Deuteronomy 15

I know most of the posts I write here are rather frivolous in nature, but one serious issue that nettles me is student debt. Colleges and universities charge ever more exorbitant prices for tuition, much of it used to fund bloated, ineffective administration departments, leaving many students in a hole they'll never be able to dig themselves out of--eventually leading an unacceptably large number of them to default on their loans.

I'm sure banks, credit card companies, college administration departments, and creditors far and wide would vehemently decry the canceling of debts every seven years (as well as in the Year of Jubilee, as Leviticus 25 states)--as much as debt sucks, canceling all debts unilaterally every seven years probably isn't a good tenet for a modern economy.

However, God does know that some will take advantage of debt cancellation (people are people, after all), so He says through Moses, "Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: 'The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,' so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin" (verse 9). If you have the mind of a credit card company, of course you'd want borrowers to rack up as much debt as possible, which they can't do if their debts will be canceled soon. But while selfishly withholding resources may not have led to punishment, God knows that such avaricious intentions are sinful. This reminds me of the following Calvin and Hobbes comic:

This chapter's nugget isn't really specific to Moses but to Israelite society. Servants are to be set free after seven years, but if the servant wants to stay, they receive the distinct pleasure of having an awl plunged through their earlobes and into the house's door (verses 16-17). I suppose that's one way to have your ear pierced.