LEVITICUS 25:35-38 ~ No-Interest Loans

In Leviticus 25:1-34 the LORD gave property laws regulating what could or could not be redeemed or released in the Year of Jubilee.  In Leviticus 25:35-55, He gave laws governing hired servants and slaves during the 49 years between the Years of Jubilee.  To review our last study: click here in Leviticus 25:32-34.

Welcome friends ... come on in ... join us for a taste of this morning's measure of manna!

LEVITICUS 25:35-38 ~ And if your brother be waxen (has become) poor, and fallen in decay with you; then you shall relieve him; yes, though he is a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with you.  Take you no usury of him, or increase; but fear you God; that your brother may live with you.  You shall not give him your money upon usury, nor lend him your victuals for increase.  I AM the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.

:35 ~ And if your brother be waxen (has become) poor, and fallen into decay with you; then you shall relieve him; yes, though he is a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with you.

Four Commands -- Relief of Poor Brother:

1. If a brother becomes poor, then relieve him.
2. You shall relieve him whether he is a Hebrew or stranger or visitor among you.
3. Do not take interest nor crops in payment for your help.
4. Fear God, so that your brother may live with you.

Gill, in his Exposition of the Whole Bible: describes the brother fallen into decay as: "not owing to sloth and negligence, but to unavoidable want and necessity."  He points out that relief was to be achieved by: not merely by sympathizing with him, but by communicating to him, and distributing to his necessities; holding him up that he may not utterly fall, and strengthening his hands, that he may have a supply for his present wants.

Commenter Matthew Henry says that "sometimes it is as great a charity to lend freely as to give."  I would add that sometimes it is a greater charity...

:36 ~ Take you no usury of him, or increase: but fear you God; that your brother may live with you.

No extortion ... no illegal interest on a debt was to be charged ... no bonus or percentage in addition to principal.  Bottom line: no unjust gain made off of the loan.

As God has been gracious to us, so we should be gracious to our brethren.


The LORD commands us not to profit or become rich at the expense of the poor.  We are not to take advantage of them to increase our own wealth.  HA!  Exactly the opposite of the banks and lending institutions of today ... who's main goal is exactly the opposite!


Twice God gave the reason for helping a poor brother-- that he might live among the Israelites, in Canaan, instead of being driven to another land.  Some commentators say this implied: the poor would recover and be of service to the Israelites.  Which really does make sense; so that they could become contributing citizens to the community.


This is the key reason, I believe, that our Society is lacking in relieving our World's poor.  If only we would follow GOD's instructions!  We need to strengthen the poor, so they are able take care of themselves ... so they can in turn become functioning members of our Society.  This needs to be taught in our very own families first, for an impact on the World to be felt.

:37 ~ You shall not give him your money upon usury, nor lend him your victuals for increase.  

Money: here, means silver.  Do not lend the poor your money, expecting and insisting upon a large interest for it.  Victuals: food/meat/provisions.  These necessities, you are expected to freely give.

According to Jon Courson: “Although Deuteronomy 23:20 allowed interest from a stranger; they having themselves been rescued by God when they were slaves in Egypt … the Israelites were to rescue their brothers from financial bondage with no-interest loans.  They were not to take advantage of a brother in need."

:38 ~ I AM the LORD your God,
which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.

*According to Dakes’ Bible Notes: Being “brought forth out of the land of Egypt” is referred to 4 times, just in Chapters 25-26!  Hmmmm ... I guess we still do need a reminder too, don't we?!  Eeeesh!

We are to fear our God, Who will reckon with us for all injuries done to the poor.  Do not fear them, but fear Him!  A pretty clear warning, I would say!  Woe be to those who take advantage of the poor!

Matthew Henry points out that: "The same argument is used to enforce this precept that prefaces all of the Ten Commandments: I AM the Lord, your God, which brought you out of Egypt."
This leads me to a "side-study" on the “I AM the Lord, your God”  verses that I am collecting from Deuteronomy and elsewhere in the Bible.  My personal theory is that this statement/reminder is attached to directives that have particular importance to the LORD.  He stresses certain statements as warnings, stern reminders.  It is very likely that these warnings/reminders accompany situations that He knows that we are particularly vulnerable in.  So, I have begun listing these as I find them.

