Deut 15:1-18
When the Israelites entered the new land that God was giving them, they were given instructions on bringing the tithe and offerings every year to the Temple. At the end of every seven years things were handled a bit differently. If someone owed them a debt they were to cancel it. They could require a foreigner to repay a debt but not a fellow Jew. They were told to not refuse help to anyone. When they had slaves, they were to let the slave go at the end of that seven years as well. Plus they were to send that slave off with gifts that would meet their needs to resettle. If the slave wanted to stay they could choose to stay. In that time, the slaves were generally those who had sold themselves into labor in order to help their family pay off bills and such. They were not generally people who were taken against their will.
So, how dow we handle people who owe us? I really don't know how to answer that question. It may vary with each situation. However, I know that we should not allow the situation to bring enmity between the borrower and the lender.
I am reminded ot the parable of the lender who had forgiven a man a great debt then that man went out and threw a man who owed him money into prison because he could not pay it. Then the original lender heard about it and in his anger threw the man he'd initially forgiven into jail until he could repay the debt.
I don't think that parable was about physically lending money to each other, but there could still be a lesson to learn. We maybe should lend with the expectation, of not getting it back. Not because you don't trust the other person, but that you just let it go so that it won't be a problem later. Rom 13:8 says to owe no man anything but love.
Just something to think about.
When the Israelites entered the new land that God was giving them, they were given instructions on bringing the tithe and offerings every year to the Temple. At the end of every seven years things were handled a bit differently. If someone owed them a debt they were to cancel it. They could require a foreigner to repay a debt but not a fellow Jew. They were told to not refuse help to anyone. When they had slaves, they were to let the slave go at the end of that seven years as well. Plus they were to send that slave off with gifts that would meet their needs to resettle. If the slave wanted to stay they could choose to stay. In that time, the slaves were generally those who had sold themselves into labor in order to help their family pay off bills and such. They were not generally people who were taken against their will.
So, how dow we handle people who owe us? I really don't know how to answer that question. It may vary with each situation. However, I know that we should not allow the situation to bring enmity between the borrower and the lender.
I am reminded ot the parable of the lender who had forgiven a man a great debt then that man went out and threw a man who owed him money into prison because he could not pay it. Then the original lender heard about it and in his anger threw the man he'd initially forgiven into jail until he could repay the debt.
I don't think that parable was about physically lending money to each other, but there could still be a lesson to learn. We maybe should lend with the expectation, of not getting it back. Not because you don't trust the other person, but that you just let it go so that it won't be a problem later. Rom 13:8 says to owe no man anything but love.
Just something to think about.
