Do not require interest from loans to your countrymen, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all your undertakings in the land that you are about to enter and possess.  Deuteronomy 23:20

Interest – The Bible is a culturally-produced document.  Let that sink in for a minute.  That means that if we are going to understand what it says, we have to put the original words into the cultural context of the first audience.  That also means that we must resist the tendency to make verses like this one into “spiritual” principles.  When we try to apply them to all our business dealings, things don’t work out so well.

Let’s consider the context of this verse.  Rabbi Jeffery Tigay points out that this belongs in an agrarian economy where monetary transactions were not common.  The kind of loans that predominate Torah instructions are charitable loans, given to those who fell on hard times.  When fellow countrymen were in trouble in an agrarian society that usually meant starvation.  Therefore, the Torah makes it a moral obligation to assist without increasing the level of poverty by demanding interest. The Hebrew word here is neshekh.  It is derived from the stem N-Sh-K and is associated with the word “bite” like a snake (N-Ch-Sh) bite.  To take interest from the afflicted is like the poison bite of a snake. 

Three things must be made clear.  First, these are loans.  They are not charitable gifts.  They are expected, in fact, required to be repaid.  Secondly, these charitable loans are not a form of welfare.  There is nothing permanent about them.  They are intended to restore the borrower to stability so that the borrower can re-enter the economy as a productive member.  And thirdly, these loans are not the norm for commercial business.  The principle here applies only to those who are in need within the community because they have been afflicted, not because they have been ruined by greed or other selfish endeavors.

Notice the result of fulfilling this obligation.  God blesses you!  You are blessed in all that you do.  This is moral obligation with motivating reward.  Amazing!  It could have been just assigned as your duty, but God actually attaches personal gain to the act of unselfish assistance.

The world today is experiencing economic hardship.  Most of it appears to be the result of greed, power and selfish desire.  Nevertheless, the fallout affects those who are part of the community and, through no fault of their own, now face serious consequences.  We, the ones who are able, have an obligation to assist without personal gain.  That is the difference between a follower and a financier.  If you know someone who is in trouble and you are able to help, perhaps God is asking you to receive His blessing.  Like most blessings in the Bible, this one contains a condition.  Just do it.  And see what happens.

Topical Index:  loan, interest, afflicted, neshekh, blessing, Deuteronomy 23:20