Deuteronomy 15: Financial Freedom

"When the Lord your God blesses you as He has promised you, you will lend to many nations but not borrow; you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you."

Deuteronomy 15:6

This chapter details the Lord's forgiveness of debt every seven years, the Lord's command for giving to the poor, and the release of slaves every seven years.  All of these focus on the idea of fiscal conservatism and sound money.

About freedom from debt... God tells His people that, if we keep His commands, we will lend but never borrow.  The cause-and-effect here are quite plain to see, if you remember what God's commands are.  The tenth Commandment instructs us not to covet what other people have.  If we can simply be happy with our own blessings and stop trying to buy up everyone else's blessings, we won't need to go into debt in the first place.  If you're already in debt, keeping this commandment in mind can help you to pay it off more quickly.

About freedom from poverty... God instructs His people to lend to the poor, even if we know they can never pay us back.  Here's the way I think of it - whenever someone has a true need that you can provide for and is asking for help, give it to them outright and tell them it's a gift (not a loan).  If they pay it back, accept it, but don't ever hold the loan over their head and don't let their inability to pay back stop you from giving.  If you don't help others in need, how can you expect others to help you when you are in need?

About freedom from slavery... A slave is someone who is bound to work for no pay, usually because they've become so indebted that they can't even hope to work off their debt.  God commands His people to let these slaves go every seven years, and to give them a parting gift as well!  The more an Israelite gave his parting slave, the more God would bless him.  This kind of slavery doesn't exactly happen the way it used to, but there are many in our modern culture who are slaves to a lender - who are so far into debt that lenders are taking every penny of what they earn.  Ultimately, these "slaves" must end up filing for bankruptcy and starting over completely.  If you know someone who is in this tragic state, bless them by giving them some form of foundation to start over with.

Question of the Day:

Are you a financial slave?  Do you know anyone who is a financial slave?  What can you do to help yourself, your family, your friends, and the needy around you become more financially free?  What can you do to help your country, which is currently in a desperate financial situation?

Prayer of the Day:

Thank you for blessing me so abundantly!  Provide me with opportunities to share my blessings with the needy around me.  Help me to know Your plans for my finances, and help me to stay fiscally responsible with all the areas of my budget so that I am more able to help others in need.  Amen.