Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase.
Thou shalt not charge a poor brother interest on money lent to him or demand an increase on food lent to him, so that his need is not made a means of profit, and this protection covers a brother fallen into decay, including the stranger and sojourner living among the people. The command rests on fearing God, who shows no partiality, judges for the fatherless and widow, loves the stranger, and brought Israel out of Egypt to be their God, and on the truth that the land and its produce belong to Him as owner while the people dwell as His tenants. It requires relieving the poor with prompt, open-handed, interest-free help sufficient for his need so that he may live with dignity and stand on his feet again, without hardening the heart, shutting the hand, or withholding because the year of release is near. To press a poor brother who cannot pay, or to use his distress to increase one's own abundance, is avarice, oppression and robbery that God in no case tolerates, and refusal brings the cry of the poor before the Lord as sin that hinders prayer and may remove prosperity. Obedient liberality that freely forgives and releases claims brings prosperity without fear of want, with peace, fruitfulness and God's presence, and this duty binds wealthy Sabbathkeepers toward poor brethren, though exaction of usury from unbelievers was held allowable.
Words and Setting
The prohibition is against charging interest on money lent to a poor brother and against demanding extra back on food lent to him, so that his need is not turned into an occasion for profit. The needy are to be cared for with liberality rather than exploited in their want. The protection is for a brother who has grown poor and fallen into decay, and it expressly includes the stranger and sojourner living among the people. Wealthy Sabbathkeepers have no right to take such gain from poor brethren, though gain from unbelievers was distinguished as permitted by those who held that distinction.
The command is to be kept in the fear of God, that the fallen brother may live with his brethren. That fear rests on what God requires, to fear the Lord, walk in His ways, love and serve Him and keep His commandments. He regards not persons, executes judgment for the fatherless and widow, and loves the stranger by giving him food and raiment. He is the Lord who brought Israel out of Egypt to give them Canaan and to be their God.
The land and its produce belong to God, with the people as His tenants under Him as Householder and owner. The ban on usury and increase belongs with the every-seventh-year sabbath, when cultivation of the soil was forbidden and its spontaneous growth was left free for the poor, the strangers, the flocks and the herds. That rest was to invigorate the worn-out soil, and it stands together with the fiftieth-year jubilee. It stands also with God's special provision by which the sixth year under His supervision was made to yield enough for three years, so that care for the poor rests on dependence on His blessing upon obedience.
The instruction was spoken by Christ to Moses for the children of Israel as one of the practical duties of one to another in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Those books are practical missionary work and the Old Testament gospel, to be worked intelligently now, and the command remains binding to the present time. It teaches the same love to God and neighbor that Christ taught. It reveals the Spirit and character of the Heavenly Father in His dealings with men. It applies to how those in God's work deal with every person for whom Christ gave His life.
Merciful Help Required
The poor person is to be relieved with help given without interest and without added return on food, generous and sufficient for his need, so that he may live and remain with dignity among the people instead of being made poorer by the help itself. The relief reaches the brother waxed poor and fallen into decay, including the stranger and sojourner living among the people. It is done in the fear of God and in remembrance that He brought Israel out of Egypt to give them Canaan and to be their God. To profit from a fellow believer's hardship is forbidden, for the loan is for living together in community, not for gain from distress.
The heart is not to be hardened nor the hand shut, and help is not to be withheld because the seventh year of release is near. Even though debts still unpaid when that year came could not be recovered, lending to the needy is still required at all times without interest. Obedient liberality in this is joined to the promise of prosperity without fear of coming to want.
A creditor must not press or exact payment from a poor brother in the faith who cannot pay and can barely live. He is instead to show compassion and mercy, release his claims, give a receipt, and freely forgive the debt. Forgiving a brother's debt is owed as the forgiveness wanted from the Lord for indebtedness to Him, and releasing claims removes the ground for Satan to perplex and harass the mind.
