Exodus The Cost of Service Chapters 21:1-11 Because of Western history, slavery carries an extremely negative connotation, and appropriately so. But this causes a problem in studying the Word. We bring this history to our understanding of scripture. Accordingly, it colors significantly any attempt to understand significant sections of both the Old and New Testament. There are so called biblical scholars who study scripture, with the desire to undercut it, will frequently look to sections discussing slavery. They intentionally take a 21 st Century approach based on the contemporary understanding of slavery as seen in recent history in the West, i.e. Europe and the US. They then transfer this view to the ancient world to cloud the issue and falsely present scripture s position. This passage is an example of one that can be either misused or considered in the context of the ancient world, as Moses presents an aspect of social law which addresses slavery. Remember one of the fundamental rules in understanding scripture is, context, context, context. And, we must be careful not to judge ancient cultures by contemporary standards. The only standard by which any people can be judged is God s. XIII All in the Family A. Social Law Chapters 21-23 1. Laws Regarding Slaves and Personal Injury Chapter 21:1-32 a. Master, Slave Relationships Verses 1-11 Introduction: This morning we enter a new section of Exodus, the Social Law. This law was given to the Israelites while they were still at Mt. Sinai. It is important to realize this section follows the moral law because, even though it deals with temporal matters, it is founded on the moral law s principles. As noted earlier, the Decalogue was similar to the Constitution. The balance of the law details specifics founded on the general. The first section of the chapter focuses on a practices we find quite morally repugnant and therefore have a difficult time understanding why it is included. This portion of the law deals with the treatment of slaves. What we must understand is what we called slavery, as found in the history of this country, is significantly different from slavery found in other cultures and times. It was certainly different from the slavery practiced by the Hebrew people. Here is the definition of a slave: 1. One bound in servitude as the property of a person or household. 2. One who is abjectly subservient to a specified person or influence.
3. One who works extremely hard. 1 While these definitions are correct they are simplistic and overlook one major issue. In the West the argument supporting slavery would have worded the definition; a sub-human creature who is owned by an human being. We managed to bring slavery to a unique low by taking the position that slaves weren t fully human, but the equivalent of livestock. As you can see from this passage, spoken to Israel and based on the laws provided by the Lord, slaves were men who, for one reason or another, were temporarily in bondage. This means the master was not truly an owner, more like a lessor. Note: the operative word here is temporarily, because unless a slave chose to remain one, he would be freed at a specific point in time. Ownership of a Hebrew slave in Israel did not give either permanent or total control over the individual. A slave had rights. A slave was always recognized as a person, even if one in reduced circumstances. I am not trying to justify slavery, but it is important to realize what we are seeing here is something significantly different from what we think of when we review our own past. Therefore, we must make that distinction so as not to bring a lot of emotional baggage tied to U.S. history to the subject of Old Testament Slavery. Alfred Edersheim puts it this way: The Divine legislation begins, as assuredly none other ever did, not at the topmost but at the lowest rung of society. It declares in the first place the personal rights of such individuals as are in a state of dependence male (21:2-6) and female slaves (vers. 7-11). This is done not only with a sacred regard for the rights of the person, but with a delicacy, kindness, and strictness beyond any code ever framed on this subject. If slavery was still tolerated, as a thing existent, its real principle, that of making men chattels and property, was struck at the root, and the institution became, by its safeguards and provisions, quite other from what it has been among any nation, whether ancient or modern. 2 God also is saying Hebrews, you were slaves in Egypt and were mistreated, now knowing that you will one day hold slaves, I want to make sure that you treat them as you would have wanted to have been treated, not as you were treated. Keep in mind that slavery itself wasn t an issue to these people, after all they were ready to return to Egypt as slaves as opposed to dying in the wilderness. Finally, we find even in the church age that while the institution of slavery went on, the church didn t teach its overthrow, but instead taught believers who were slaves to be good slaves. Slaves, in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord (Colossians 3:22 NAS95). Also. remember Paul s letter to Philemon asking him to take back his slave Onesimus who was also a believer. Paul did not ask for Onesimus to be freed. Here again, it is important to 1 American Heritage Electronic Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992. 2 Alfred Edersheim, Bible History, Old Testament, Vol. 2, The Exodus & The Wonderings, Books for the Ages, AGES Software Albany, OR, Version 1.0 1997, p. 100-101. ) 360 (