I am very interested to see what truths this "side-trip" through the Bible reveals.  I will publish my findings when I have a more conclusive understanding.  In the meantime, you may want to take on this side-study yourself.  Or, you may already have a deeper understanding.  Either way, I surely would appreciate any and all input you would be willing to offer. 

Until we meet again,  Arrivaderci

I am blessed every day

with some new revelation of God's Word.

I will be sharing my measure of manna

with all who come to my "tent."

Please, let me know if you have been blessed

by the way it was prepared for you this day.

 ~Shalom~

Between Meal Snacks

This is the inaugural post of Between Meal Snacks.  Here, I will share yummy morsels, spirtual "snacks," to enjoy between meals or anytime as a light refreshment.  Unlike earthly snacks, these certainly will not dull your appetite.  They are to be more like "appetizers" that will pique your appetite and make you hungry for more of God's Living Word.

Usually, these posts will be related to or inspired by a current study.  They are not intended to be a replacement for deeper, personal studies!  Word by Word, line upon line, precept upon precept ...  

As the Lord leads, here we go:

It is likely that most of you have noticed the "I AM" statements that run throughout the Bible!



Well ... one morning years ago, during my personal study time,  I distinctly "heard" the LORD "say" to me, "I AM is in here."  Now, I did not hear an audible voice.  But, you know how you "know-that-you-know" some things?  This was definitely one of those times!


I started underlining, in red ink, every I AM that I found in my Bible.  At first, I thought to myself: 'Is this a weird thing to do?'  Was I just messing up my new Bible?  The blessing soon became obvious.  WOW!  As I turned each page, the words, "I AM" seemed to jump out at me from everywhere ... in both Testaments!

What a mighty, powerful, faith-building exercise!  To this day, the LORD continues to reveal more and more, about His awesome name and nature, through His "I AM" statements.  Bless His heart!

Did you know? Out of only 37 verses in Leviticus 19 ... I AM THE LORD is repeated 15 times! Through these verses, He reminds us that:

1. He has the wisdom to establish the laws
2. He has the power to enforce them, as well.
~ Jon Courson's Application Commentary Old Testament, Vol 1.

I challenge you, If you haven't already done this ... sit down with the LORD, your Bible and a red pen ... and see what He shows you! 

Got yummy tidbits from God's Word?  We would all love it ... if you would share your snacks with us too!

Shalom, my friends ...

Leviticus 25:14-17 ~Jubilee~ Near or Far?

Here comes the sun!  At 0630 the temperature outside was actually under 100!  This is a day that the LORD has made, let us be glad and rejoice in it!

The last time we got together, we shared Leviticus 25:8-13,  The LORD enacted the Year of Jubilee, to be kept every 50th year following the (49th) 7th Sabbatic Year; giving the Israelites 2 years, in a row, of complete rest!  N.I.C.E!  Of course, they did have to work 49 years first!  God offered them a "Triple R" blessing, but they never took advantage of it.  We discovered how we can do, what they never did ... experience Jubilee in our own lives!

On today's "menu," we will find that all business was based on the number of years of potential profit between the Years of Jubilee.

Jon Courson explains, in his Application Commentary: if someone bought land 3 months  before a Jubilee Year, they would pay only a fraction of its value.  However, if they bought that same land 3 years before Jubilee, they would pay a little higher price.  And, if the next Jubilee was 49 years away, they would pay full price.

So, the property was obviously more valuable, the further away from Jubilee that you bought it.  Aha!  I am beginning to see some of God's purpose behind this concept this now!

Let's dig in:

Leviticus 25:14 ~ And if you sell ought unto your neighbor, or buy ought of your neighbor's hand, you shall not oppress one another:

Ought: 'that which comes from a sale' ~ 4465 Strongs Exhaustive Concordance.  The root word in Hebrew means 'merchandise.'  Oppress: 'to suppress, maltreat or do violence' ~ 3238 Strongs.

