DAY 25: Do not be hard-hearted or Tight fisted
Reading: Deuteronomy 15:7-11
If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.
This passage comes in a section on the law of Jubilee, a way in which
debts were wiped out in the seventh year. It is unlikely that this was
ever practised in a wide-scale manner. The provisions of the passage
are there because, although there are generous people, there are also
those who are selfish and greedy, who will subvert God’s economy.
While the passage has a cultural context, we can look beyond it to how
those on low incomes are able to access credit and what we might do
to aid the situation. Indeed we are called to put ourselves in the shoes
of the poor.
Our attitude to those who are poor should be warm and generous.
It is more than exercising the letter of the law; it is about the Spirit
of God at work within us, so that we identify with those around us.
People were reminded that if God had blessed them then they too
should be ready to bless those who, for whatever reason, were poor
and needy neighbours. As we consider this passage, we too could
think about how we might challenge some of the unjust ways of
dealing with loans. Those on low incomes frequently have problems
obtaining credit. The work of credit unions has been much in the news
recently as a way of challenging loan companies that charge very high
rates of interest.
For further reading: Exodus 22:25-27 - God's desire for our attitude towards those
who struggle.
To ponder: How do you obtain credit? What do you think about the
problems of those who cannot get credit from a bank? Have
you considered joining a credit union?
To pray: Merciful Father, help me to understand more of the situation of
those who have difficulty managing their finances and obtaining
credit when times are tough. Amen.
‘I command you to be openhanded towards your fellow Israelites who
are poor and needy in your land.’ v11
This passage comes in a section on the law of Jubilee, a way in which
debts were wiped out in the seventh year. It is unlikely that this was
ever practised in a wide-scale manner. The provisions of the passage
are there because, although there are generous people, there are also
those who are selfish and greedy, who will subvert God’s economy.
While the passage has a cultural context, we can look beyond it to how
those on low incomes are able to access credit and what we might do
to aid the situation. Indeed we are called to put ourselves in the shoes
of the poor.
Our attitude to those who are poor should be warm and generous.
It is more than exercising the letter of the law; it is about the Spirit
of God at work within us, so that we identify with those around us.
People were reminded that if God had blessed them then they too
should be ready to bless those who, for whatever reason, were poor
and needy neighbours. As we consider this passage, we too could
think about how we might challenge some of the unjust ways of
dealing with loans. Those on low incomes frequently have problems
obtaining credit. The work of credit unions has been much in the news
recently as a way of challenging loan companies that charge very high
rates of interest.
For further reading: Exodus 22:25-27 - God's desire for our attitude towards those
who struggle.
To ponder: How do you obtain credit? What do you think about the
problems of those who cannot get credit from a bank? Have
you considered joining a credit union?
To pray: Merciful Father, help me to understand more of the situation of
those who have difficulty managing their finances and obtaining
credit when times are tough. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment