Leviticus 19:13 “’Do not defraud or rob your neighbor. Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.’”

The two “do-not” phrases are linked. At first glance they do not seem to belong in the same verse; fraud, robbery, withheld wages, but they are. They are all forms of thievery. This is addressed to an agricultural community with hired dayworkers, but it is relevant to anyone who hires or has neighbors.

Principle: Stealing comes in all forms, from calculated to casual, but it is always wrong.

Pay your bills on time as agreed, especially payroll and suppliers. It is all too common in business to stall payment as long as possible. The “check is in the mail” statement brings a smile but it is not funny. It is a byword in today’s business society.

The people mentioned in the Bible who are vulnerable to this kind of delay are the widows, orphans, and the poor. As a businessperson, when you delay a payment, it may not seem like you are affecting this group, but everything trickles down in our economy and affects others.

When God speaks of loving our neighbors, He means for us to step forward with assistance when they are in need. Vendors and employees are “neighbors” too in our interconnected world.

In a failing economy with unemployed, underfunded and financially hard-pressed fellow businesspeople around us, we need to practice generosity with discernment, with grace and mercy sprinkled in and a “do it now” attitude.

Discussion:

1. Have you received goods or services but withheld funds until forced to pay?

2. What is it like to be on the receiving end of these situations?

3. How can you avoid falling into the trap of late-paying people with whom you do business?