God Has a Lot to Say about When to Lend Your Money

 

Deuteronomy Chapter 15, part 1: Law about Debts

Deuteronomy 15:1-11 – Gems and Thoughts from the Passage

Can you believe what God was expecting of the Israelites? Every seven years there was to be a forgiveness (a remission) of debts (verse 1). But this only applied to fellow Israelites, not foreigners (verse 3). The seven year period was not based on when you loaned, but it was a standardized time – that is, every seventh year in the history of the Israelites.

Proverbs 19:17 also says, “He who lends to the poor lends to the Lord.”

Interestingly enough, in verses 4-5, Moses goes on to say that the good news is that if you obey God’s commands, “there shall be no poor people amongst you”. Ever ventured downtown in your city or large town lately? If your neighborhood is like mine, it won’t be long before you see people begging on the streets. It won’t be long before you saw the multitude of homeless people. Moses is saying, if you follow God’s commands as a community, you won’t have that. Yes, I know that in the New Testament Jesus says the “poor you will always have with you”(John 12:8 and elsewhere), but that does not discredit the message from Moses here – follow God’s commands and you won’t any poor among you.

Then comes verse 6. The Israelites shall be blessed; they will ‘lend’ to many nations, but not ‘borrow’; they will rule over many nations, but nations will not rule over them.  There is much that may be said about this verse, but I like to think of lending as helping. And clearly Israel has always helped others, and even today the whole world benefits from Israeli technology, medical and pharmaceutical advancement, education, art, and so on. And while the Jewish people suffered greatly under the likes of Hitler, and right on through to today where antisemitism is rampant, as a ‘nation’ they have not been ruled over.  Israel is still Israel today and thriving, although it constantly has to be on the alert. As far as I’m concerned, the verse has come true.

Verses 7 and 8 talk about lending to those in need from among their brethren. Moses says it is a matter of not hardening your heart, not closing your hand, but lending sufficiently and generously to the person in need. I think that word “generously” causes a lot of problems for many Christians. The idea that a person in need should be treated with “generosity” strikes many as a bit much. But yet, the word of God says that we are to lend generously.  Now, it does say “lend” not “give”.  But in verse one, it also says that such lending is forgiven every seven years.

Verse 9 has an interesting warning. Moses was saying if you have any idea that because the seventh year of remission is near, you decide that you don’t want to lend to your brother – that is a sin.

Verse 10 here says basically what we are told in the New Testament in 2 Corinthians 9:7 where we are told that the Lord loves a cheerful giver. So, don’t let your heart grieve about giving money to help your poor.

And then verse 11 repeats the idea that the Israelites will always have the poor in their land.

So, let’s think about the issues that arise here: On the one hand, if you obey God’s commands, you won’t have any poverty. On the other, the poor you will always have with you. Can it both?  Of course, it can.  You, personally, can obey God’s commands and you personally won’t be poor. [Anybody that learned to tithe with the first dime or dollar that they ever earned and is still doing so with a cheerful heart, knows that this is true. That’s a blessing indeed.] But, hey, others may not be as wise and don’t follow God’s commands, and you’ll need to help them – not so much for them, as it is good for you to do so. It’s a matter between you and God.

David Guzik puts says this about any apparent confusion here: “Is God contradicting Himself? Not at all. He knows that He has established a system where no one must be chronically poor, yet He knew that because of disobedience, some would, and there would always be the poor in Israel.”

Again, David Guzik on the command to be generous towards those of the faith: “This reminds us of Galatians 6:10 - Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. Our charitable giving is to begin with those brothers and sisters closest to us, though it certainly can extend outward from there.”

 

Wrap-up

God has a lot to say about money in the Bible. Some have it.  Some don’t. There are reasons of course.  But the bottom line is that those who have it, are not to forget those that don’t – especially in one’s family and in one’s church, or faith. This section of chapter 15 of book of Deuteronomy may raise more questions for us than we expected.  But, that’s okay.  Let’s ask them and discuss them.

For me personally, there are two lessons – first, don’t lend to a brother or family member unless you’re prepared to lose it. And that’s not because they’re poor money handlers. It’s because God allows for that possibility.  And second, I had to let go of a grudge I held for three decades (if I were to be compliant with the teachings here).  [So if you’re the person I had this grudge against, and you’re reding this, please note that your loan has now been forgiven.]

And what did you learn?  Leave me a comment.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Lending Money, Terms and Conditions -- Exodus 22:25-27

--> “If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest.  If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets, for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body.  What else shall he sleep in? And it shall come about that when he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for I am gracious.”
 

