“These are the regulations you must present to Israel. “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he may serve for no more than six years. Set him free in the seventh year, and he will owe you nothing for his freedom. If he was single when he became your slave, he shall leave single. But if he was married before he became a slave, then his wife must be freed with him. “If his master gave him a wife while he was a slave and they had sons or daughters, then only the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master. But the slave may declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.’ If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door or doorpost and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will serve his master for life. “When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not satisfy her owner, he must allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. But if the slave’s owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a slave but as a daughter. “If a man who has married a slave wife takes another wife for himself, he must not neglect the rights of the first wife to food, clothing, and sexual intimacy. If he fails in any of these three obligations, she may leave as a free woman without making any payment. [Exodus 21.1-11]
So... here's the deal... To reconcile with this passage of SCRIPTURE we simply MUST replace our stigmatism regarding the word "slave" at least long enough to understand why in the world, almost immediately following the Ten Commandments that God would give instructions regarding the treatment of slaves instead of FORBIDDING IT!
Stop and think about that for just a moment...
In the Bible, slavery was not about race, but economy.
For the sake of posterity, let me say it again, in the Bible, slavery was not about race, but about economy. Suffice it to say, all the discussion that follows here has no reference to race.
The "slavery" in the Bible had everything to do with humane treatment of people who, for whatever reason, were economically challenged. Granted, one of those scenarios was political in which one nation overcomes another and, instead of killing or leaving the defeated citizens to suffer, they were enslaved (which, in essence, comes back to economy).
While this arrangement does not sit well with current ideology, it was a more personal form of welfare than any government could ever devise! Were there abuses? Of course, and the passage above served to address that. But, just like any problem area, the good, which always outweighs the bad, gets minimal "press" while isolated incidents of the bad become the boldest of headlines. Should we not also ask ourselves if there are abuses of the current welfare system?
One should not take issue with the Bible or God on this topic. That does not however prevent a person from categorically rejecting God and the Bible regarding this issue of slavery. To fail to accept the harsh realities of political domination and then the humane economic arrangement of slavery in the Bible will only inspire angst. To understand however, that God established rules to protect even slaves only further confirms God's love for the entire world.
Again, if God, in the same conversation in which the Ten Commandments were given, did not forbid slavery, but instead governed it, should we not at least make allowance in our minds that there was a time when slavery was actually more humane than the alternatives!
Herein lies the problem with 'woke-ism,' situational ethics, and unfiltered civil rights: Every real or perceived 'right' of mankind still remains subject to God. There is no 'freedom from God.' A rebel will argue otherwise, but a wise person who has rightly understood the Bible will see that slavery to God is the best possible circumstance a human being can find himself or herself in.
Father, I know I have addressed the topic of slavery before, but today, I sense a refinement of thought from Your Spirit. I have nothing to prove to anyone regarding the topic of slavery, but I certainly can benefit from the fact that, in Your economy, Your love and concern reaches and encompasses all...
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