Pledges and Wages

Pledges and Wages

God’s Law preserved the rights of the poor and all workers.

Exodus 22:26, 27

“If ever you take your neighbor’s cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.”

Leviticus 19:13

“You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired servant shall not remain with you all night until the morning.”

Deuteronomy 24:14, 15

“‘You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns. You shall give him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets (for he is poor and counts on it), lest he cry against you to the LORD, and you be guilty of sin.’”

James 5:1-4

In ancient Israel it was considered a form of oppression either to withhold wages that were due or to cause a man to suffer because of his temporary need for assistance involving a pledge. In the case of a pledge, both the lender and the borrower might be careful about such an arrangement, since it involved a high degree of trust on the part of the borrower and a certain amount of inconvenience to the lender. Nevertheless, the Law provided for arrangements where a loan could be made which, if it were of sufficient value, might require a pledge regarded by the borrower of equal value. Satisfaction of the loan would see the pledge—collateral—returned.

Wages, of course, were expected when they were due, according to what had been agreed on by employers and employees. In ancient Israel it seems the practice was to pay wages every day, whether in the form of goods or money. Whatever the schedule, it was to be honored consistently, lest guilt be incurred before the Lord.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T. M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.