Exodus Chapter 21

Exodus 21:1 Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
2 If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.

I believe it is God's perfect will that there be no slavery and even servants but sometimes people would get themselves in situations where they would have to sell themselves into being a servant in order to make a living and just survive. In this case God commanded that they be freed after seven years. He made provision for their freedom and made rules that they had to follow in order that the servants could live and worship God just like the owners.

There are some things that was allowed under the Old covenant that through the coming of Jesus was abolished. Those who claim to be Christian and own slaves is not really living how God wants us to live because Jesus came to free us from the bondage of sin which is similar to the bondage of slavery. In Christ we are free so all should be free. We should never have slavery again. As we see from reading the Old Testament, slavery was allowed by God many times because Israel had sinned. When they turned away from God, God allowed the very nations they were copying and following after to enslave them. Slavery is really a type of judgment.

Through faith in Christ we become a bondservant only to God. Not all believe though so God does give guidelines for us to follow if we find ourselves in the position of being a servant to unbelievers.

Here is what Paul says about bondservants:

Colossians 4:1 Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.

If a person had servants of any kind they were to treat them with kindness and equality. In those days it was a way to take care of the poor so they would not starve. They were not slaves as we think of slaves but paid servants.

1Timothy 6:1 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.
2 And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort.

This is not endorsing slavery as we know it. This was rules for having paid servants, not unpaid slaves in which a person was owned by another person. Slavery was a type of bondage like sin in which Christ came to make us free.

Exodus 21:3 If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.
4 If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.
5 And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:

I know this is tough stuff to understand but their entire way of life was different before Christ. We have a lot to be thankful for because in Jesus we see a new way of living in which all men are equal and in the sight of God all who believe is the same. There is no cast system.

God had to make laws before this time came to deal with servants. Sometimes being servants actually saved the lives of the poor who would have had no other way to make a living. Yet, I believe if one was faithful and dealt wisely with being in charge of another man's goods, God would have blessed him in his work. Joseph was a perfect example of a man who was made a servant unjustly but did his best in the situation without complaining and ended up being second in command in Egypt. Murmurers and complainers get no where.

Exodus 21:6 Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.

Having ears pierced was a sign of slavery. Having those big rings in the ears was a sign that one was a slave. The whole world begin to change after Christ. It took time of course. Things do not change overnight. Everything became different among those that were true followers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We see today the world reverting back to how it was before Christ with the constant rejection of God's word. Notice that religions and countries that do not know Christ still have bondage, slavery and the cast system. False religion still have slavery, strict dress codes for women and signs of unequal rights between male, female, child, poor and the rich. Under Christ not all religions who claim Christ but real people who walk in the spirit of God; we see love, joy, kindness and such where there is no need to have hierarchy and religious systems that control people. They only need civil laws against stealing, murder and laws to protect the strong from controlling the weak.

Exodus 21:7 And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do.
8 If she please not her master, who hath betrothed her to himself, then shall he let her be redeemed: to sell her unto a strange nation he shall have no power, seeing he hath dealt deceitfully with her.
9 And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.
10 If he take him another wife; her food, her raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.
11 And if he do not these three unto her, then shall she go out free without money.

God made sure to take care of maidservants and would not allow them used and then abandoned. Still we see that this is hard to understand in the light of this present day and age but we must consider that they had no welfare system and when one was poor with no income, becoming a servant saved their lives.

Exodus 21:12 He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.

Capital punishment was in force in the case of a man killing another human being.

Exodus 21:13 And if a man lie not in wait, but God deliver him into his hand; then I will appoint thee a place whither he shall flee.
14 But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbor, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.
15 And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death.

One thing we do see about God is that we are to respect our parents. A long life is promised to those who respect their parents and treat them kindly.

Exodus 21:16 And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

This shows that servants in bible days were volunteers. They were not to be forced into it. The only exception was when God allowed the Jewish nation to take captives as a result of war and use the captives as servants. This was the only way to provide for them so they would not starve to death. If captives are faithful to God though and are mistreated, God will bring judgment upon the captors. God sees all injustice.

Stealing people and selling them in the days of early American southern plantations when they bought and sold slaves would have been unlawful in the sight of God because there was no war. Their own people kidnapped and forcefully put them on ships to sell them to far off countries. This was never sanctioned by God.

Exodus 21:17 And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.

They were not allowed to talk back to parents in a disrespectful manner.

Exodus 21:18 And if men strive together, and one smite another with a stone, or with his fist, and he die not, but keepeth his bed:
19 If he rise again, and walk abroad upon his staff, then shall he that smote him be quit: only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall cause him to be thoroughly healed.

Actually we get our laws today from most of these laws in the Old Testament. We go overboard sometimes with law suits but this is where the thought of paying for someone's loss of wages originated.

Exodus 21:20 And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.
21 Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.
22 If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.
23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,
24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26 And if a man smite the eye of his servant, or the eye of his maid, that it perish; he shall let him go free for his eye's sake.

We see when Jesus Christ came He changed the severe judgment of these laws to mercy. We now can be pardoned for all sins and made new creatures in Jesus Christ.

Exodus 21:27 And if he smite out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.
28 If an ox gore a man or a woman, that they die: then the ox shall be surely stoned, and his flesh shall not be eaten; but the owner of the ox shall be quit.
29 But if the ox were wont to push with his horn in time past, and it hath been testified to his owner, and he hath not kept him in, but that he hath killed a man or a woman; the ox shall be stoned, and his owner also shall be put to death.

They were held accountable for the actions of the animals they owned.

Exodus 21:30 If there be laid on him a sum of money, then he shall give for the ransom of his life whatsoever is laid upon him.
31 Whether he have gored a son, or have gored a daughter, according to this judgment shall it be done unto him.
32 If the ox shall push a manservant or a maidservant; he shall give unto their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.
33 And if a man shall open a pit, or if a man shall dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or an ass fall therein;
34 The owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money unto the owner of them; and the dead beast shall be his.
35 And if one man's ox hurt another's, that he die; then they shall sell the live ox, and divide the money of it; and the dead ox also they shall divide.
36 Or if it be known that the ox hath used to push in time past, and his owner hath not kept him in; he shall surely pay ox for ox; and the dead shall be his own.

We see here that God teaches responsibility. They were to take care of their neighbor's lives. They were to control their livestock, and be responsible for the welfare of all around them.

Today if our neighbor's dog escaped and bit a child nearby, the owner is held responsible. We got those laws from the bible so many scorn. Yet without God's original laws, we would not have any civilized countries today.

When Christ came though things got much better among those that accepted His word and obeyed it.

Nations which fear God have the cleanest standard of living in the world. Countries with the most poverty and disease are those with religions that oppress the people can keep them in fear and bondage.

We need God. I see our need for Him every day as I watch the things happening in the world today. A people or a nation that rejects God and accepts evolution or an alternative reason for their existence really do not know what they are doing. DC

Exodus 22

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