Debts Canceled

     Wouldn't it be wonderful to live debt free! As someone who does, it is! But debt free living comes at a cost. Debt free isn't free. It happened for Israel in seven year cycles.
     The history of Israel's lending policies is beautiful. They come into the Promised Land with no debt. They are given a land filled with everything they could ever want and need. And provision is made for the rare times when someone goes into debt. Part of that provision dealt with lending to each other, lending to fellow Israelites.
     When an Israelite fell into debt they would borrow from another Israelite. The Lender would calculate where they were in the nation's seven year cycle. They would then do a customized loan payment plan based on that. If there was any outstanding balance when the seven year cycle came, the balance would be forgiven.
     So how was this possible? First, the nation as a whole had promised to live life in a way that honored the LORD in all that they did. Their lifestyle and life choices were to be such that they would stand as a shining example of the power of the LORD, an example that would lead others to want to be in relationship with the LORD. So it started on the premise that Israel honored the LORD.
     Second, the nation's needs were provided for because of the blessing that was promised for this kind of obedient, submitted living. The Israelites didn't get to do just anything they wanted. They were part of a larger community that cared and supported each other. They took care of the poor, the widows and the orphans. They made provision for foreigners living in their midst. The blessing of the LORD was so evident that they had plenty to voluntarily share.
     Third, everyone took responsibility for their own choices. The Lender would calculate the time left before the seven year cycle was over and lent money based on that. The borrower took responsibility to pay back and made the appropriate sacrifices in order to be a responsible member of the society. Only in rare, unforeseen circumstances did they default on loans. Everyone paid their fare share.
     This is very different from so many societies, including our own, that want to just forgive debt. No society lived or lives by these standards. None lives a holy national life. None experiences the blessings of the LORD to the degree intended. None has a populace that takes personal responsibility for their debt.
     Instead, proposals are out there to steal money from one group and give it to another without any personal responsibility is not a Biblical concept. We, both individually and corporately, must take responsibility for our spending and our lending.