Today's Scripture Reading (March 3, 2025): Deuteronomy 15
In Hamlet, Polonius, an adviser to the king, gives his son some advice before his son leaves the nest. I think it is a practice of fathers everywhere. It is a moment to give their progeny what they consider essential before the child leaves home to go and make their life somewhere else. For Polonius, the advice list is long. And it comes in a two-part format. Among the nuggets of wisdom Dad offers his son is the advice to listen to everyone but to be quiet in most situations. Another piece of wisdom Dad leaves with his child is to let others judge you but refrain from the temptation to return the favor and to wear good clothes but not so good that it sets you off from others.
In this same list of proverbs, we find what might be Polonius's most famous piece of advice. "Neither a borrower nor a lender be." You might have thought the advice was in the Bible. It is not, at least not in that form, although it agrees with what the Bible teaches.
To understand Polonius's advice from a biblical point of view, we must understand the biblical purpose of a loan. From a biblical perspective, borrowing money has nothing to do with purchasing that new car with cash you don't have or even buying the latest game console with someone else's cash. Those things the Bible would say we should save up for; I know it is a novel concept. You borrowed money when you needed to buy the essentials of life, but disaster has left you without funds. Then, those with cash helped out those without. And every seven years, if anyone from Israel could not repay their loan, the debt was canceled. However, lending money was an action against poverty, and it always needed to be understood as such.
Moses stresses this idea. Lending money is not a money-making endeavor. It is a statement against poverty. Let there be no one too poor to live if someone has enough to save them. But don't take advantage of these people, either. Because if that happens, then hearts will be hardened. Do not borrow money if there is any other option. Borrowing money for something you might want but don't need only makes someone else rich and you poor. We need to understand that. But if you can help someone in dire need, don't hold back even if we are nearing the seventh year of loan forgiveness. Understand the essential role of money within a community. And strive to be the one who lends and not the one who borrows.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 16
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