The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 1300, titled "Bible Questions and Answers."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE.

Question

Does usury mean the acceptance of interest funds on mortgages or savings accounts?

Answer

That’s an interesting question because the Bible has a lot to say about usury. Now the Hebrew word is “neshek.” It literally means “a biting” and it came to mean extortion, to take a bite out of somebody. Have you ever heard the statement, “He put the bite on me,” he extracted something from me? That’s where it comes from: the Hebrew “neshek.”

Now, according to the Mosaic law, the Jews were forbidden to take interest from their brothers upon the loan of anything that qualified as a necessity, such as food. Turn to Leviticus 25--this is important. Leviticus 25:35: “And if thy brother hath become poor and cannot support himself among you”--and that happens! You know, there are some people who just become poor and they can’t support themselves. “Then thou shalt relieve him”--help him out. “Yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner, that he may be live with thee. Take thou no interest from him or profit, but fear thy God that thy brother may live with thee. Thou shalt not give him thy money upon interest nor lend him thy food supplies for profit.”

You see, in the case of food or money in extreme poverty, there was to be no interest taken. Even if you didn’t even know the individual! This was in order to teach men loving-kindness to meet the needs of those who had needs. Do you know the fastest way to make an enemy? Loan a desperate man money, with interest, and then make him hate you all your life. If you really love him, you’d give him what he needed and you certainly wouldn’t do any more than loan it to him, to be given back with no interest.

Deuteronomy 23:19: “Thou shalt not lend upon interest to thy brother interest of money, interest of victuals, interest of anything that is lent upon interest. Unto a foreigner thou mayest lend upon interest.” Now here you go: “With a brother, there was to be none of the staples of life loaned with interest. But to a foreigner, you may lend upon interest. But unto thy brother, thou shalt not lend upon interest, that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand in the land to which thou goest to possess it.”

Notice this. “If I don’t lend him with some interest, I lose my money!” And he says, “All right, God will bless you.” I’ll take it, I’ll take it. I’d rather have the blessing of God than interest anyway, wouldn’t you? Of course.

So the law forbids usury in the case of the poor. It forbids giving a man that which is bare necessity and requiring interest at his hand. In the case of strangers, however, it was permissible to loan money with interest for some other situation.

Now, the practice of mortgaging lands (and we’re all involved in that, if we’re buying homes or buying property). The practice of mortgaging lands, sometimes at exorbitant interests rates, grew up among the Jews during the Babylonian captivity. If you were to read--and I won’t take the time--but if you were to read the fifth chapter of Nehemiah, Nehemiah really comes down hard on this and he forbids this extortion. They were mortgaging lands at a terribly exorbitant interest rates! People were desperate for land and they were raising the prices and they were demanding even more than they had said they would demand. This was extortion and Nehemiah comes down hard in Nehemiah 5, the first part of the chapter through about verse 13, against that.

Now, as you come into the New Testament, you find in Luke, chapter 6, some more indication of this from our Lord himself. I don’t know if you’ve ever read this, but it’s interesting. Luke 6:30: “Give to every man that asks of thee.”

“Now wait a minute, Lord! I mean, couldn’t you put “a few” in there? ‘Give to a few that ask you’? I mean, ‘Give to every man that asks of you’?”

“And of him that takes away your goods, ask them not again.”

“Now wait a minute! That guy’s had my rake for three months! I want my rake back!” And, incidentally, He says in 31, “As you would that men should do to you, do you also to them.” That’s a very, very helpful statement.

Verse 35: “But love ye your enemies and do good and lend hoping for nothing.” Then if you get anything, it’s a victory. That’s right. “And your reward shall be great and ye shall be sons of the highest, for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” Just because of the fact that you are kind to evil people, kind to unthankful people, God is going to honor you. So give and ask nothing in return! Then anything you get is a blessing from God.

You see how high Jesus lifts the ethical level? Now, I don’t think that we’re talking here about the fact that in business and in certain purchases, there is to be reasonable interest. And I think if you’re a person who loans money for some reason or other to people--maybe you have second mortgages on their homes or whatever else, you have some kind of a financial assistance program--I do not think that is forbidden. What is forbidden by our Lord Jesus is extortion and that is interest and getting back money from people that you know cannot afford it when they need for necessities of life! That’s the point.

Now look over in Luke 19:23 (to just show you one other thought) because it is worth our understanding. Luke 19:23--and here the Lord does not forbid a reasonable interest for the use of money in trade. Here is the particular story of the servants who were given some money and the Lord comes back, and in 23: “Why then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming, I might have required mine own with interest!” You see, here the Lord says, “Hey, you should have made some interest on my money.” You see, in terms of trade and in terms of business, interest is never forbidden in Scripture. In fact, the Lord says, “You should have done that!” But in terms of a brother’s need, it is forbidden. And in terms of exorbitance and extortion, it is forbidden. Ok? I hope that helps to clarify it… And I want you to know that if any of us ever come, it’s always need.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
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