We note there is no commandment to lend anyone money here.  More specifically the instructions are intended for the times God’s people do lend to God’s people.  And it basically covers lending which is intended to help the poor get up on their feet.  And such lending shall be without interest.  (Some commentators who have studied the Hebrew text carefully argue that this was only a prohibition on “compound” interest, or extortion in lending, as compared to “simple” interest.  I prefer to go with the literal translation of “no interest period”.)

But what about lending to non-Christians?  How about lending to the rich?  This passage does not forbid it, but it appears to leave us at our own discretion of whether or not to charge interest, and how much, and how to deal with the risk and/or consequences involved in any non-repayment.  So, lenders beware.

Returning to our passage, it appears that pledges may be taken in exchange for a loan at no interest. Working much like how a pawnshop works. But here’s the catch – we must not accept a pledge that exposes the borrower in a harmful way.  The example God gives can be thought of us follows: You cannot withhold a person’s coat as collateral for a loan when it is his only outer garment and he would otherwise freeze because it’s cold outside.  If we take that kind of a pledge from someone, we are to realize our mistake and make things right before the sun goes down that same day.

And I love how God reasons with His people here as He does elsewhere in Scripture.  But this passage is special because it gives us another glimpse of God’s character that we do no think of very often – His logical mind.  He basically says, “Look, if you take the man’s coat and it’s cold, and he has nothing else to keep him warm, what else will he sleep in?  How will he survive?”  I love that.  God wants us to be logical too.  We are not to “kick a person when he is down”.  It is sad enough that he is in this state of needing to borrow to survive, so we must be careful not to take advantage of him.

We would do well to think about all our lending activities from God’s perspective.  Lending to our children, our families, the church, and friends.  Under what conditions and expectations do we lend money?  Some of our so-called investments are indeed a form of lending to someone so they can do something that will bring them and the lender financial rewards – commercial ventures.  We need to be careful of how and why we do that.

The last sentence of the passage is related to the logic He outlines just before it.  God is saying three things with it.  First, He cares for the poor.  Second, He will hear their cry for help.  And third, we must remember that we ourselves either have cried, or will someday cry, to God for relief.  We are to treat those in need of borrowing with this in mind.

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Obama not only messing America up, he's messing up the entire African continent.

It's funny that this administration generally has a "pull-out" or "pull-back" strategy when it comes to help nations fight dictatorships or regimes that are against human rights, but when it comes to promoting global gay rights, Mr. Obama wants America (or at least American money) to be right there front and center, controlling everything.  I at least I think that's odd.

But maybe not so, if one knows Obama's true agenda.  Anyway, read this fair and balanced account from that stalwart of magazines, The Atlantic, and judge for yourself.

The Obama Administration's Bold but Risky Plan to Make Africa Gay-Friendly - Robbie Corey-Boulet - International - The Atlantic

[Are you looking for a speaker at your church, your club, school, or organization? Ken is available to preach, teach, challenge, and/or motivate. Please contact us.]

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Israel Delays Attack of Iran for "30 Pieces of Military Equipment"

Don't get me wrong -- it's probably a good thing.  We can all breathe for a few more months (until 2013) and give the B.O. a better chance to get re-elected.   But isn't it amazing what "money" can buy?  In this case, American money buys "time" and for B.O. "an election".   My, these guys are smart.

Israel to delay Iran attack in exchange for U.S. weaponry: report - The Globe and Mail

[Are you looking for a speaker at your church, your club, school, or organization? Ken is available to preach, teach, challenge, and/or motivate. Please contact us.]

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Part II: More of Ayn Rand's Misconceptions as found in "The Fountainhead"

Well, here it is the day after Christmas, a religious holiday celebrated by millions and millions around the globe for centuries.  But Ayn Rand will have none of it -- she was an atheist.  But her errors unfortunately didn't follow her to the grave.  She continues to air them as if she was alive through her works.  Let me share with you yet one more:

Page 59.  Catherine Halsey is telling Peter Keating about her uncle and Rand has her saying, "A friend of his told me that Uncle could be a very rich man if he tried, he's so clever, but he won't, he just isn't interested in money."  To which Rand herself replies in the very domineering voice of Peter, "That's not human."  Miss Rand must have lived a very secluded life if she really believes that.  She must have never seen brilliant people with great potential give up their careers to serve God and man on the mission fields of her day.  She must have never experienced the stories of so many Sally Ann folks who could have done much better financially than the pittance they received running a Salvation Army program.  And the list goes on.   Ms. Rand may have been right -- it's not human to be uninterested in money.  But when you do it for the sake of others and God, it becomes superhuman -- something of which she allowed herself to discover and know very little of.

