Deuteronomy 23:21: When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God,
thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require
it of thee; and it would be sin in
thee.
In 2 Kings 4:1 –
7, is the story of a woman who was in big debt. The creditors told her
they were going to take her two sons as slaves to cater for her debts.
She ran to meet to the man of God- Elisha, who gave her an instruction
to go and borrow some vessels and fill it with the oil left. After she
did she came back to the prophet and he advised her to go and first pay
her debts and live on the rest. This passage shows God’s attitude to
debts. The woman was advised to first go and pay her debt which means
God took the business of paying her debt as urgent and a priority. Today
we should learn from this. When we owe people let us make every effort
to pay the debts even if it means we will not eat! If the money is not
available lets still be in contact with those we owe money to and
re-assure them that we will pay, not ignore them or begin to run. When
people out of mercy lend us things or money, when they ask for their
money back let us not do the wicked thing of getting angry at them. Many
do that , they get angry when the people who have lend them money ask
for the money back and some take it to another level by deciding not to
pay the money. According Psalm 37:21, it is an act of wickedness to
borrow and not pay back! When you owe financial institutions please pay
them back. Also when people lend us things let us endeavor to return
them back on time and in good condition. It is not nice when people lend
us things and they have to beg to get them back from us. Do you know it
is a debt not to testify to the goodness of God in your life? Every
time God does something for us, we owe Him a thank you and the thank you
He expects from us is to share the testimony.
We have heard
this saying from time to time, Promise is a debt. A promise is not only a
debt but unfulfilled promise is a sin! Deuteronomy 23:21 says when thou
shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it:
for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin
in thee. When you make promises to people, do everything in your power
to fulfill them. The same thing applies to God. Many of us have made
vows to God that if only He will let us pass an exam we will do this for
Him, If only He will give us a child, If only He will get us a job, if
only He will get us the promotion, if only He will get us the visa, If
only He will deliver us, if only He will do this and that …. The
shocking thing is many of us have not redeemed the pledge we made to Him
years ago. So as not to hold it against us as sin, He reminds us from
time to time and what do we do? We say it is true and never do anything
about it.
ACTION POINT: Put measures into place to pay your
debts, if you have been running from people you owe money to, contact
them and let them know you are making efforts to pay the debts.
