June 5, 2026

Business by the Book

Psalm 37:21 The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth.

Margaret Thatcher once said, “No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he only had good intentions. He had money as well.”  How a person uses their money will reveal their heart. In fact Jesus said, For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:21).

King David, the writer of Psalm 37 describes the difference between the wicked and the righteous concerning the use of their money. He said that the wicked borrows money but does not pay it back. The righteous, however, shows mercy and gives.

Notice in this sentence there are two individuals that are opposites. One borrows, the other gives. One does not repay, the other shows mercy. One is called wicked, the other is called righteous. In Acts the Apostle Paul quoted the Lord Jesus stating: …It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)  For most of my life in reading and studying the Scriptures I have associated this thing of giving and receiving to the same individual. Meaning, it is better for an individual to give than it is for that individual to receive. However, it once occurred to me that perhaps this teaching of Paul is describing giving and receiving on a broader scale. Perhaps he means that it is better to be a person that gives, meaning there is abundance from which to give, than it is to be the type of person that needs to receive, because they have a lack of that which is given.

At Thanksgiving it is customary for many to serve a Thanksgiving meal to the homeless. In this wonderful act of Christian love there are at least two people involved. One who serves the meal and one who receives the meal. The recipient is blessed to have a nice Thanksgiving meal, but the server is more blessed because they have the ability to give the meal. Given the choice I’d rather be the giver of the meal than the one who receives the meal. Those who give will always have abundance to give; this is “more blessed” than to receive, even though receiving is a blessing as well.

Over the years, experience has taught me to be very careful in calling any person wicked or any person righteous. For I have learned that there can be bad in the best of us and good in the worst of us. The Word of God however, describes the wicked and righteous in no uncertain terms, and it teaches that one way of differentiating between the two is how money is used.

Considering the issue of borrowing, lending and repaying money I leave you with a quote from Benjamin Franklin. “If you would know the value of money, go and try to borrow some.” 

Dr. William Howe