[Are you looking for a speaker at your church, your club, school, or organization? Ken is available to preach, teach, challenge, and/or motivate. Please contact us.]

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Joseph Collects All The Money Within Egypt and Canaan - Genesis 47:13-14

Now there was no food in the land, because the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.  And Joseph gathered all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the grain which they bought, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.

The great famine continued, but at least the family through which God would deliver His Covenant to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was now relocated in the land of Rameses in Egypt, close to Joseph and to all the stored grain.  It is interesting to note that the famine itself could not be avoided – it was where they were before in the land of Canaan and it was also where they are now in the land of Egypt.

Sometimes it seems we change our surroundings to escape our problems, but somehow they never go away, they’re still there.  I am sure you have experienced that.  But here’s the bottom line – it is better to face our problems from the spot that God wants us to be and where He has moved us to, then to face them from where we wanted to remain.  Your God, Who tells you to go, also goes with you.  And that makes all the difference.

So bad was the famine, that all the money that both Canaanites and Egyptians had, had been gathered by Joseph in exchange for grain he had been giving them during its early years.  And the text says that Joseph took all the money to Pharaoh’s house.

As I read these verses today I am also conscious of the fact we are only two-weeks into this fast-spreading and now worldwide protest phenomenon known as ‘Occupy Wall Street’.  The 99% of the world’s poor is out to reclaim the riches of the world from the 1% who are at the top of the wealth ladder.  This in turn allowed me to realize how the scriptures are indeed writings for all times and that our understanding, or at least our perception of what we read and how it is to be applied to us, varies based on what is going on in our times and what we personally have experienced.  Looking at these verses which simply relate facts of what happened thousands of years ago, would ignite different feelings in a Black American slave before the American Civil War, in an Arab Spring rebel fighting in Egypt to overthrow the country’s dictatorship, in a Occupy Wall Street protester, and in me.  But that is the beauty of God’s “love letter” to us.  We can all relate to it and we can all learn from it throughout the ages.

I can understand how frustrated the ordinary man, woman, and child must have felt when they realized that they had no more money and the famine’s end seemed to be nowhere in sight.  That seems to be the plight of the common man/woman today around the globe as he/she watches the economy tank and as no efforts of the world’s leaders appear to be able to address it or stop the free-fall.  People’s resources are dwindling, there’s a fear of losing one’s job, and even registered retirement plans are subject to being attacked by the government in an effort to raise more revenues and thus being eroded in value.  What happens next?  What more can we give?  In Greece alone where the population has been faced with continuous deductions in what they thought were assured earnings, along with greatly increased taxes, the suicide rate has risen by 40%.

Back in Egypt, the people had no more money.  So, what else could they be asked to surrender to Pharaoh in exchange for their needed bread, simply to survive?  Have you ever felt as if you were in the same spot?  Are you there now?  What more can you surrender to survive?

Those of us who truly know God, not just for what He can provide for us, but for Who He is, realize He has not changed, and only the circumstances of life have changed.  Our God is still the great I AM.  And He will see us through this next stage of world history.   Just as we’ll see in our study of the text that lies ahead He was about to do for the Israelites whom He had led to Egypt as part of His eternal plan.   Will you trust Him, and Him alone, for just that?  I hope so.

[Are you looking for a speaker at your church, your club, school, or organization? Ken is available to preach, teach, challenge, and/or motivate. Please contact us.]

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Jacob’s Most Critical Decision for Israel - Genesis 45:25-28

Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father.  And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them.  But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.  Then Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Have you ever lost someone you loved dearly?  Has your heart ached because of their absence from you and your inability to reach out and touch them, speak with them, laugh with them, and face life and the future with them?  I think we can safely assume that Jacob felt just that about the loss of his son Joseph, a son from his beloved Rachel, many years earlier.  And now in the midst of a great famine in the land, his other sons return from Egypt and out of the blue declare to him “Joseph is still alive and prospering!”

How would you react?  What immediate thoughts come to your mind?  I could think of many questions I would ask of myself, my children, Joseph himself, and God.  Questions like, “Why don’t I know this?” “What proof do you have?” “Joseph, why did you not come and find your dad years ago?” and “God, is this possible?”  I am sure there could be hundreds of variations and permutations of these questions depending on all the circumstances and the personalities involved.  But it would well be worth it for you and I to take a moment and think about just what we would say, ask, think, or do if someone came and told us “your long-lost ______ is alive and well.”

