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Usury or Interest.

From: The New Topical Textbook By: Reuben Archer Torrey

• 1 min. read • grade level: 12

The lending of money or other property for increase. Lev. 25:37³⁷Thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals for increase. (Leviticus 25:37).

Those enriched by unlawful, not allowed to enjoy their gain. Psa. 28:8⁸The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed. (Psalm 28:8).

The curse attending the giving or receiving of unlawful, alluded to. Jer. 15:10¹⁰Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me. (Jeremiah 15:10).

THE JEWS

Forbidden to take, from brethren. Deut. 23:19¹⁹Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of any thing that is lent upon usury: (Deuteronomy 23:19).

Forbidden to take, from brethren specially when poor. 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. 25:35-37³⁵And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee. ³⁶Take 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 25:35‑37).

Often guilty of taking. Neh. 5:6, 7⁶And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. ⁷Then 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. (Nehemiah 5:6‑7). Ezek. 22:12¹²In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbors by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God. (Ezekiel 22:12).

Required to restore. Neh. 5:9-13⁹Also 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? ¹⁰I 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. ¹³Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise. (Nehemiah 5:9‑13).

Allowed to take, 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).

True and faithful Israelites never took, from their brethren. Psa. 15:5⁵He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved. (Psalm 15:5). Ezek. 18:8, 9⁸He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, ⁹Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God. (Ezekiel 18:8‑9).

Judgments denounced against those who exacted unlawful. Isa. 24:1, 2¹Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. ²And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. (Isaiah 24:1‑2). Ezek. 18:13¹³Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? he shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him. (Ezekiel 18:13).

Illustrative of the improvement of talents received from God. Matt. 25:27²⁷Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. (Matthew 25:27). Luke 19:23²³Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? (Luke 19:23).

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The New Topical Textbook

• Titles and Names of Christ.

• Titles and Names of Ministers.

• Titles and Names of Saints.

• Titles and Names of the Church.

• Titles and Names of the Devil.

• Titles and Names of the Holy Ghost.

• Titles and Names of the Wicked.

• Trespass Offering.

• Tribes of Israel, the.

• Trinity, the.

• Truth of God, the.

• Types of Christ.

• Unicorn, the.

• Union With Christ.

• Unity of God.

• Uprightness.

• Urim and Thummin.

• Usury or Interest.

• Vail or Veil.

• Vail, the Sacred.