It is my pleasure to introduce my guest blogger this week, my husband and best friend–Ed Beene. Ed offers a biblical view of slavery and how Jesus’ followers considered themselves self-proclaimed slaves of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Fourth of July celebrations remind us of an important event in our history. As Americans, we take our liberty and freedoms very seriously as does Europe and most of western civilization. So, a topic on how the Bible lays out rules for slave ownership makes many American Christians a little testy. It tends to go against our very being to think that one person would own another. And to think that it is not only condoned by God, but apparently expected by God. I think there is more to this theological iceberg.
During the Exodus, slavery was a common activity that all governments in the region engaged in. It was necessary for the monarchies to sustain their economies. So, although the Israelites had just been set free from slavery, God, seeing the future as only He can do, laid down a plan that on the surface looks like he was pandering to His people. These rules on slavery are found in Exodus 21:2-6.
Some theologians suggest that God provided these rules because the Jews expected to be like everyone else and that when they got to their Promise Land they would engage in slave holding. If God forbade it they might just throw up their hands and go to another god. Seems like a reasonable argument based on the facts—they had God as their king but demanded a human king and they turned to other gods for much less serious issues once they were in the Promised Land. Reasonable, but in my opinion, wrong.
I do believe that God expected them to own slaves with or without His blessing so He set up rules that showed His love and grace. What? Slavery shows His love and grace? Just bear with me a little while longer.
Read Exodus 21:2-6. These rules describe a voluntary action other than payment of crimes against their society. People who had debts much larger than they could repay had few, if any, options. But note that there is a limit. They could only be slaves for 6 years, not the rest of their lives. The seventh year they were released with all debt paid. (Sounds a little like the creation account…6 days and on the 7th there is rest from the labor. Coincidence?) How many of those in the lower rungs of our society wish their debts could be paid by working for someone who would provide room and board and a job for 6 years. And at the end of that six years they were released without any further penalty. In addition, Deuteronomy 15:13-14 requires that the master set them up to succeed, “When you release a male servant, do not send him away empty-handed. Give him a generous farewell gift from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. Share with him some of the bounty with which the LORD your God has blessed you.” God wanted to be sure the slave was better off when he left than when he became a slave. Doesn’t sound like that bad a deal.
Verses four through six show that God wanted the children taken care of. If a man came into slavery with a wife, he left with her. If his master provided him a wife, the wife and children (the increase) were the master’s UNLESS the man loved his master and his family. Then the slave could voluntarily become a slave for life with a lifelong job and room and board for him and his family. The Greek term for slave in this context is doulos. Regardless, the children remained with the mother.
Turns out that maybe biblical slavery is more of a safety net for those who might otherwise slip through the cracks of Hebrew society. Sound like love and grace to me.
So, lest we forget, if we are truly committed to Christ, we are his doulos, his slave. As were Paul, Peter, James (Jesus’ brother) and Jude (another brother of Jesus). They were all self-proclaimed slaves of Jesus. Granted, this is often termed “servant” in many translations to soften the impact but it doesn’t change the fact that a doulos is a bondservant, or slave. We were bought by God to redeem us from sin by a great price (1 Corinthians 6:20 and 1 Corinthians 7:23). We should never forget that we are His, purchased by the shed blood of Jesus.
So maybe being a slave to God isn’t such a bad gig.
Have a blessed 4th.
