Addressing Graciousness in Lending

Addressing Graciousness in Lending

Exodus 22: ²⁵ “If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest. ²⁶ If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. ²⁷ For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious.

 

============

 

GOD continued speaking to Moses. This time HE spoke about lending.

 

My Observations:

• GOD gave the capability for people to raise money for themselves without HIS intervention and some people would be poor.
• Some poor people may need to borrow money or things from those who have more.
• GOD wants those who lend money or things, to be gracious and different than shrewd business people.

 

“If you lend” does not mean you have to lend. But if you do, then be gracious. The children of Israel had not been free for 430 years. Their mindset was on being in need versus being the one who lends. Since they did not have the mindset of a gracious lender, their only example may have been moneylenders who charge interest.

 

GOD takes it a step further. HE mentions if a person holds a garment as collateral, the lender should be gracious and give it back before sundown. Here, GOD goes into detail about graciousness. I believe HE is saying that if a person complains about the lender who holds his only garment as collateral, then GOD will listen to the borrower versus the lender. Why? Because GOD is gracious.

 

The condition is this is the person’s only garment. Something precious. We get a lot of insight about GOD in this set of rules. People will be poor. People will be wealthy. The way to please GOD is with graciousness on either side. GOD made us in HIS image. This means we have the capability to show grace, no matter what circumstance we are in.

 

Challenge

• Why does GOD remind Moses about HIS graciousness?
• Have you ever loaned someone money and acted worse than moneylenders?
• Have you self-examined your graciousness when it comes to borrowing or lending?

Don’t ask “Where’s my money?”

Deuteronomy 24: ¹⁰ When you make a loan of any kind to your neighbor, do not go into their house to get what is offered to you as a pledge. ¹¹ Stay outside and let the neighbor to whom you are making the loan bring the pledge out to you. ¹² If the neighbor is poor, do not go to sleep with their pledge in your possession. 

¹³ Return their cloak by sunset so that your neighbor may sleep in it. Then they will thank you, and it will be regarded as a righteous act in the sight of the Lord your God.

============

“Can I borrow $20” were the strangest words I heard coming from a person I just met the day before. We were coworkers and this guy was older than me. I was fresh out of college and this guy is asking me for money!  “NO indeed” was my initial thought, but something nagged at me.

I wrestled with it and said “No” without asking many questions.

• At one point I kept my possessions a secret for fear someone would want to borrow from me.
• At one point I would stay away from the needy for fear that they may need something from me.
• At one point I would evaluate the need and automatically say “No” requiring the needy person to convince me of their need.

Loaning money is a very touchy subject because no one ever has enough. When someone asked me for money, it meant I had to sacrifice to accommodate the need which made me feel uncomfortable so I avoided like the plague. But what does GOD think.

• GOD wants me to be wise and generous.
• GOD wants me to find the poor and loan what I don’t expect to get back.
• GOD wants me to treat the person I loaned the money to with respect.

Loaning money is sometimes difficult because it seems like 12 others would come out the woodwork when they hear of this kind act. GOD provides me with wisdom to loan to the right people and is working on my generosity to not expect it back.

• Are you afraid of loaning money?
• Does pride make you give instead of loaning the money?
• Are you holding onto money so tightly that you cannot foresee loaning money to anyone?
• When you loan to the poor can you treat them with respect and “ask” for repayment instead of demanding it?