So, whether you sell anything to your neighbor or  buy anything from your neighbor, neither of you are to hold back (suppress) anything from each other nor take unfair advantage of one another.

:15 ~ According to the number of years after the jubile you shall buy of your neighbor, and according to the number of years of the fruits he shall sell unto you,

The transaction was actually more like a lease, than a purchase.  The land had been divided among the 12 tribes, then divided further among the families.  Only under certain exceptions, could it be sold outright "in perpetuity," outside of the families.  So, every Year of Jubilee, all property was restored to the family that originally owned it.

The price reflected the amount of time, that the buyer had, to gain a profit from the land.  The sooner after  the Jubilee Year that you made your 'purchase,' the longer you could retain possession of it, thus the price would be higher.

:16 ~ According to the multitude of years you shall increase the price thereof, and according to the fewness of years you shall diminish the price of it: For according to the number of the years of the fruits does he sell unto you,

Likewise, if the transaction was made close to an upcoming Year of Jubilee ... for instance, just  a few months before ... the price would be substantially lower, because you would only have the property for a short time.  So, the value of the land was based on how many years you could potentially gain profit from it.  Sounds like a really fair policy ... doesn't it?  Of course, it is God's plan ... it is perfect!

:17 ~ You shall not therefore oppress one another; but you shall fear your God; for I AM the LORD your God.

Click on photo to enlarge: "The LORD your God!"

The LORD obviously saw a need to repeat the command that He gave in verse 14.  This time, He backed it up, by reminding the children of Israel exactly Who He is and specifically to Whom they were accountable!  Strong words here! 

God, in His infinite wisdom, knows our sinful/ weaselly natures.  When He sees fit to repeat something, I try to pay extra close attention.  Because, I know that it must be especially important to Him.  In this case, God tells us that He will definitely not take it lightly, if we mistreat one another for profit!!

The world, at large, seems to operate in complete contradiction to God's plan!  We hear stories in the news everyday.  A very large percentage of businesses are making their profits by mistreating others ... the elderly, the sick, the poor, the children ... even animals.  Our collective conscience seems to be glaringly missing! 

We would all do well, to heed the Lord's instructions to the Israelites!  Thanks to Jesus, we are not bound by the Laws in the OT, but we can certainly learn from them.  There will, one day, be a final accounting and I believe that day is getting very close!  It will be very dark day for some.  :( 

But, for Christians, what a joyous day!  The pièce de résistance ... the Extreme Jubilee!  Jesus will wipe our slates completely clean, forever!  All of our debts, trespasses and sins will be canceled and everything that binds us to this earth will be loosed ...  for eternity!  Hallelujah!!

That ultimate Jubilee, that Jesus came to proclaim, will take place in the Kingdom.  The closer that Extreme Jubilee seems to us ... the less valuable our material possessions will seem to be.

On the other hand, if I am all caught up in my possessions, my hobbies, my agenda ... that is a good indicator, that I may not be living for the Kingdom, the way I should be.  Am I putting too much value on those things, that are only temporary??  And what about my health?  These "tents," that we live in, are only temporary too!  Where do I invest my thoughts, time, money?

In Matthew 6:21 Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  One thing is certain, the Lord wants to put His Kingdom in our hearts to a greater degree!  What do we need to do? Let it all go!!!!  We don't want the things of this world crowding out our Savior!!!  When we hear the heavenly Shofar of our Master calling us to the great Jubilee, we won't even think about earthly junk!!!  Oh my goodness .... what a awesome thing to look forward to!!!  I get chills thinking of it! 

Personally, I feel a real sense of urgency ... to do my letting go (I have a lot to let go of, too ... believe me) ... and to encourage others to do the same!  The "Extreme Jubilee" ... is getting close!!  WOO HOO!!!!  How exciting is that?!!!!!

We had better go get to work, while we can!  So ....

Until the next time ... au revoir!

I am blessed every day

with some new revelation of God's Word.

I will be sharing my measure of manna

with all who come to my "tent."

Please, let me know if you have been blessed

by the way it was prepared for you this day.

~Shalom~