Lent Reflection - Forgive us our Debts

“At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.” Deuteronomy 15:1

Please read Deuteronomy 15:1-11.

When God delivered the Promised Land into the hands of the Israelites, his desire was that the land would be a blessing to all his people, not just a privileged few. The avoidance of poverty was very much on God’s agenda (v4). Unfortunately, the laws of sinful nature (also known as the laws of economics) dictated that this would never be the case, a reality that God acknowledges in this same section (v11).

Nevertheless, the pursuit of this ideal of zero poverty led to the establishment of some pragmatic laws to limit the inequality between rich and poor. While these laws were designed for a specific time and place, I believe that they contain principles that are still very relevant today.

The first principle is that we should be willing to lend freely to those in need (v8). When we think about God’s call to be generous, we normally assume that this means giving without expecting to get any of our money back. Of course, this kind of giving is absolutely essential for all disciples (e.g. tithes and offerings for a start). However, the practice of lending is somewhat underrated in the church today. Unlike a gift, a loan confers a level of dignity to the recipient as the onus is on them to be productive and creative to raise the funds to repay the loan.

Secondly, as creditors, we should enter into all loan agreements with a motive of love not selfish gain. In the Old Testament era, the prohibition of interest (Leviticus 25:36-37) ensured that a creditor could never gain financially from any legal loan.

Thirdly, as Jesus reminds us in the Lord’s Prayer, we should be willing to forgive those who are indebted to us. No matter how much we are owed by others, whether in monetary terms or otherwise, this can never compare with our own debt that was written off by Jesus on the cross.

Just today, in the spirit of Deuteronomy 15, we made out a loan to a family in our small group to enable them to attend the New Wine festival this year. I believe that this is God’s economy in action but we have so much more to learn.

Let us reflect on how we can use the loan tool in the generosity toolkit to bless others. And, if we are already creditors (if you have savings or pensions, that includes you), how does living in the reality of the Father’s forgiveness dictate our attitude towards our debtors?

Prayer – As we move into a new financial year, pray for all those who are burdened with debt and for people and organisations, such as Christians Against Poverty, trying to help them.

(This is one of a series of Lent reflections focusing on the Lord's Prayer, posted on the website of The Order of Mission, of which I am a member. For more information, please go to www.missionorder.org although only members can access the Lent reflections.)