STAY OUT OF DEBT
The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender. Proverbs 22:7
The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously… Psalm 37:22
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. Romans 13:8
The borrower is slave to the lender…what a statement! I recall gasping at historical documentaries on the Slavery and Reconstruction era, where unwitting and uneducated slaves or sharecroppers were tricked into putting their X (signature) on a document that sold them or their family into servitude for an additional number of years to salivating plantation owners. I wonder how we would respond today, if we thought of every credit card receipt, student loan, car or installment loan, same as cash agreement, cell phone contract, or mortgage in the same way. Because we’re signing our lives away…
When we sign these documents, we are literally exchanging 6-72 months or more of our labor and assigning percentages of our income to a particular bank, loan company or retail establishment. No wonder Scripture encourages us to avoid doing that if at all possible, or at least to be aware of what we’re doing when we decide to sign on dotted lines and engage debt. One of the signs of Israel’s blessing was that they as a people would lend to many nations and not borrow. (Deuteronomy 28:12)
Even when we make agreements with close friends or family to borrow or lend money, we have spiritually entered into an up/down, master/servant relationship with a moral obligation to repay. These relationships are not really righted until the debt is paid in full…or it is forgiven. You know when you see that person, how much they owe you/you owe them is in the back or forefront of your mind! It creates an unexplainable distance. While the debt is unpaid, we explain, want to work off, avoid, or cut off relationships because of the discomfort of the outstanding debt. It binds our ability to freely love.
Many Christians who love Jesus, attend church weekly and even lead ministries are ignoring creditor’s phone calls, have defaulted on student loans, owe child support, and are behind on utility bills and various other payments. Yet I’ve never once heard anyone in the church call themselves “wicked” when they borrowed and did not repay. Most want to go on with their lives, dreams and aspirations as if there were no debt outstanding. If we are in this situation, it is crucial to the full blessing of the Lord on our lives, to right the wrong and do all we can to make arrangements to pay the debt. As a Christian, not only your reputation, but the Lord’s is at stake.
Is your debt too great to pay on your own? God sees and understands, but you have to be truthful about your wickedness, and cry out to Him for help. If you read Deuteronomy 15, and Leviticus 25, you’ll see that the Lord didn’t intend for his people to be perpetually indebted and enslaved. In 2 Kings 6:1-7, you’ll find that He will do a miracle that defies the laws of nature to see His people avoid the consequences of debt. In 2 Kings 4, the story of the Shunamite widow, you’ll watch as God helps start an entrepreneurial business for a woman who was going to have to sell her sons as slaves to pay off her creditors. If God can do it for them…He can surely do it for us!
Sadell
