THOU SHALT NOT LEND UPON USURY TO THY BROTHER

In the present day the word ‘usury’ is usually associated with the practice of loaning money at exorbitant rates of interest, but there is no thought of that in the verses before us. In verse 20, permission was given for the Israelite to lend to a stranger and to charge interest for the service. But while it was acceptable to ‘lend upon usury’ to a stranger, such was not the case in deal­ings with a ‘brother’. That principle was applicable not only to money but to anything that might be lent, v. 19. The two verses suggest that although they should be willing to help both, whether a stranger or a brother, they were nevertheless to make a distinction in the way they treated brethren. That same lesson is implied in the words of the apostle Paul, ‘As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith’, Gal. 6. 10.

The importance of the command respecting usury is seen in the fact that it is recorded on three occasions, once in Exo­dus, 22. 25, once in Leviticus, 25. 35, 36, and here in the book of Deuteronomy. Specifically, the first two passages have in view lending to those that had fallen into poverty. In our present passage the prohibition seems more general in character, lend­ing to a brother in any situation. In either case, they were not to seek to profit at the expense of their brethren. Regarding the poor, it is anticipated that the Israelite would be sensitive to a brother’s need and would seek to help. Not to help, or seeking to capitalise from his difficulty, involved a denial of their broth­erly relationship and presented a poor testimony to the world, Neh. 5. 8-9. But obedience to the Lord’s command would bring blessing on all they put their hand to, something more to be desired than any financial advantage that interest on a loan might bring, v. 20.

Is the way we treat our brethren consistent with the spirit of today’s command and likely to be blessed of God? Or, is it more like the spirit described in Galatians chapter 5 verse 15, ‘ye bite and devour one another’, with the result that we are likely to be ‘consumed one of another’?