The rich ruleth over the poor; and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Solomon states a fact of life, not a command: money gives one person power over another, and a loan hands that power to the lender. The proverb leaves open what a person who fears God does with that fact, on either side of the loan.
The Power Money Gives
Wealth tends to make a man act superior, and a loan gives him a hold over the borrower:
It is a difficult thing for a man of money to avoid airs with someone who has none, and especially if the second man puts himself under obligation to him. But faith delivers from this snare, and still more when there is a real living Christ.
What the Borrower Hands Over
The second half shows how a free man becomes a servant without being sold. One commentator adds that the poor man's escape is not wealth but confidence in God:
You can easily see that "the rich rules over the poor" (v. 7), though if a poor man puts his confidence in the Lord, he does not need to be subservient to the rich. The Lord will sustain him. But if we borrow from others, we shall find ourselves subservient to the lender. How much better to "Owe no one anything except to love each other" (Rom. 13:8). Sometimes it is easy to borrow, but hard to repay. It is wise to be on the safe side by not borrowing at all.
Is Borrowing Itself Wrong?
Commentators differ on how far this goes. Some read Romans 13:8 as a rule about paying, not a ban on borrowing:
The words "Owe no one anything" do not mean that it is wrong to borrow money. The question is about paying. If a debt is due, pay it exactly on time. Borrowing money in a reckless way, with no prospect of paying it back, is sinful. It has often brought great dishonour on the name of our Lord.
Others take the command in its widest sense, and call unpaid debt plain wrong:
We take Romans 13:8 in its plain, broad sense. We believe it teaches us to owe no one anything. It is painful beyond words to see how little conscience professing Christians have about debt. We would solemnly call on all who are in the habit of going into debt to judge themselves in this matter and get out of a false position at once. It is better by far to sit down to a dry crust and wear a shabby coat than to live well and dress well at our neighbour's expense. We regard it as positive unrighteousness.
The Habit That Keeps You Free
Staying free is less about a rule than about a daily habit with money:
"Owe no one anything." These few words are very comprehensive. Not merely to pay debts when due, but to seek to pay all demands as soon as they fall due. To do this, a Christian should always seek to live below his income and do his business within his means. This may take much diligence and self-denial, but what misery he will avoid.
Love is a debt never fully paid, for it is to love one another as He has loved us.
Lending, and Debts the Law Cancels
Lending raises its own questions. Scripture sets limits both ways:
How ready some people are to borrow! There are counter-truths to guide us in all these questions. The good man spoken of in Psalm 112 will not only "deal generously and lend," but will "conduct his affairs with justice." There is a guard for us.
The very word that says, "Do not refuse the one who would borrow from you," says also, "Owe no one anything." A Christian in a right state of soul would not be happy to owe anyone anything. Suppose someone goes bankrupt and gets a legal release from paying his debts in full. Is he not still morally responsible before the Lord, though the law has acquitted him?
Helping Someone Already in Debt
Relieving a debt without changing the habit that produced it can leave the person worse off:
In helping God's people who have got into actual debt through their folly, I believe the way is not to help them without sincere repentance on their part, and a resolve to walk in the ways of the word.
Suppose I help a believer, and so encourage him to set up in business without the capital to carry it out. I am only encouraging him in a path of dishonour to the Lord, and the Lord can by no means go with me in that path.
Summary
- Observation. The verse reports how money works: wealth rules, and a loan turns the borrower into a servant.
- Snare. Money tempts a man to put on airs over someone who owes him. Faith delivers from that snare.
- Servitude. Borrowing is easy; repaying is hard. The borrower ends up serving the lender. The poor man's real security is trust that the Lord will sustain him.
- Dispute. Commentators differ. Some read Romans 13:8 as banning reckless borrowing that dishonours the Lord's name. Others rule out all debt as unrighteousness.
- Freedom. Live below your income. Pay each demand as soon as it falls due. Own your debts even when the law has cancelled them. Owe no one anything but love.