Usury-Lending money at a high rate of interest.

Usury is financial violence on the poor. This is a process of requiring more interest and at a higher cost to those who can least afford it. The church has become complicit with their adoption of the financial ideology that has been established to keep the poor poor. Lets take a look at what scripture has to say regarding charging high interest rates, to those least able to pay.

Transcript

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Hello, hello, hello. Yes, this is Bobby Simpson, and we are here again with another episode of Yes, it's in there. Today's episode is we're going to cover, I'm going to use a term that's probably not familiar to a lot of people. It will be dealing with the exorbitant interest rates that are charged to the people that are least able to afford to pay a higher rate of interest. And so as it relates to God's position on that policy issue, so you ask, is that in there? And yes, my response again is yes, it's in there. And the term commonly used in scripture, the term is called usury. And it's another form of slavery. Here, we're back to that again. I mean the root word being used, but the term is called usury. And I will define it for you as Merriam Webster has, and I'll give you the two definitions that Merriam-Webster used. And it is the definition of usury. The first one is the lending of money with an interest charge for its use, especially, the lending of money at exorbitant interest rates. And the second definition says an unconscionable or exorbitant rate or amount of interest, specially interest in excess of a legal rate charged to a borrower for use of money. And so, you know, that of course has been expanded to, you know, financing, and in the financing of various things that we need, such as cars, you know, some appliances, some furniture, and you know, some of the interest rates are ridiculous. And even as it relates to credit cards. And so you say to me, God has a position on that policy issue. And again, my answer is yep, it's in there. And so let's go ahead and uh dig right into this. And so I will start off by saying the uh whole system on how we charge interest to those that can at least afford it is out of bounds according to scripture. And so we're gonna start off our reading today in Exodus 22, verses 25 through 27. And the scripture reads, if you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal. Charge no interest. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it by sunset. Because that cloak is the only covering your neighbor has. What else can they sleep in when they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. And so I just want to say that the practice of usury has become acceptable by not only mainstreamstream America, but sadly it has come to the uh house of the Lord. We have failed to lift up our voices and cry aloud on behalf of the uh poor and the needy. And the poor and the needy have come to us, the church, for which there has been no answer. And so I want you to be clear and aware on the policy issues as it relates to the unconscionable and exorbitant interest rates being charged to those that can the least afford it. It goes against the standards of God and even against scripture. And for this episode, I just want to say, yep, it's in there. And so if you're concerned about the high interest rates that you have, begin to make your uh plea to the Lord as indicated here in the scripture. The scripture says that when they cry unto me, when they cry out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate. And so God will hear your cry even as it relates to the amount of interest. And so I want to say put away the shame that has become a part of our economic system that says that because we can least afford it and we're required to have a higher interest rate, that that is in fact the standard. I'd like to challenge you to begin to cry out to God because he does take a position concerning policy. And even as Exodus 22, verses 25 through 27 indicates, God says, cry out to him, and he won't answer. And so this is Bobby Simpson with another episode of Yup, it's in there. See you next time.