Relief is to be prompt, just, and open-handed home missionary work that does the Word rather than passing the fallen one by. It puts him on his feet and places him where he can support himself, and does not close the heart and say No. This applies to a brother brought into strait places by giving to missions and to brethren working in hard fields when they ask a favor. Wealthy Sabbathkeepers must observe this toward poor brethren, having no right to take usury of money or increase of food from them, while usury may be exacted from unbelievers.
Warning and Blessing
To turn a poor brother's distress into a means of adding to means already abundant is avarice and oppression, and it is nothing less than actual robbery. It is the spirit that says in the heart, Am I my brother's keeper, seeking gain from the hardship of poor, unfortunate brethren in distress instead of helping them live among their people. This includes every scheme to withhold money due, to deprive any man of his right, and to rule over a brother with rigor by charging interest on money or demanding increase on food lent to him. It is an abhorred practice that God in no case tolerates and marks with His disapproval, though human courts punish it only in extreme cases. The wealthy must not profit in this way from a fellow believer's hardship, for the loan is to relieve him that he may live, not to oppress him for gain.
Neglect of this duty brings the cry of the poor against the neglectful before the Lord, and that neglect counts as sin. It hinders prayer from rising as sweet incense, brings a charge against God's people, and may cause the Lord to remove prosperity. Refusal to work on this correct principle of brotherly relief instead of passing the fallen by brings the sword and pestilence and delivery into the hand of the enemy to avenge the covenant.
Working on this correct principle of obedient liberality carries the promise of prosperity without fear of coming to want. It brings peace and fruitfulness, with God's blessing and favor and God walking among His people. A brother must not press his money claims severely against one who cannot pay, but must release his claims, give a receipt, and freely forgive the debt. Such forgiveness is owed as the forgiveness wanted from the Lord for indebtedness to Him, and releasing claims removes the ground for Satan to perplex and harass the mind.
Zacchaeus showed response to Christ's love by compassion toward the poor and suffering rather than exploiting them through such lending. God regards the suffering and needy with tenderness and commands help instead of gain from their want, revealing the Spirit and character of the Heavenly Father. This lesson about mercy instead of oppression should be read in church assemblies.
Thou shalt not charge a poor brother interest on money lent to him or demand an increase on food lent to him, so that his need is not made a means of profit, and this protection covers a brother fallen into decay, including the stranger and sojourner living among the people. The command rests on fearing God, who shows no partiality, judges for the fatherless and widow, loves the stranger, and brought Israel out of Egypt to be their God, and on the truth that the land and its produce belong to Him as owner while the people dwell as His tenants. It requires relieving the poor with prompt, open-handed, interest-free help sufficient for his need so that he may live with dignity and stand on his feet again, without hardening the heart, shutting the hand, or withholding because the year of release is near. To press a poor brother who cannot pay, or to use his distress to increase one's own abundance, is avarice, oppression and robbery that God in no case tolerates, and refusal brings the cry of the poor before the Lord as sin that hinders prayer and may remove prosperity. Obedient liberality that freely forgives and releases claims brings prosperity without fear of want, with peace, fruitfulness and God's presence, and this duty binds wealthy Sabbathkeepers toward poor brethren, though exaction of usury from unbelievers was held allowable.
Words and Setting
The prohibition is against charging interest on money lent to a poor brother and against demanding extra back on food lent to him, so that his need is not turned into an occasion for profit. The needy are to be cared for with liberality rather than exploited in their want. The protection is for a brother who has grown poor and fallen into decay, and it expressly includes the stranger and sojourner living among the people. Wealthy Sabbathkeepers have no right to take such gain from poor brethren, though gain from unbelievers was distinguished as permitted by those who held that distinction.
The command is to be kept in the fear of God, that the fallen brother may live with his brethren. That fear rests on what God requires, to fear the Lord, walk in His ways, love and serve Him and keep His commandments. He regards not persons, executes judgment for the fatherless and widow, and loves the stranger by giving him food and raiment. He is the Lord who brought Israel out of Egypt to give them Canaan and to be their God.