remember that these slaves were also considered people, not cattle. Also Paul wrote to the slave who had just become a believer Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord s freedman; likewise he who was called while free is Christ s slave. (1 Corinthians 7:21-22 NAS95). Because of the distinction between this type of slavery and that found in the West, it was appropriate and vital that Christians were the front line in the battle against slavery in modern Western Civilization. And considering that sexual slavery is still going on, Sacramento apparently being a major center, we still need to be on that line. a. Master, Slave Relationships: Let s take a look at the passage. Keep in mind God is the one giving the regulations. Israel is at this point in time a Theocracy. All law comes from Him and therefore can not be questioned, only obeyed. Now regarding slavery; right in this passage we are told when one Hebrew holds another in slavery the longest he can retain the slave is six years and in the seventh he is to be freed. This was tied to the Sabbatic year, the requirement that every seventh year was to be celebrated with rest of land, returning property, and freeing slaves and indentured servants. This complex system was established at a later date and related to living in the land. Here though we already see a foreshadowing of the process. There is debate as to whether or not each slave served six years from the time he was bought or was freed on the Sabbatic year which meant that he may have served less than six years. Because of the nature of the Sabbatic year, I think it is safe to assume regardless of how long the individual had been a slave, he/she was freed then. An obvious question then is, who would be selling a Hebrew into slavery? The person themself. In this case we are speaking of an indentured servant situation. If, for an example, the person was in debt and couldn t get out, he might sell himself, i.e. his services, for a period of time to get himself out of trouble. After all, he would receive money to pay off his debt and on top of that he would have been taken care of, receiving room and board during the time of his service. Other reasons for being sold into slavery included insolvency. If a person became bankrupt he might be sold to pay off creditors. But he would still be freed in the seventh year. A thief could be sold as a way of making restitution for his theft, if he couldn t do so himself. Finally, a slave could be acquired as the product of a marriage of slaves, that is a child born into slavery. But being freed by the law, the slave had to pay nothing for his freedom, it was his right. In fact he left with payment. If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the LORD your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God re- ) 361 (
deemed you; therefore I command you this today. But if he says to you, I will not go out from you, because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you, then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever. And to your female slave you shall do the same. It shall not seem hard to you when you let him go free from you, for at half the cost of a hired worker he has served you six years. So the LORD your God will bless you in all that you do (Deuteronomy 15:12 18 ESV). As you can see this is a very different system from modern slavery as practiced in the past in this and other western countries. Verses 3-6: These verses deal with the specifics of the slave s release from his bondage. If the slave at the time of going into bondage is married and brings his wife with him, then both he and his wife are freed. If he is given a wife during the period of his servitude, then the women remains with the master and the slave goes out alone. Some commentators take this situation to refer to the giving of a heathen or gentile women, not a Hebrew As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you (Leviticus 25:44 ESV). This would seem to be supported by the following verses related to giving a Hebrew female slave in marriage. Hold on until we get there. It also appears from Deuteronomy 15:12 that the freeing of Hebrew women was the same as men during the Sabbatic year. That is, if they were not in the position of concubine or wife. If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you (Deuteronomy 15:12 ESV). As we already noted, children born in slavery remain slaves. The slave can choose to remain in service if he desires to retain his family. The sign of the perpetual