November 22

Nov 22 - Today from Proverbs 22 we look at verse 7
"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender."

Wisdom is in serving others as God leads. We are to serve with the time, talents and treasures with which God endows us. In this there is value in being free from unnecessary, and particularly unwise contracts of any kind.
A contract is a binding agreement between two or more people. Those considered important, especially in today’s business world, are written out in specific legal terms and then signed by the agreeing parties. This makes the document publicly binding and enforceable in the governing justice systems. One of the most common of this type of document is in the money lending business. The introduction of the credit card has increased money lending almost exponentially. Millions of times each day people are signing a binding loan agreement when they sign off on a credit card transaction. If unable to cover all transactions at the end of the month (which is the general rule of credit card use), they place themselves into bondage to the loaning institution of which the card represents. They are no longer free to use the treasures God endows for God's purposes of serving. They are now bound to pay off exorbitant amounts of interest to a greedy and impersonal master.
To say "The rich rule over the poor" is an observation of the fallen world system. The rich exploit the poor. They have an abundance of excess money, and they are gladly willing to lend it to those who believe they don't have enough - with interest, of course. In this manner, they become masters of the masses. The Teacher is warning his students through this observation. He is saying that it is better do without and to be free than to become a servant to the moneylenders.
Such behavior causes conflict between the seen and the unseen. For the borrower it becomes important enough to enslave one's self to have those temporal possessions that impresses others and satisfies the temporal desires of self. What is unseen is incredible strain in family relationships, frustration, worry and bondage to a merciless master. I speak not out of theory - I have been there.
Wisdom is to be content with such as it has and seeks to stay free in order to serve as God desires. When easy credit came into the marketplace following World War Two and the little plastic credit card became an American icon only a few decades later, what was thought to be a blessing to a people of a great nation has proved to become a curse. It is not readily seen - but we are a nation in bondage. Even the church has lost much of its ability to be free to serve as God desires because we have altered our values.
"I have learned the secret of being content in every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." -Philippians 4:12, 13
"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that." -1 Timothy 6:6-8
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." -Hebrews 13:5
If we have become enslaved to the lenders it is because we have become a discontent people. We have become a discontent people because we have embraced the values of the world.