The Chapter-A-Day thread.

[graciesings]

Deuteronomy 23 verse 19

Thou shalt not lend usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of anything that is lent upon usury: unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury.

Deuteronomy 23 verse 19

The Jews are well known for being good with money. Maybe their tallent for banking dates back to this verse.

That's possible. Many Jews in Europe were bankers who lent money to non-Jewish individuals. However, there are other probable reasons for that. In many European countries, Jews weren't allowed to own property during the middle ages, so they couldn't be farmers... well, if you can't farm, you can lend money! The Jewish people are also very traditional, so they'd be more likely to stick with the "family business" of lending money.

Also... I apologize if this offends anyone, but some studies have suggested that people with Middle Eastern blood have slightly higher IQs than those with European blood. If that's true, it could be another reason that Jews were known to be bankers.

What stood out to me about verse 19 is the idea of being extra kind to your friends... this idea of not charging interest among your own people is one that we can use today, in the sense of being generous and helpful to other Christians.

 

[graciesings]

Not all women produce enough blood to soil the bedding. These women risk being accused of not being maids. Some of these women would have been stoned to death, that is almost certain.

So, that brings up the question... I know we're up to the next day, but... Can God's law be unfair?

 

[graciesings]

Today's chapter is https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy 23&version=NIV

To be absolutely honest, what stood out to me most about this chapter was in verses 21-23, where God mentions keeping vows: Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do...

As a child, I had made some vows to God, and (I felt like) I broke one of them when I was 11 or 12. That's actually what brought me away from Christianity for a few years in my early teens: I "realized" that I was too terrible for God to ever save me. As a kid, I'd never understood the Gospel. For me it was "do these things, do those things, and you'll be fine." God was a boss and I was a Christian, His most loyal subject.

I don't know if it was this verse or another verse in the OT, but there was one verse in the law about how those who break their vows are cursed... and that's the verse that "condemned" me. It wasn't until a year or two ago that I learned about grace... and realized that Christianity isn't for those who are perfect. Christ died for sinners like me, for those who the law has condemned.

So, we're at the thread split: I want to end this thread on the thought of Jesus' sacrifice. He has forgiven all of us who've sinned against the Law... As we watch the Old Testament lead up to the birth of Christ, I pray that we will all find Jesus in our lives and be blessed with His forgiveness and mercy.

 

[ChrisBot]

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