"Aren't we commanded to leave the gleanings of our field for the poor and the widow, etc. etc., all through the Bible?" Does it command you to harvest the grain for them and bake the bread for them? Or do people who receive charity have to do SOME work for said charity?
That's a very good point--the widows and orphans are expected to go into the fields and glean the gleanings themselves; there's nothing in there about home delivery. I think the bigger point is that we shouldn't let people like the Browns make us not want to find ways to be generous, or give us an excuse not to try.
***Does it command you to harvest the grain for them and bake the bread for them? ***
This reminds me of what happened to my wife's neice years ago. She and her father raised a big garden and canned lots of food for themselves. When done, they called their relations giving them free gleanings from the garden. The relations were glad to get it---until they found it wasn't picked or canned. They then turned the offer down.