At the end of every seven years, you shall grant a release of debts.” Deuteronomy. 15:1.

Generous Lending

 The Christian community long misunderstood the Biblical command not to take interest as applicable to all situations and this lost the banking business to the Jews. This is a total misunderstanding of the Bible. The forbidding of interest was only for loans to the poor and needy who were in financial difficulties.

The Old Testament made it almost mandatory for the well to do to give loans to help the poor to tide over the financial difficulties they were facing. These loans were to be without interest, and no profit was to be made off the misfortune of the poor (Leviticus 25:35-37). The Bible also teaches against laziness and being unwilling to work, and so these poor need to be understood as those who were victims of misfortunes like illness and natural disasters, and not people who did not work. What was to be done If they could not repay the loan?

This year of release typified the grace of the gospel, in which is proclaimed the acceptable year of the Lord; and by which we obtain the release of our debts, that is, the pardon of our sins.

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The Bible says that such loans were to be written off in the year of the Jubilee, which took place every seventh year.  Because of the jubilee of the seventh year, it could become difficult for the poor to obtain loans near the year of jubilee. In Deuteronomy 15:9-10 the Bible warns against such thinking. Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the Lord against you, and it become sin among you. You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. 

The Bible commanded the rich to give loans freely, knowing fully well that these loans may never be paid back. Today, for most of us, such requests for loans come from the poor around us. How do we respond to these requests? While the Bible does not encourage irresponsible living (2 Thessalonians 3:10), the Bible asks us to have a generous and compassionate outlook towards the poor, even giving repeated loans which are not repaid.

THE RIGHT ATTITUDE

In today’s passage (Deuteronomy 15:9–10), God clearly mentions two types of attitudes that we must confront to be cheerful givers like our heavenly Father: a selfish heart and a grieving heart. Here God clearly labels selfish thoughts as wicked. Selfishness whispers that we won’t have enough or that God won’t be faithful to meet our needs if we give. God says, “Don’t allow your heart to think that way.” We are all selfish. The default condition of the human heart is to hoard and avoid sharing with anyone. Then a loving, heavenly Father comes to us and says, “I want to deal with this wicked, selfish heart and make you a giver. I want to make you like Me.”

In Deuteronomy 15, after addressing the fact that we have a selfish heart, the second thing it says we have to deal with when it comes to giving is a grieving heart. God instructs us not to grieve after we’ve been obedient in giving. Selfishness can attack us before we give, but grief can attack us after we give. This can happen when you’ve been obedient to give as the Holy Spirit prompts. This often happens because people feel pressured to give rather than giving because it’s their heart’s desire. So, how do you combat grief? You do it with a proper perspective regarding “your” money. That means you have to guard your heart, not only before you give but afterward, as well.

God clearly shows us exactly how we should steward the money He has given us. The truth is everything we have is God’s, and when we know that in our hearts, we won’t feel any grief when we give. Instead, we will feel joy and gratitude knowing God has blessed us so much that we can bless others.

Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting. —Mother Teresa