What is the sin of usury?
Categories: Bible Questions and Answers Tags: Bible Lessons on SinWhat is the sin of usury? Please discuss this.
Several weeks ago in our Wednesday evening Bible class, the subject of the sin of usury came up. I have to confess that I was not adequately prepared to discuss the subject in detail that evening and as a result could not answer everyone’s question on the subject immediately. Since that time, however, I have given some thought to the subject and am better prepared as to what the Bible has to say in regard to this sin.
Usury is the expression that was used in King James English to describe the practice of taking interest and it is so translated in all of the modern versions. However, since I am using the KJV, I will continue talking about it as usury. Usury is discussed in several places in the Old Testament. The passage that we were studying where the sin was mentioned that occasioned this question is found in Psalm 15. This psalm is discussing the one who is in fellowship with God. One of the attributes of the person who is in fellowship with God is found in verse 5 which says, “He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent.” The background to this particular sin is God’s prohibition of usury among the Jewish nation. There are several passages within the Old Testament that discuss this sin.
Exodus 22:25 is the first scripture in the Old Testament that mentions the sin of usury. It says, “If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.” Notice that God specifies “to my people.” We will see in some of the other passages that the prohibition only applied to the people of God, the Jews, and those who were among them, and not to the other nations around them. Notice also that the prohibition against usury was clearly to protect the poor. Poor people are at a special disadvantage when it comes to money. To loan money to them and then lay upon them the additional burden of paying back interest is to expect something of them which God simply doesn’t think they should be forced to do.
This is reflected also in Leviticus 25:35-37 which says, “And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee. Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee. Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase.” Notice in this passage that God is still referring to a “brother,” that is, a member of the Jewish nation, whether by birth or by proselytization. The obligation was that they were to take care of this poor person. They were not to charge usury. They were also not to sell food for profit. God wanted the children of Israel to take care of each other because they were supposed to love each other as brethren.
In Deuteronomy 23:19, 20 we read “Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury: 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.” Again the prohibition of usury is expanded in these verses to include money, food, nor any other thing on which one could charge interest. It is in this context not even limited to the poor, but is applicable to all Israelites. Notice that these verses also make it clear that God is not talking about someone outside the fellowship of Israel. Usury may be taken from someone who is a stranger in the complete sense of the term, that is, a foreigner. However, to a brother, a fellow Jew, no usury could be taken.
In Ezekiel 18, the prophet discusses the fact that each individual is responsible for his or her own sin. He clearly states that the son does not bear the iniquity of the father and neither does the father bear the iniquity of the son. In setting forth this principle, he shows how those who do righteousness will be accounted righteous and those who do wickedness will reap wickedness. He sets forth some of those wicked things that evil people do to merit punishment in verses 10-13. He says, “If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things, And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbor