Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
Do not say to your neighbor,
“Go, and come back,
And tomorrow I will give it,”
When you have it with you.
Do not devise evil against your neighbor,
For he dwells by you for safety’s sake.
Do not strive with a man without cause,
If he has done you no harm.
Proverbs 3:27-30
Jesus tells the Sadducees (and everyone listening) that upon the two greatest commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matt. 22:40). The law of God is not a bunch of aphorisms and random commands, but a description of the divine character. This means you can reason from the law to the God who gave it–what He is like, and how the law reflects His goodness. What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself, to fulfill the second greatest commandment? It means to not withhold good from him when you owe him, when you have the power to square up. You may not even be strictly required to pay the plumber that day, but Solomon says don’t require him to make an extra trip when you can treat him the way you would want to be treated and pay him now. Paul says in the context of instruction on tithing that “God loves a cheerful giver.” We can reason from this that He loves a cheerful bill-payer. That’s for a debt that one owes, but what about my neighbor to whom I owe nothing? I’m not to “devise” or “think” evil against him. Why? Because he lives there for safety’s sake. Obviously this excludes plotting against him for evil, but it also means “thinking” evil in the sense of wishing harm, assuming the worst, not caring about or regarding. You might have considerable differences and it would be easy to quarrel or get into a disagreement. Solomon says not to. Don’t strive without a cause. Don’t make a problem where there is none. As much as depends upon you, live peaceably with all men.