The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously; those the LORD blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off.” Psalm 37:21-22
Several times the Bible says that those who are dishonest are cursed. Cursed (bad things happen) is the opposite of blessed (good things happen).
“Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death.” Proverbs 10:2 and “A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.” Proverbs 21:6 say essential the same thing. Anything gotten dishonestly will not benefit the thief or deceiver and will even contribute towards his/her death! I believe that some people smoke, drink or do drugs because they acquired money dishonestly in the first place giving the devil an open door to use against them.
Another strong statement connecting a curse with dishonesty and stealing is Zechariah 5:1-4:
“I looked again–and there before me was a flying scroll! He asked me, "What do you see?"
I answered, "I see a flying scroll, thirty feet long and fifteen feet wide. "
And he said to me, "This is the curse that is going out over the whole land; for according to what it says on one side, every thief will be banished, and according to what it says on the other, everyone who swears falsely will be banished. 4 The LORD Almighty declares, `I will send it out, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of him who swears falsely by my name. It will remain in his house and destroy it, both its timbers and its stones.’ "” Zechariah 5:1-4
Stealing and lying not only affects the person but “his house” or family as well. This would depend upon the position in the family. For instance, if the father, who is the head or one in charge of the household, is dishonest, the consequences could be great. Notice how often the children of a thief are thieves.
Psalm 37:21-22 also gives a curse. The Bible does not give clear limits to who receives this curse. For instance, there are those who carelessly forget that they borrowed (especially when it is not valuable), those who think the lender wouldn’t care if they got it back (but they should ask), those who think they don’t have to return something because the other person has so much more than they do (lack of integrity often causes lack of material possessions) and those who purposely borrow without any intention of returning what they have borrowed.
A severe curse can come to those who purposely do not repay, for it is a form of returning evil for good:
“If a man pays back evil for good, evil will never leave his house.” Proverbs 17:13 An example would be when someone has sacrificed to loan a large sum of money to a person in need and that person does not return the money.
Whatever the consequences for not repaying, God is the judge, and the one who disobeys His commands will be judged righteously. The principle is what we need to live by: it is wicked to not repay what we borrow.
Psalm 37:21-22 is a passage of contrasts: the “wicked” is contrasted with the “righteous”. The “wicked” are those who “don’t repay”; the “righteous” are those who “give generously”. The “righteous” are “those the Lord blesses” and they “will inherit the land”. The “wicked” are those the Lord “curses” and they “will be cut off”.
The consequence of the “wicked” who “borrow and do not repay” is that they will be “cut off”. Perhaps the best explanation of “cut off” can be found in Psalm 37 itself:
“Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away…For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found… but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming…their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken…for the power of the wicked will be broken…the wicked will perish…The LORD’s enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish–vanish like smoke…those he curses will be cut off…but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off… He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it. I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found…But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off…” Psalm 37
“Cut off” is “die away”, “be no more”, “be broken”, “vanish like smoke”, “passed away”. It seems to mean be destroyed, taken from power, be kept from prospering.
For the Christian who borrows and does not repay, the consequences might include not prospering, going without, suffering unnecessary hardship, losing friends and family and health and peace of mind. It would include lack of fellowship with Jesus so perhaps falling into a serious sin. Thank goodness “…the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined…” Hebrews 12:11-12 Discipline from the Lord is for our good.
Psalm 37:21-22 warns against suffering the fate of the wicked. We should be people who repay what we have borrowed–a person “…who keeps his oath even when it hurts…” Psalm 15:4 and who “give generously”:
“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. .. Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” 2 Corinthians 9:7-11 We can see from this passaage how “those the LORD blesses will inherit the land”.