Mensa Otabil - Don't Exploit People
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We’re concluding our study of Psalm 15 today. As you know, it begins with a question: Who will abide in the tabernacle of the Lord and dwell on the holy hill of the Lord? So the question is, what kind of person, or what qualities should we have if we want to enjoy God’s presence at all times? There are answers regarding the things we should do that relate to other people.
In the final instruction, verse 5 states, «He does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.» The person who truly obeys these steps will be established and firm. Here, there are two things that the passage says we should do if we are going to be right before God.
First, it says we should not exploit the needy. If you look at the verse, it states you don’t put your money out for profit. You must always understand the world of the Old Testament and the times that people lived in. In the Old Testament, people didn’t borrow money because everyone lived self-sufficiently. They raised their cattle and had their farms; everyone was okay. When a person needed money, it meant they were totally desperate. This was for people who were at the bottom of their lives. Normally, when they needed money, it was because they were being sold into slavery or losing a major property-they were in a bad place. The passage says when somebody is in a bad place and asks you for help, don’t worsen their woes. Don’t make their problems worse. Don’t take advantage of them; don’t exploit them. Yes, the principle is about money, but it goes beyond that. When someone comes to you in need and vulnerable, don’t use their need to make them worse off. Basically, that is what it is saying. So don’t exploit people who are needy, and if we are Christians, that must guide us so that we don’t exploit those who are needy.
The second thing it says is you don’t condemn the innocent, and here it’s about taking bribes so that an innocent person is punished. In the Old Testament days, the poor didn’t have any power, just like now. When they went to court or when a case was pending against them, they couldn’t really get justice because the rich would pay off and receive justice or injustice given to them. The Bible says don’t put innocent people into trouble. Don’t pay bribes so that someone who has not committed a crime is punished for it, or so that someone who needs to be set free is not freed because you have influence or power. The bribe may not even be an exchange of money; it may just be influence peddling. You pedal influence to get somebody who is innocent into trouble. In our part of the world, maybe you know a police officer, and you have an issue with someone or you dislike someone. Somehow, you manipulate the system to get those people into trouble. If you do that, you put innocent people into trouble. God is not going to judge you as innocent.
So you have to consider: when I’m reporting someone, when I’m dealing with people, is this person innocent? Do I really know that this person is innocent, yet I’m forcing it so they will be punished? When we are in such a state, God says, «I will not hold you guiltless.»
If you want to enjoy the presence of the Lord, Psalm 15 tells us things we must do. It tells us actions we must take, how we must honor our word, how we must not backbite people, and how we must treat those who are in trouble. It says if we do all these things right, then we will be firm, established, and we will never be moved. May the presence of God watch over us and be around us every day of our lives in Jesus' name. Let’s pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, teach me not to take advantage of the needy. Rather, let me be a healer of the wounded. In Jesus' name, amen.