Exodus 22:25-27

The Old Testament tells us that we are not to take usury (interest) when we loan to a brother in need. It also makes clear that when the collateral is a necessity of life, it must be returned to the debtor should he need it to sustain life or earn a living.

This relates to business, not to the poor. It is a type or a physical example to teach us the spiritual principle that we must use our God-given gifts and blessings to produce good fruit and not just let them waste away.

Exodus 22:26-27

That was the law, that a person’s cloak could be taken as collateral on a loan, however, every evening at sundown it had to be returned and the reason was because if the person was so poor that he needed a loan and had to give away his cloak, it was the only thing that he had to keep him warm at night. Now the tunic or coat, the undergarment, even the poor had generally several changes of these. But the cloak, he only had one.