THINK TOGETHER.
Have you ever borrowed something from someone?
READ TOGETHER
Proverbs 22:7. The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
We borrow things all the time don’t we? If you have siblings you probably have borrowed their things quite often – toys, markers, clothes, sports equipment. Maybe in school you’ve borrowed a pen or pencil from a classmate. This kind of simple borrowing between family and friends is NOT what Solomon is warning about in this proverb. Notice the first phrase – the rich rule over the poor. Solomon is warning us about borrowing from the rich, the rulers. Why is that so dangerous? Because the borrower is the slave of the lender. Just ask mom and dad.
Solomon’s warning is one that we should tuck away for when we get older. Most adults in America are in debt to the rich. They owe money for houses, cars, credit cards, college educations. But sometimes we have to borrow money in order to survive and move forward. In the Old Testament law, God didn’t forbid borrowing money. In fact, he made laws that kept the rich from hurting the poor. Laws against charging people interest on loans (do you know what interest is?). Laws that cancelled all debts every seven years. God’s law actually says these words: “There should be no poor among you.” God doesn’t want the rich to rule over the poor. He doesn’t want us to be slaves to the lenders. God wants justice. He wants equality. That’s why we should be able to lend to others easily and without even expecting it back. We should be givers not lenders. Do you know the difference?
Why does God want equality? Because we are created to be equal. We are all made in the image of God. And, in Jesus, we are all re-created to be equal. We are all equally sinful and we all equally need God to cancel our sin debt. And he did! He did it through Jesus on the cross. Now we don’t owe God anything. We are not his slaves living in debt to God; we are his children sharing everything that is his.
Because of Jesus we are no longer in debt to God.
With Jesus we can share all that we have with others freely.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Talk to your kids about debt. Show them some of the ways you are in debt (mortgage, car payments). How do these things make us “slaves?” How is our salvation different?
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, thank you for making me your child not your slave. Help me to treat others the same way and share all that I have. Amen.
TLICfamily 