At first glance it seems the Bible tells us that lending makes the borrower a slave to the lender (Prov. 22:7). Actually, there’s no first glance about it; it directly conveys the sentiments. Well, that was easy. Open and shut case. Never borrow or lend. Whoops. Not so fast. Was that the sound of brakes screeching in the background because we’re pretty sure that several Bible references expound on the virtue of generosity, such as:
“Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely…†(Psalm 112:5)
Or…
“Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he wants…†(Deuteronomy 15:8)
Well, dang, now what? Lend? Don’t lend? Run around in circles until your head explodes? First, calm down and stop making everything so complicated. How can the Bible decree borrowing such a bad thing and lending so good? It’s actually simple to understand when you look at the intent of the loan. If the lender is taking advantage of someone in desperate financial straits with ridiculous interest rates and usurious terms – that’s bad. That’s what the “slaves and masters†quote is referring to.
On the other hand, lending or even outright giving as an act of kindness is a good thing. Some might even call it their Christian duty. Regardless, don’t get overly freaked out about lenders and borrowers being slaves and masters because it’s only true some of the time. As with many things Biblical, when your heart and mind are in the right the place, and you seek to do right by God and your fellow man, life becomes much simpler.
The Solomon Success Team
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