Proverbs 28:8
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He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.
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Usury is interest, which is the time value of money. But usury can also mean excessive or unjustified interest. Here we see a wicked use of interest or other immoral means to take financial advantage of the poor. God will take the assets of such an unmerciful and wicked man and give them to the man that helps the poor (22:16,22-23).
Interest serves an honest purpose as the time value of money. It is the price of having money today and repaying it in the future. It is the reward for loaning your money and receiving it back some time later. There is nothing intrinsically wrong or immoral about interest (Deut 23:20; Matt 25:27). It is the cost of capital. It is the price of money.
In a stable economy without a central bank, unlike our nation, interest rates are consistently very low over long periods of time. There are no inflationary pressures to charge high interest to protect against severely declining purchasing power. The fear and risk of financial fraud by a central bank is not present. Interest is generally very low and men can loan and borrow without as great of concern for time value.
Consider Israel. There was no central bank or paper money. Their money supply could not be manipulated to cause the boom-and-bust of economic cycles and transfer wealth from creditors to debtors, as in our nation. They had no Federal Reserve Bank.
There was no paper money in Israel. They were 3000 years ahead of our constitution's Article 1; Section 10 protection of the nation's financial integrity. Their money was weighed (Gen 23:16; 43:21; Job 28:15; Ezra 8:25), which is why there are many proverbs about honest balances (11:1; 16:11; 20:23)! Give God the glory! Moneychangers in Israel converted foreign coins to Hebrew coins; Jesus found Caesar's inscription on a coin; and Judas betrayed Him for thirty pieces of silver.
Every tribe and family had significant debt-free capital. For the LORD gave them their capital by taking it from the seven nations of Canaan. He also assigned them their property by inheritance, which they could not transfer from tribe to tribe. Fully capitalized in settled estates with cities built, wells dug, and vineyards planted, there was little borrowing. Any such need would have been an emergency, a single growing season exigency, or a case of poverty due to sickness, death, or other act of God.
The LORD had financial laws for His people and the poor among them. He condemned charging interest to the poor (Ex 22:25; Lev 25:35-37), for this could further his poverty, and it showed a horrible spirit of profane greed and covetousness. He also condemned charging interest to an Israelite (Deut 23:19), for the nation was to be serving each other, not trying to get rich off one another. Israel could charge usury of a stranger (Deut 23:20), which indicates interest itself is not an immoral or oppressive thing, for they were not to oppress a stranger (Ex 22:21; 23:9).
Furthermore, there is a presupposition we are to recognize in the Law of Moses that applies strictly to the poor (Deut 15:4). The poor were to be supplied and protected liberally, without regard for financial protection (Deut 15:7-11). As the Preacher taught us elsewhere, scattering can be very financially rewarding (11:24)!
Therefore, we conclude, that the wisdom of our proverb condemns charging interest to the poor. We make this determination by comparing the Law of Moses and reading the second clause of the proverb! It further condemns any other means of taking financial advantage of them, such as overcharging in selling, underpaying in buying, delaying payments, keeping items put up for security, or paying wages on a delayed basis.
When you deal with a poor person, are you super sensitive about paying market price voluntarily? Are you generous and careful about not even coming close to underpaying? Do you clearly reveal everything you know about the item you are selling them? Do you avoid any and all aspects of intimidation or extortion to force their decision?
If your intent or motive is to make money off the poor, you are profanely wrong. Because a financial transaction may be legal in our country does not make it right. Because a financial transaction is at your "market price" does not make it right. There is a God in heaven that measures and weighs all such transactions Himself. Beware!
Can a Christian work in a bank, where interest is charged to poor people on loans? Yes, or most every profession in our ungodly world could be condemned. Can a Christian work in a grocery store where wine is sold to drunkards? Can a Christian be a roofer that repairs a school building where evolution is taught? Can a Christian be an hotelier where the strange woman does her work?
Sanctified common sense is what Proverbs should give us. If a poor neighbor comes asking for a loan until he gets paid in two weeks, a good man would loan him the money without interest. He would do the same if he needed to repair his only means of transportation. However, if another poor neighbor wanted to finance his child's toys or start a hobby-business through you, interest might very well be appropriate. And the rich do not need interest-free loans at all, especially for business purposes.
God takes care of the poor, and He will severely judge those who try to take advantage of them. When you see oppression in a province, especially against the poor, there is higher than they (Eccl 5:8)! He is a Father of the fatherless and Judge of the widow (Ps 68:5).
The LORD considers your treatment of the poor as your treatment of Him (14:31; 17:5). If you pity the poor and lend to them, He will surely repay you (19:17). If you neglect the poor, He will neglect you in your time of need (21:13; 28:27). Good men take care of the poor (29:7,14; 31:9,20); wicked men abuse the poor (28:3; 30:14). A man who is generous to the poor will be blessed (11:24; 22:9; 28:27) and happy (14:21).
As our proverb warns, the man who takes advantage of the poor may get ahead financially for a moment. But the LORD will take his gain away and give it to the man who has tender regard for the poor. Jesus said, regarding the man who did not wisely use his one talent, "Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents" (Matt 25:28). The rich get richer, when they fear the LORD!
You have just been given another rule for financial success. Be on the look out for the poor, and be generous to them. Never think of protecting your assets. Give, and it shall be given to you. Give generously, and God will open the windows of heaven for you. Scatter your money, and it will bring financial increase!
Do you tip generously in restaurants, where the poor find jobs as waitresses, busboys, and dishwashers? Do you tip generously in hotel rooms, where the poor find jobs as maids? Do you consider the poor at all times in all transactions and encounters?
The love of money is the root of all evil (I Tim 6:6-10), and loving it will cause you to take advantage of the poor. The man who fears the Lord is rather ready to distribute his assets and help the poor (I Tim 6:17-19). And this is the evidence of eternal life.
Our blessed Lord, Who owns the cattle on a thousand hills and Whose riches can never be exhausted, has chosen the poor in this world as the object of His love and largesse (James 2:5). Let us emulate Him and do the same (James 2:1-10; I John 3:16-19).
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