“The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives; for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off.” -Psalm 37:21–22
The comparing and contrasting between the wicked and righteous continues in this pericope. And once again, David takes it up in terms of material blessing escalating the conversation to address fiscal responsibility.
The general disposition of the wicked and the righteous stand in stark opposition. The wicked are stingy and therefore act dishonorable in their financial dealings by borrowing without the intention of paying back what they owe. The righteous, on the other hand, are not borrowers but generous givers.
It is interesting that one ancient idea of justice expressed by Cephalus in Plato’s Republic is “paying the gods and men what they are owed.” This was shown to be an incomplete definition—and even misguided in some anomalous cases—but justice was determined to be at least that.
David concludes the section by recalling what is implied earlier in the Psalm (vss. 16-19), namely that the ability of the righteous to be generous is due to the blessing of the Lord which enables them to act on their generous spirit.
One thought that comes to mind is how our own handling of finances reveals the spiritual condition of our own hearts. The Wisdom literature reminds us that the borrower is a slave to the lender (Proverbs 22:7). And the (inordinate) desire to be rich can lead to our own demise (1 Timothy 6:16-17). If we are servants of Christ and he is the ultimate object of our desires (1 Corinthians 4:1 cf. Colossians 3:1-3), is their room for us to be slaves to debt or the pursuit of riches? Ultimately, what does our current financial situation say about the condition of our hearts?