Question

Dear Learners, thank you for your participation in our discussion about the Christian Worldview and Economics. This week let’s talk about debt. Please comment on the following Bible verse: Proverbs 22:7 The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Answer 1

The rich do rule over the poor.

From the poorest countries to the richest ones, from the developing countries to the developed ones, from the most corrupt regions to the most honest ones, one thing is common. And that is the rich rule everywhere. If you have money you have everything. Even the politicians, presidents, law makers and most of the people at the top at most of the places have one thing in common. . Its their financial backup. These days no election,no nothing is Won without money. Chrony capitalism is a term in this context. Which means the close relation and the nexus that is present between the law makers and the rich and the business men. In some places the rich even control The governmenT and influence laws that are made. In fact laws and regulations are just For the common man to follow these days. Very rare cases, of the rich being penalised , are there. The rich has enslaved the poor throughout the history. Kings were kings only because they were rich. The rich have everything. From quality healthcare to quality education. Even the quality healthcare; i.e quality hospitals are owned by the rich.

InThe 21st century this gap between the rich and the poor is only increasing. This is evidenT in the Oxfam 2017 report; which stated how the rich owned majority of the resources of this world.

Following this the borrower is also the servant of the lender.

In ancient times when rich people used to lend , with no regulator and stuff, a borrower used to consider the lender as divine and Godly and so indirectly became their servants/slaves. They were so obliged by the lenders that they were ready to do anything for them ; even enslavement was five for them; as the person had lent money to them. And the lenders never wanted the borrower to pay back the loan ;as this would mean freedom For the servanT, which no master wants. Who would not like to lent, when they know that they will get back the money and could also have a servanT by lending the money.. So the lender got interest plus principal plus a servanT.

Similar is the case today. Which bank wants the customer to get out of the debt trap. Companies and banks themselves call the customer, requesting them to take a loan and become their servant. That's why geTting a credit card is so easy.

In a sense the borrower that is us, in the case of a bank, become their servants in an indirecT way.

A bank is not a poor identity. So in a way the bank i.e the rich; i.e the lender, rule us; i.e the poor and their servants.