Deuteronomy chapter 15

vs 1

This of course assumes that there will be debts. Can you imagine how this would never work in our society! This is one of the problems with a deregulated housing market, I guess - when houses become worth hundreds of times more than the cost of their materials and the labour to build them, suddenly you need to repay your mortgage over 35 years - five times longer than the 7 years of debt cancellation.

vs 2

No other reason! God has proclaimed it, now do it!

vs 3

This highlights the fact that, even if you are a foreigner who lives by the laws of God, you still won't get your debts cancelled. So foreigners are not treated equally under the law.

vs 4

In other words, there shouldn't be much need for debts in the first place, and certainly no reason why cancelling someone's debt should put you in difficultly. The placement of this verse might even mean that even foreigners, who have to keep paying their debts, should still do well!

vs 5

And of course God's commands can be obeyed by both foreigners and Israelites alike.

vs 6

I would say that anyone who decided to apply this verse as meaning that the Jews should be allowed to lend money should have also realised how limited the promise was, and how many nations have ruled over Israel.

vs 7

Well done to the translators here - hard hearted and tight fisted is an excellent translation.

vs 8

Now this is interesting - God's laws have a kind of charity that is really a loan - which of course can be considered charity because the loan will get cancelled after seven years. But surely, looking at it this way gives it a different perspective. I wonder whether encouraging loans to people instead of handouts (such as the microloans that a lot of Christian agencies are doing now to help poor people start their own business).

vs 9

So the closer to the seventh year, the closer it is to charity. It's interesting that the law doesn't set a rate of interest - I assume that interest is set at some appropriate rate, although I doubt that it was either controlled by markets or by a central bank.

vs 10

I guess this is the thing about a shame culture - if someone does lend you money right after the seven year cancellation, you're going to do your damnest to pay it back, because if you don't it's a shame towards your family's name. Even if you get lent money the day before, you'd probably want to pay it back.

vs 11

The poor will always be with you, as Jesus said. This is not a reason for callousness, but for constant openhandedness.

And don't think that there will only be inequality this side of heaven - there are rewards there too! So inequality is a functional eternal principle, it seems. You shouldn't be surprised - we're always unequal to God.