Borrower—servant to the lender?
Originally appeared on spirituality.com
The pithy book of Proverbs in the Bible states flatly, “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” Is there counsel in this statement—particularly the latter half—that might help us escape the folly of excessive personal indebtedness? Perhaps an even more important question is: how can we pray to help the United States government face up to its growing national debt? So many countries are affected by the economic condition of the United States that this is an area of international concern.
In the March 19 issue of The New York Times Alan Brinkley reviewed the book, American Theocracy by Kevin Phillips. Mr. Brinkley noted that the book points out “the astonishing levels of debt—current and prospective—that both the government and the American people have been heedlessly accumulating.” In addition to debt at the federal, state, and local levels, corporate debt is also growing. International trade imbalances are another factor, and individual consumer debt is exploding. The review concludes, “… Phillips has created a harrowing picture of national danger that no American reader will welcome, but that none should ignore.”
Other economists and writers are sounding similar warnings and some are likening today’s economic picture to that which preceded the 1929 stock market crash. At that time, I was quite young; my only memory is that a distant relative committed suicide because he had lost everything. I remember wondering why anyone would want to kill himself over something like money. And not too long ago I was delighted to hear this same attitude expressed on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer television program.
As a memorial to Louis Rukeyser, they replayed an interview with him in 1987 when the stock market had its second-worst crash in history. Rukeyser, who was well known to millions, for his popular television show, Wall Street Week, said eloquently: “Okay, let’s start with what’s really important tonight. It’s just your money, not your life. Everybody who really loved you a week ago still loves you tonight, and that is a heck of a lot more important than the numbers on a brokerage statement. The robins will sing. The crocuses will bloom. Babies will gurgle, and puppies will curl up in your lap and drift happily to sleep, even when the stock market goes temporarily insane.” He went on to say, “And now that is all fully in perspective, let me say, ‘ouch’ … !”
In 1929 I didn’t know enough to say “ouch,” but during the 1930s—which were the darkest time of that period in American history—I began to learn what a financial depression is like. I also learned an enduring lesson about the effect of unwise borrowing from a small incident. I was in the first or second grade and went with a friend to the grocery store near the school. My friend ordered an ice cream cone and when the store owner asked if I wanted one also, I said, “Yes.” He handed it to me, and said I owed him a nickel. I didn’t have a nickel and looked to my friend. She explained that the owner was her uncle and gave her free candy and ice cream.
The owner said to me, “You can pay me tomorrow.”
The next day the same thing happened. A couple of days later, we went again for ice cream and the owner reminded me that I owed him a dime and wouldn’t give me a cone. That evening I took a dime off the desk where my father emptied his pockets. Usually my dad didn’t know how much change was there, and I thought he wouldn’t miss it. Later, however, he mentioned that a dime was missing. I hadn’t really thought I was stealing, but I didn’t say I’d taken the dime.
By the time I got to school the next morning, I couldn’t wait to pay off my debt. I ran to the store, gave the owner the dime, and never got another ice cream cone. What I learned later was that the banks were closed and all the cash we had was the bills in my Dad’s wallet and that change atop his desk. I never told my father where the dime went, but I never took another cent from him without asking.
From what might seem like a trivial incident, I learned much about buying on credit, including the dishonesty and shame that can result from the pressure to “pay up.” Another enduring lesson is that one does not borrow for ice cream cones or other luxuries. This lesson has protected me during the credit card era.
When I wondered recently if there were a deeper lesson than an economic one from this childhood incident, I searched the Bible and came across the proverb about the borrower being the servant to the lender. I also discovered the advice, “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.” Jesus was explaining how his teaching differed from the old concept of an “eye for an eye.” This certainly put borrowing and lending into the arena of brotherly kindness. It fulfills the commandment to love one another and puts both parties under the law of divine Love.
It is with this law that I am praying today so nations and individuals can find the solution to excessive indebtedness. I know this statement from Mary Baker Eddy’s book Science and Health points in the right direction: “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.” And the following sentence concludes, “… to all mankind and in every hour, divine Love supplies all good.”
Since it is divine Love that meets every need, then to deal with debt, we need to learn more of God as Love. This is something we can do right this minute. We can pray to know more of divine Love, to recognize that God, Love, is available to guide and support everyone. We can make an effort to prove that spiritually derived love, guided by wisdom, makes for equitable and just governance.
In another of her writings, Mrs. Eddy wrote, “All Christian faith, hope, and prayer, all devout desire, virtually petition, Make me the image and likeness of divine Love” (Message to The Mother Church for 1902, p. 6 ).
The “likeness of divine Love” is satisfied and cannot be tricked by desire or pride or insecurity to make unnecessary expenditures. And certainly this likeness of Love would not contribute to another’s downfall by offering too-easy credit.
Bringing national leaders into our prayers, we help protect them from unwise spending. Divine Love is also divine Mind and Principle, and legislators and individual citizens alike can express the wisdom needed to bring finances, national and personal, under intelligent control.
Borrowers need not be the servants of lenders. As both borrower and lender strive to serve God, divine Love, there is an equity of sharing and of helping one another’s genuine needs to be adequately, rightly met. Refusing to ignore the problems of indebtedness we face individually and among the nations, daily problems in this area can be met without fear. Divine Love does indeed meet our needs.
Recently a friend said she knew without a doubt that divine Love meets every need. She said that a particular need may not be met in the way one had thought, but it would be met. She showed great compassion for those struggling with credit-card debt and this deepened my own conviction that anyone turning to divine Love would be freed from the guilt and burden that often accompany such a debt and find Love’s means for paying it off.
Whether our concern is about personal, government, or corporate debt, if we are sincere, each of us can find a way to be obedient to this Biblical injunction. “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” The law of God, Love, is ever on our side, governing and fulfilling its purpose of meeting all needs.
Debt control:
Science and Health
494:10King James Bible