Psalm 15:1 ¶ «A Psalm of David.» LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? 2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. 3 He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. 4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. 5 He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
Here is a question that David answers in the very first Psalm.
Psalm 1:1 ¶ Blessed is the
man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of
sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the
rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also
shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
4 ¶ The ungodly are not so: but are like the
chaff which the wind driveth away. 5
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in
the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knoweth the
way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The word used here in verse 4, contemned, means to despise,
to scorn, and to hold in contempt.
Here in verse 5 it is clear that it was illegal, in keeping with
the Law given to Moses, to charge interest in money loaned to a fellow
Israelite.
In my comments on Exodus 22:25 and context I said;
“A usurer lends
money at interest.
Leviticus
25:36 Take thou no usury of him, or
increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee. 37 Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury,
nor lend him thy victuals for increase.
This
wasn’t our current understanding of usury of excessive interest but as it stood
in pre-Capitalist Christian nations and in Islam the charging of any interest
at all as a profit on money. The interest on money lent was a great source of
social unrest in Ancient Rome as farmers would go further and further into debt
to ease the burden of bad harvests until they lost their farms. In this way,
and others, large landowners could accrue massive landholdings. Our modern
banking and finance system would not exist without charging a profit or
interest on money lent.
This
is not like investing in a merchant’s trip to a foreign country and expecting a
share of the profits but the bondage of being constantly in debt to interest
charged. In America, during the colonial era before there were any commercial
banks, most loans were private arrangements between individuals.
So,
the difference is, if I invest in your farm or your business and expect to
share in the profitability that is not usury. If I loan you money and expect a
profit on the return of that money that would have been considered usury, for
instance, as it was considered in England before Henry VIII’s rule in the
1500s. Economics, particularly finance, can be quite complex so I apologize for
oversimplifying the subject.
Hebrews
were forbidden to charge interest to each other. Imagine that. They could
charge foreigners, though.
Deuteronomy
23:19 Thou shalt not lend upon usury to
thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent
upon usury: 20 Unto a stranger thou
mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury:
that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in
the land whither thou goest to possess it.
I’ve
read that other ancient Near Eastern cultures permitted the charging of
interest allowing for wealth to be consistently gathered into fewer and fewer
hands. Here represents another distinct separation of the Hebrews from those
around them.”
In
verse 5 David makes it clear that the person who does not charge interest on
money or take a bribe to exact domination over the poor shall never be moved
from God’s favor. Bribery and human government go hand in hand. Americans like
to think of it as occurring only in other countries but it is commonplace here.
I was reading a book on American comedy recently, as an example, and they noted
eyewitness accounts of nightclub owners in New York City decades ago having a
schedule of bribes they had to pay to open their doors.
Prophetically,
moving forward we know that Israel violated many if not all of these principles
and commands.
Jeremiah 9:1 ¶ Oh that my
head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and
night for the slain of the daughter of my people! 2 Oh that I had in
the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might
leave my people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of
treacherous men. 3 And they bend their
tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon
the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the
LORD. 4 Take ye heed every one of his
neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly
supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders. 5 And they will deceive every one his
neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak
lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity. 6
Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they
refuse to know me, saith the LORD. 7
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, I will melt them, and
try them; for how shall I do for the daughter of my people? 8 Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it
speaketh deceit: one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in
heart he layeth his wait. 9 Shall I not
visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on
such a nation as this? 10 For the
mountains will I take up a weeping and wailing, and for the habitations of the
wilderness a lamentation, because they are burned up, so that none can pass
through them; neither can men hear the voice of the cattle; both the fowl of
the heavens and the beast are fled; they are gone. 11 And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of
dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.
Nehemiah 5:1 ¶ And there
was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the
Jews. 2 For there were that said, We,
our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that
we may eat, and live. 3 Some also there
were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we
might buy corn, because of the dearth. 4
There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s
tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards. 5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our
brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our
sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought
unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men
have our lands and vineyards.
6 ¶ And I was very angry when I heard their cry
and these words. 7 Then I consulted with
myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact
usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.
8 And I said unto them, We after our
ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen;
and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held
they their peace, and found nothing to answer. 9 Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought
ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen
our enemies? 10 I likewise, and my
brethren, and
my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let
us leave off this usury. 11 Restore, I pray
you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards,
and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the
wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them. 12
Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them;
so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of
them, that they should do according to this promise. 13 Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake
out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this
promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation
said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise.
What are we to make of this? I think this provides us with some
moral guidance that is often ignored in the world. I am reminded of what
Governor Pliny wrote to the Emperor Trajan, which in part said;
“They asserted, however,
that the sum and substance of their fault or error had been that they were
accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to
Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not
to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to
return a trust when called upon to do so.”[1]
This passage is not
doctrine however for the Church Age, the Age of Grace, in that we are not saved
by following these precepts. Our dwelling in Heaven is not challenged by
failing to adhere to these moral principles. But, our life on earth is greatly
enhanced and blessed by taking these to heart.
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