"If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury. If thou at all take thy neighbour’s raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious.(Ex 22:25-27).

And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
(Lk 6:34)

Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.(Mt 5:42)

0% Down! No payments no interest for 1 year! 0% financing!

All of us are very familiar with these terms - some of us may be too familar :-) ! What do these terms actually mean when you sit down and look at them? Apart from being an inducement to spend your hard earned money (or make a legally binding promise to spend it - which amounts to the same thing) , they are also a means by which the offer-er makes some more money on top of the sale amount... either they get a cut from the bank that finances the loan, or they themselves are the bankers and make money on the interest.

Lending money for interest is the capitalist way of life! Sometimes it gets us into deep trouble... the last US recession which caused a global financial meltdown was an example of this gone way wrong. Predatory lending lent money to people who couldn't afford to pay back the principal or even make the payments on the loan. Couple that with the fact that these bad loans were then packaged and sold and resold amongst banks ... once the first domino came down it took everything with it. We may think predatory lending is what the word Usury means - it has certainly grown to acquire that connotation. In the Bible however, Usury does not mean lending at exorbitant rates with the goal of acquiring a pledged security (house/business/pawned item) for pennies on the dollar. It simply means charging interest - any interest - on a loan. The Old Testament mandated 0% financing before Wall St. or Retailers ever knew about it!

Why would/does God care?

The answers are in the companion texts from the New Testament this week, that help explain this mystery. God wants His people to be givers! Christ says that the act of lending, and hoping to receive is something that every man does - nothing special about it. God would love for His children to be different and give hoping NOT to receive! In Matt 5:45 He makes it abundantly clear. Do this so that..." ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (Mt 5:45).

The immediate reaction to this is - Wow - I can see how that could be abused. If people knew I was a Christian and was determined to follow this principle, there would be lines outside my door till I had given away everything I own! Who will take care of me then? Well, there are three answers to that objection...

1. God intends for us to follow the whole Law, which means, I am equally obliged to provide for my family, and leave my kids an inheritance. "A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just." Prov 13:22 , "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." - 1 Tim 5:8. Any giving should be done out of your increase, and surplus - not out of want. We hear a principle of "sacrificial giving" elevated to a virtue by unscrupulous people whose only desire is to raid your pocket. That is not what God's word has to say about it!

2. You can't out-give God. If you truly give, He will give back to you. With whatever measure you give, the same measure will be used to give back to you - whether it is forgiveness or wealth! So don't worry about getting your money back from people, because the blessings from Him will far outweigh what you do give. Even this has been abused by religious organizations - the poster text is "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."(Lk 6:38). Yes, you are certainly asked to give, but not at the expense of your want. That is never ever mentioned...

3. By giving, you are actually depositing treasure for yourself in Heaven. Its perfectly secure, backed by the good faith and promise of God himself. Luke 12: 33-34 "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." - the act of giving with a view to acquiring heavenly wealth is not selfish - rather it is a spiritual discipline that keeps your head and eyes focused heavenward!

Precisely the reverse attitude is demonstrated by one who lends a poor man money, but then keeps his clothing as security. This is a person who is determined to get the best of a transaction at all costs. Like the cry of the widow and the orphan, the cry of a poor man victimized also rings in His ears, and He promises - He will hear. Woe betide those who prey on the poor and helpless... their judgement will be severe indeed!

Giving is a spiritual disciple that is much neglected today. Large numbers of people sit in church pews expecting to be spiritually fed, listen to good music, have their kids in day-care and receive spiritual education, sit in a comfortable environment - but when the offering plate comes around, end up just putting in a dollar or two - if not actually pocketing some cash (yes that happens too!). Really? How is that helping the church organization who is doing all this? They would actually benefit by having those people leave the church, and replacing that pew-space by those that are willing to serve and contribute.

Tithing is not the same as giving. Tithing is no longer a requirement for the church of God. Giving is. We have a video on that topic in this page, and we encourage you to watch it. The reason a pastor preaches a tithing message to beat the congregation over the head, is that the average churchgoer no longer truly supports their church! They will pay their cell phone, data bill, pandora/spotify/amazon subscriptions, but will not support their brother or sister if they need help.

And that is where Love comes into it. If you dont love your brother who you can see, how you can you say you love God whom you can't?

God intended for Israel to be givers. Any loans given expired at the end of the 6th year (the seventh year was the year of Jubilee when all loans were forgiven and all property returned to its owner) - automatically making even 0% interest loans a free gift!

Our God is wise, loving and kind and that's the beauty we see in the Law! Hallelujah!