The land and its produce belong to God, with the people as His tenants under Him as Householder and owner. The ban on usury and increase belongs with the every-seventh-year sabbath, when cultivation of the soil was forbidden and its spontaneous growth was left free for the poor, the strangers, the flocks and the herds. That rest was to invigorate the worn-out soil, and it stands together with the fiftieth-year jubilee. It stands also with God's special provision by which the sixth year under His supervision was made to yield enough for three years, so that care for the poor rests on dependence on His blessing upon obedience.
The instruction was spoken by Christ to Moses for the children of Israel as one of the practical duties of one to another in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Those books are practical missionary work and the Old Testament gospel, to be worked intelligently now, and the command remains binding to the present time. It teaches the same love to God and neighbor that Christ taught. It reveals the Spirit and character of the Heavenly Father in His dealings with men. It applies to how those in God's work deal with every person for whom Christ gave His life.
Merciful Help Required
The poor person is to be relieved with help given without interest and without added return on food, generous and sufficient for his need, so that he may live and remain with dignity among the people instead of being made poorer by the help itself. The relief reaches the brother waxed poor and fallen into decay, including the stranger and sojourner living among the people. It is done in the fear of God and in remembrance that He brought Israel out of Egypt to give them Canaan and to be their God. To profit from a fellow believer's hardship is forbidden, for the loan is for living together in community, not for gain from distress.
The heart is not to be hardened nor the hand shut, and help is not to be withheld because the seventh year of release is near. Even though debts still unpaid when that year came could not be recovered, lending to the needy is still required at all times without interest. Obedient liberality in this is joined to the promise of prosperity without fear of coming to want.
A creditor must not press or exact payment from a poor brother in the faith who cannot pay and can barely live. He is instead to show compassion and mercy, release his claims, give a receipt, and freely forgive the debt. Forgiving a brother's debt is owed as the forgiveness wanted from the Lord for indebtedness to Him, and releasing claims removes the ground for Satan to perplex and harass the mind.
Relief is to be prompt, just, and open-handed home missionary work that does the Word rather than passing the fallen one by. It puts him on his feet and places him where he can support himself, and does not close the heart and say No. This applies to a brother brought into strait places by giving to missions and to brethren working in hard fields when they ask a favor. Wealthy Sabbathkeepers must observe this toward poor brethren, having no right to take usury of money or increase of food from them, while usury may be exacted from unbelievers.
Warning and Blessing
To turn a poor brother's distress into a means of adding to means already abundant is avarice and oppression, and it is nothing less than actual robbery. It is the spirit that says in the heart, Am I my brother's keeper, seeking gain from the hardship of poor, unfortunate brethren in distress instead of helping them live among their people. This includes every scheme to withhold money due, to deprive any man of his right, and to rule over a brother with rigor by charging interest on money or demanding increase on food lent to him. It is an abhorred practice that God in no case tolerates and marks with His disapproval, though human courts punish it only in extreme cases. The wealthy must not profit in this way from a fellow believer's hardship, for the loan is to relieve him that he may live, not to oppress him for gain.
Neglect of this duty brings the cry of the poor against the neglectful before the Lord, and that neglect counts as sin. It hinders prayer from rising as sweet incense, brings a charge against God's people, and may cause the Lord to remove prosperity. Refusal to work on this correct principle of brotherly relief instead of passing the fallen by brings the sword and pestilence and delivery into the hand of the enemy to avenge the covenant.
Working on this correct principle of obedient liberality carries the promise of prosperity without fear of coming to want. It brings peace and fruitfulness, with God's blessing and favor and God walking among His people. A brother must not press his money claims severely against one who cannot pay, but must release his claims, give a receipt, and freely forgive the debt. Such forgiveness is owed as the forgiveness wanted from the Lord for indebtedness to Him, and releasing claims removes the ground for Satan to perplex and harass the mind.
Zacchaeus showed response to Christ's love by compassion toward the poor and suffering rather than exploiting them through such lending. God regards the suffering and needy with tenderness and commands help instead of gain from their want, revealing the Spirit and character of the Heavenly Father. This lesson about mercy instead of oppression should be read in church assemblies.