The scriptures say, “Jacob’s heart stood still”.  Well, I can understand that part.  I think mine would as well, especially in the case of a child.  But the text goes on to say, “because he did not believe them.”  That is a little more difficult for me to comprehend.  If you came to me and told me, “Ken, your mom (or your dad) is alive and well” and I dismissed your comment as a lie, I am not sure my heart would stop.  Unless of course, just unless I had never actually seen my mom and dad dead and buried, I had just lost them and assumed they were dead from what others told me, and in my heart there was always this hope, this yearning, this strong desire, that it was all a mistake, that they were not dead, but that there was a possibility that indeed they were “alive and well”.  That is the only way I can explain these two phrases together as I look at them.  Other commentators have suggested that Jacob’s heart stopped because he was ever so tired of his life – without Rachel, without Joseph, and now without food and that perhaps this final words from his sons, words that appeared to him as a “sick joke”, were indeed enough to cause him great stress.  I think we all agree that he did not die.  At best, his words may have conveyed the following, “my sons, do not toy with me for I am old and tired and very down.”

It was time to bring out the evidence and the brothers started telling their father Jacob exactly what Joseph had said and started showing him what he had sent for the family, for him, and for the trip back to Egypt.  I am reminded here, and I hope you will pardon me for this, of the 1996 movie called Jerry Maguire and starring Tom Cruise.  In there, we hear the now famous line used over and over by so many, “Show me the money!”  Words are not enough it seems for many human beings.  We often need to see proof of things that otherwise seem quite improbable.  Of course, there often is an upside to such a position (when what we are told is indeed far-fetched), but sometimes we can also miss out on what is good and true and necessary.

With the flame of hope still burning ever so slightly in his heart, with the words of his sons and of Joseph himself even though second-hand, and with the evidence of the gifts the brothers had brought back, the Bible says “Jacob’s spirit was revived.”  He grasped the hope within him; he believed the words; and he accepted the material goods provided for him.  But he still needed to declare his most critical decision with his own mouth.

In verse 28, the last verse of this chapter, Jacob proclaims his choice.  He avows he has seen enough evidence and affirms (perhaps more to himself as well as to others) that indeed “my son Joseph is still alive.”  And then he realizes that it is his turn now to take action when he says, “I will go and see him before I die.”  The decision was twofold.  First that he did believe what he was told and secondly, that he would do his part.  The last three words of his statement, “before I die” adds the essence of urgency for we know that Jacob was an old man who had lived many years and his time was running out.

There are so many thoughts and ideas for us in these few verses.  When we have to share something that is not easily believable by others, yet we know it to be true (something like our faith), do we give thought to how and when we do it?  Besides our words, can we support what we are saying from Scripture, God’s Word?  Besides our words and those of Scripture, is there sufficient evidence in our own lives and in our own experience of the truth we are trying to proclaim so that others will indeed believe it?  I pray that by God’s doing, someone we are witnessing to could find his or her way to say, “It is enough.  I am convinced.  I will believe – now.”

As we end this chapter of Genesis, let us not miss the significance of this critical decision for God’s people.  God had planned that Israel should be nurtured, for a while, in Egypt which was the most advanced civilization of that day.  Sometimes God takes us to a place we would never go on our own because that is the best place, at that particular point in our lives and journey, for us to be “nurtured” in the best way possible, if not physically, certainly spiritually.  I pray we will be willing and trusting enough to let Him do just that. 

 

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Baby Doc Duvalier: Is it about the money? 4.6 Million of It

According to a guest on CNN, one of the possible leading reasons for Duvalier to come back to Haiti and assuming he does not run for office is simply this:  Baby Doc has 4.6 Million dollars (U.S. equivalent -- I know it's worth what it used to be when he got it, but nonetheless, bear with me here) in a Swiss Bank Account.   Under the new rules, a person has to prove that he won't be charged when there are accusations against him in any country, before he can get that money.

So, Baby Doc Duvalier has until February the 1st to prove that and apply for his money.  That's about a week from now.  So, we'll need to watch this development carefully.  If he can stay long enough and not get charged, he can leave and get his money, poor man.  If he gets charged, he loses his money.  Simple.

HERE'S the rub.  What if he is making a deal with local officials not to be charged in exchange for some of the money he will then get access to?  Is this a possibility?  I don't know; you tell me.   What country did we say this was in?   I'm sure more to come.

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Clerics Call for Jihadists to Get Money From the West Using Any Means

Just noticed an interesting article whose links really need to be followed -- both to one about a story in Canada as well as to one about the details of the call for money to support radical jihad.

This should help you be fully informed of what is going on and wondering why no one in the west is stepping up to the plate and saying, enough is enough. I love that commercial on TV that says, "It's my money and I want it now!" Maybe Americans and others should be saying, "It's our money and we want to keep it now!"

Jihadi cleric Al-Awlaki to jihadis in West: Get money by any means possible - Jihad Watch

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