What the Bible says about Debtor the Slave of Creditor
(From Forerunner Commentary)
The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery comments: "Lending and borrowing are terms Scripture writers use to paint portraits of blessing and cursing. The fundamental meaning of lending is the extension of provision and generosity to someone in need; that of borrowing is dependence and neediness."
God never intended Israel to borrow or even have to borrow from anyone. So what happened? How did a nation of modern-day Israel go from the greatest lender to the greatest debtor? How did America go from the richest, most powerful nation on earth to one that will be "servant to the lender"? As shown in many places in Scripture, God's promise was conditional upon Israel's obedience to His commandments (see Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28).
We have a hard time comprehending the kinds of blessings God desired to give Israel if the people had listened to Him. He actually expected a time "when there may be no more poor among you; for the LORD will greatly bless you" (Deuteronomy 15:4)! But as we all know, God's law was pushed aside, as it has been in America. As a nation, we will reap the curses for disobedience, one of which is having to borrow (Deuteronomy 28:44). National borrowing indicates an absence of God's favor.
Not long ago, the U.S. housing market was in such decline that millions of people were in jeopardy of losing their homes. Some wanted to blame the government, others the economy or the banks. A similar thing occurred during Nehemiah's time. The people had been borrowing money against their homes and lands, and when hard times came, they could not pay (Nehemiah 5:1-5). The lenders were coming to take possession of their houses, their vineyards, and anything else they could take to pay the people's debts—even their children!
How long before our lenders come to collect on our country's debts?
We may try to distance ourselves from the foolishness of our national debt, but Paul brings it to a personal level: "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law" (Romans 13:8). Our society is structured around borrowing, extending credit, and raising our debt limits. God never wanted these things to be done among His people.
As The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery indicates, the borrower is "someone in need." How many people ran up two, three, or more loans tied to their mortgages to spend on things that they did not need? In our day, most people seem to go into debt to satisfy their cravings for extravagances and entertainments—desires that are far beyond their incomes.
Ronny H. Graham
No Need to BorrowRelated Topics: Borrower as Servant to Lender | Borrowing and Lending | Debt | Debtor the Slave of Creditor
God indicts the entire nation for its covetousness. A major reason why coveting is so dangerous is shown by our credit system, which is based on the premise of possessing something before one is actually able to afford it.
In this profit-producing scheme, advertising is credit's companion. The marketer's purpose is to speed up the business, possession, and profit cycle. However, in reality over the long haul, credit actually slows things down and makes items more expensive because the credit must be paid for through interest in addition to the item's original price. It also creates greater debt, enslaving the debtor to the creditor. This same principle is at work in every other unlawful act of which coveting is a part.
Who will listen to this reality? Through America's almost insanely massive and ever-growing indebtedness, God is demonstrating that people simply will not heed either sound human or divine advice because their minds are driven by the desire to have whatever it is that they want right now. It has a grip on the heart so strong that nothing yet has been able to break it.
This tenacious hold is why tithing comes as such a shock when people learn that God requires it. Many are living way over their heads. When they learn of tithing, the penalty for their earlier stealing from God greatly influences current spending. They must then learn to pay in adversity, sacrificing as they go on in obedience.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Tenth CommandmentRelated Topics: Advertising | Covetous Thoughts | Covetousness | Credit | Debt | Debtor | Debtor Nation | Debtor the Slave of Creditor | Indebtedness | Tithing