Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
" 'If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave. He is to be treated as a hired worker or a temporary resident among you; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. Then he and his children are to be released, and he will go back to his own clan and to the property of his forefathers. Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves. Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God." " 'Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can will them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly. " 'If an alien or a temporary resident among you becomes rich and one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells himself to the alien living among you or to a member of the alien's clan, he retains the right of redemption after he has sold himself. One of his relatives may redeem him: An uncle or a cousin or any blood relative in his clan may redeem him. Or if he prospers, he may redeem himself. He and his buyer are to count the time from the year he sold himself up to the Year of Jubilee. The price for his release is to be based on the rate paid to a hired man for that number of years. If many years remain, he must pay for his redemption a larger share of the price paid for him. If only a few years remain until the Year of Jubilee, he is to compute that and pay for his redemption accordingly. He is to be treated as a man hired from year to year; you must see to it that his owner does not rule over him ruthlessly. " 'Even if he is not redeemed in any of these ways, he and his children are to be released in the Year of Jubilee, for the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God." Leviticus 25:39-55
The matter of slavery does arise in the scriptures because it was part of the culture of those times, both in the Old and New Testament. And the Lord provided stern guidelines in how slaves were to be treated. This is because slaves were human beings and deserved to be treated as such. In fact our scripture passage has this to say as to how slaves were to be treated:
"If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave. He is to be treated as a hired worker or a temporary resident among you."
Often times in the Old Testament, a person had to sell themselves and their families as well into slavery to repay the debt they owed. In these instances, their relationship to their masters was one of servitude…a hired worker whose labor served as repayment for debt owed. And even then, the Year of Jubilee brought release.
We also see conditions where an Israelite may have to sell himself to one who is a non-Israelite to pay off debt. In these instances, a relative could come and redeem him…the kinsman-redeemer concept that we examined a few devotions ago and one we will see in detail in the Book of Ruth. In redeeming a kin, the relative would ensure the person owed the debt would receive proper compensation. Once paid off, the slave’s service would no longer be needed and they would be free to go.
Well, there are several present day parallels to draw to this matter of slavery and the concepts portrayed at the end of Leviticus, Chapter 25.
First, is the matter of being enslaved. In biblical days, not everyone was enslaved. We read where only those who were indebted or were from another people in a nation around Israel were slaves. But was this really the case? For the actions of Adam and Eve in the garden ushered sin into the perfect world that God had created. And mankind was afflicted…and enslaved from sin…from that point on. And it has been that way ever since. So in saying that, we are all slaves and slaves to sin…that is unless we have someone who is related to us that can redeem us. And this leads me to my second point.
For as children of God, we’re all related. Everyone of us has the same Father and thus are all related to any of His children as well. And we know God only had one Son, Jesus, who was sent to come and pay the price for our sins…to pay the debt we owed. Jesus was our Holy Kinsman-Redeemer! He was sent by the Father to pay off our sin debt and set us free. Friends, have you experienced the personal jubilee and joy this brings? If not, why not come to Jesus right now…the One who died and rose again for all mankind to bring us the privilege of eternal life when this earthly life is over.
One last point when we’re talking about the concept of slavery and servitude. Did you catch the words of the Lord at the end of Chapter 25? He said, "…the Israelites belong to me as servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt." God delivered Israel, rescuing them from the oppression of Pharoah and the Egyptians. And in return, the people of Israel were expected to be God’s servants…obedient in everything in accordance with God’s will for their lives. And friends, the same applies to us today.
For as stated, God delivered us from our sinfulness by way of Jesus, His Only Son. And in doing so, we are to serve Him…faithfully…obediently…joyfully.
Question: Are you a slave servant for the Lord…indebted to Him for all He has done for you? Do you acknowledge, thank and praise Him for delivering you from certain sinful destruction? Do you know your Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who is the only One by which you can be saved and come to the Father?
In closing, let’s remember the word of God from Paul’s epistle to the Romans:
"But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:22-23
Today, and every day, let us celebrate the gift of God. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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