance and man’s idea of dominance are very, very different. God’s people are meant to spread God’s goodness and justice to the world.
15:7,8
“If anyone is poor...” Earlier we were told that there need be no poor among you (15:4), and if they followed the Law perfectly there would not have been. But the Law also includes provision for man’s failings. So we are to be generous towards the poor. There are many proverbs and psalms that extol the virtue of lending or giving freely to the poor.
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