Gleaning

I manage an apartment complex. My duties include minnimizing expenses and keeping the landlord from getting sued. But I have four big recycling bins on the property that are attractive to poor people who come and remove all of the aluminum and plastic. If one of them gets hurt on the property, gets hurt going through the recylcling bins or one of the dupsters the landloard could be held liable for the injury. And the whole point of the recycling bins is to keep the cost of garbage collection down. But if people take the most valuable parts of the recyclables out of the bins it defeats the purpose of using the bins. So, I chase away the scavangers.

Today, I yelled at an old Korean man to leave. He didn't look up. He didn't act like he heard me. So, I went over to where he was and when he saw me looked at me. I told he was tresspassing and would have to leave. He reached into the recyling bin and continued looking for more cans and bottles. I jumped up and down, yelled, and pointed. He looked at me with mouth agape. I think he was deaf. I know he was old. At the very least, I am sure he didn't speak English. As he looked at me I looked at him. And as I saw the surprise on his face I knew something was wrong but I couldn't put my finger on it. He picked up his bags of cans and walked away.

As I walked back to my office I remembered Leveticus 19:9&10, though I had not read it in 20 years.

"And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God. "

If he comes back, if I see him again, I hope I have a beer or some freshly brewed of coffee to offer him.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.