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Creditors.

From: The New Topical Textbook By: Reuben Archer Torrey

• 1 min. read • grade level: 14

Defined. Philem. 18¹⁸If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; (Philemon 18). v

MIGHT DEMAND

Pledges. Deut. 24:10, 11¹⁰When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. ¹¹Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee. (Deuteronomy 24:10‑11). Prov. 22:27²⁷If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee? (Proverbs 22:27).

Security of others. Prov. 6:1¹My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, (Proverbs 6:1). Prov. 22:26²⁶Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts. (Proverbs 22:26).

Mortgages on property. Neh. 5:3³Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth. (Nehemiah 5:3).

Bills or promissory notes. Luke 16:6, 7⁶And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. ⁷Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. (Luke 16:6‑7).

To return before sunset, garments taken in pledge. Ex. 22:26, 27²⁶If thou at all take thy neighbor's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by that the sun goeth down: ²⁷For that is his covering only, it is his raiment for his skin: wherein shall he sleep? and it shall come to pass, when he crieth unto me, that I will hear; for I am gracious. (Exodus 22:26‑27). Deut. 24:12, 13¹²And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge: ¹³In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the Lord thy God. (Deuteronomy 24:12‑13). Ezek. 18:7, 12⁷And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; (Ezekiel 18:7)
¹²Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination, (Ezekiel 18:12).

PROHIBITED FROM

Taking millstones in pledge. Deut. 24:6⁶No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone to pledge: for he taketh a man's life to pledge. (Deuteronomy 24:6).

Violently selecting pledges. Deut. 24:10¹⁰When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. (Deuteronomy 24:10).

Exacting usury from brethren. Ex. 22:25²⁵If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury. (Exodus 22:25). Lev. 25:36, 37³⁶Take thou no usury of him, or increase: but fear thy God; that thy brother may live with thee. ³⁷Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase. (Leviticus 25:36‑37).

Exacting debts from brethren during sabbatical year. Deut. 15:2, 3²And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbor shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbor, or of his brother; because it is called the Lord's release. ³Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release; (Deuteronomy 15:2‑3).

Might take interest from strangers. Deut. 23:20²⁰Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all that thou settest thine hand to in the land whither thou goest to possess it. (Deuteronomy 23:20).

Sometimes entirely remitted debts. Neh. 5:10-12¹⁰I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury. ¹¹Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them. ¹²Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise. (Nehemiah 5:10‑12). Matt. 18:27²⁷Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. (Matthew 18:27). Luke 7:42⁴²And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? (Luke 7:42).

Often cruel in exacting debts. Neh. 5:7-9⁷Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them. ⁸And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer. ⁹Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies? (Nehemiah 5:7‑9). Job 24:3-9³They drive away the ass of the fatherless, they take the widow's ox for a pledge. ⁴They turn the needy out of the way: the poor of the earth hide themselves together. ⁵Behold, as wild asses in the desert, go they forth to their work; rising betimes for a prey: the wilderness yieldeth food for them and for their children. ⁶They reap every one his corn in the field: and they gather the vintage of the wicked. ⁷They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they have no covering in the cold. ⁸They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter. ⁹They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor. (Job 24:3‑9). Mat. 18:28-30.

OFTEN EXACTED DEBTS

By selling the debtor or taking him for a servant. Matt. 18:25²⁵But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. (Matthew 18:25), with Ex. 21:2²If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. (Exodus 21:2).

By selling the debtor's property. Matt. 18:25²⁵But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. (Matthew 18:25).

By selling the debtor's family. 2 Kin. 4:1. Job 24:9⁹They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor. (Job 24:9). Matt. 18:25²⁵But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. (Matthew 18:25).

By imprisonment. Matt. 5:25, 26²⁵Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. ²⁶Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. (Matthew 5:25‑26). Mat. 18:34.

From the sureties. Prov. 11:15¹⁵He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it: and he that hateth suretiship is sure. (Proverbs 11:15). Prov. 22:26, 27²⁶Be not thou one of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts. ²⁷If thou hast nothing to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee? (Proverbs 22:26‑27).

Were often defrauded. 1 Sam. 22:2²And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. (1 Samuel 22:2). Luke 16:5-7⁵So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? ⁶And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. ⁷Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. (Luke 16:5‑7).

ILLUSTRATIVE OF

God's claim upon men. Matt. 5:25, 26²⁵Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. ²⁶Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. (Matthew 5:25‑26), with Matt. 18:23, 35²³Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. (Matthew 18:23)
³⁵So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. (Matthew 18:35). Luke 7:41, 47⁴¹There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. (Luke 7:41)
⁴⁷Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. (Luke 7:47).

The demands of the law. Gal. 5:3³For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. (Galatians 5:3).

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The New Topical Textbook

• Contentment.

• Conversion.

• Counsels and Purposes of God, the.

• Courts of Justice.

• Covenant, the.

• Covetousness.

• Creditors.

• Daily Sacrifice, the.

• Dan, the Tribe of.

• Death, Eternal.

• Death, Natural.

• Death of Christ, the.

• Death of Saints, the.

• Death of the Wicked, the.

• Death, Spiritual.

• Dedication.

• Defilement.

• Delighting in God.

• Deluge, the.

• Denial of Christ.

• Desert, Journey of Israel Through the.