slave was to pierce the ear by an awl. This action was taken in front of the leaders of the region. This was done to protect the individual from being forced to remain in slavery against his will. Once a slave had agreed to remain in slavery he would remain so until death. There would no longer be an option to be freed. Verses 7-11: This last section deals with female slaves, specifically Hebrews. It appears that while this is slavery, the role was that of a concubine. Keep in mind when we are talking about selling here, we are still talking about selling services. As we noted above, even for women, they were not truly owned because freedom was a future possibility. What was happening here is when circumstances forced the sale of a women, she was protected to some extent from her situation. In other words, she was in a better position then men were when they were forced into slavery. Because she was sold as a concubine, this is why she was not to be freed. She was in a position similar to being a wife. This is why if the master is displeased, not that the woman has done anything wrong but he is tried of her, then he has to allow her to be bought back. He is absolutely prohibited from sending her out from her people. ) 362 (
If he obtains her as a concubine for his son, then she is to be treated as a daughter, provided with a dowry and bestowed in marriage. If the master marries her himself, and then takes an additional wife, she is not to be reduced in circumstances. By the way this doesn t condone polygamy; it just recognizes it existence. Finally, if he decides not to marry her himself, marry her to his son, or take care of her as one of his wives, then he has to free her, taking nothing from her for her freedom. Conclusion: Now I don t think that I can tie this all together in terms of how we should behave as slaves, which from some comments about jobs, I think some of us feel we are. But this background on slavery can be taken forward into the New Testament to help us understand more clearly what Christ was willing to do for us. Keep in mind that for the Hebrew the pierced ear would have been a symbol of humiliation, a sign of perpetual slavery. The Psalmist writes of the servant of God who comes not with a sacrifice, but as a sacrifice, as a slave for His ear is pierced, a slave to the will of the Lord. In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart. (Psalms 40:6 8 ESV). The author of Hebrews identifies the servant as Christ. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book. When he said above, You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings (these are offered according to the law), then he added, Behold, I have come to do your will. He does away with the first in order to establish the second (Hebrews 10:5 9 ESV). Christ was willing to become a slave to the Father. He was willing to be humbled, carrying out the will of the Father, to be humiliated for our sakes. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8 ESV). We were slaves to sin, but Christ was willing to take on that burden, now we are still slaves, but slaves to righteousness. Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:16 18 ESV). ) 363 (
If we have accepted Christ, if we have been willing to accept the price He paid for our sins, then we no longer belong to ourselves. We are His slave. He owns us. This being the case, and being slaves to righteousness, then our lives must be ones of obedience to Him. Our desire should only be for His will to be worked out through our lives. for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (1 Co. 6:20 ESV). As we sometimes struggle with the cost of serving Christ, its inconvenience, I think it s appropriate to look at the humiliation of the Christ as He was born a man to pay the price for our sin. And this in turn will help us put into perspective why the cost of obedience through service and even sacrifice is never too high. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Regarding His birth we read And the angel said to them, And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And as an adult Jesus Himself said Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (Philippians 2:8; Luke 2:10, 12, 16; John 12:27; 1 Corinthians 6:20 ESV). ) 364 (
Exodus The Cost of Service Chapters 21:1-11 XIII All in the Family A. Social Law Chapters 21-23 1. Laws Regarding Slaves and Personal Injury Chapter 21:1-32 a. Master, Slave Relationships Verses 1-11 Introduction: (Colossians 3:22; 1 Corinthians 7:21-22) a. Master, Slave Relationships: (Deuteronomy 15:12 18) Verses 3-6: (Leviticus 25:44; Deuteronomy 15:12)
Verses 7-11: Conclusion: (Psalms 40:6 8; Hebrews 10:5 9; Philippians 2:8; Romans 6:16 18; 1 Corinthians 6:20, Philippians 2:8; Luke 2:10, 12, 16; John 12:27; 1 Corinthians 6:20) Personal Application: Meditate on the implications of being a slave, owned by God. How should this impact you re daily walk? Prayer for the Week: Lord, help me live in the reality that everything I have, even myself belongs to You. I Christ s name, amen.