Many of us believe that God speaks through His word, and all of it. God’s people gather around His word, and He loves to bless them as they read it.
Yet, Exodus 21 is a pretty interesting piece of text and I suspect that many of us don’t usually read this for our devotions. When we do read it, most of us are either confused or ashamed for this text deals with slavery. To our modern minds, slavery is deplorable, so how can the Bible speak of it? When we speak of slavery, we may think of economic systems and power relationships. We think of manual labour and the torture associated with it, together with inhumane conditions and being bound in chains. We may even associate it with a certain racial group. We may wish that we can omit these texts.
It is not wrong to think of these things, but it is wrong to only think of these things. Slavery has existed in all civilisations, even today perhaps. But when the ancients spoke of slavery, they spoke of something slightly different than what our modern minds think of. Slavery was not racial in nature most of the time, although the Greeks had some racial notions of slavery. In the Bible, slavery is primarily dealing with criminals or prisoners of war, or an economic system primarily. There were no banks nor bankruptcy laws in the past thus if you fell into debt, you had to be an indentured servant to pay off your debt. Slaves could work in different fields, not just manual labour. The slave trade is more similar to an employer-employee relationship.
God has chosen to include this section of text in His Word. He has something to say about slavery, so what is it? What does He want us to see. As we go on, let’s keep this at the back of our minds, that these laws are actually incredibly practical, and tell us something about God that we should fall down on our faces and worship Him.
(A) Slavery in Israel: in your dealings with each other, remember who you are (Exo 21:1-2)
In the previous chapter, we read of the law coming to the people as God spoke directly to the people. He spoke “all these words” (c.f. Exo 20:1) and He gave the 10 Commandments, the moral law. In this section on the civic law, and also the subsequent section on the ceremonial law, we read of how God spoke through Moses. The people were afraid when God spoke to them directly, and they asked Moses to be a mediator. Thus, the law was given through Moses.
The moral, civic and ceremonial all formed one law. Although these things came through Moses, it still happened at the foot of Mt Sinai. The people would have been incredibly clear that these aren’t just a set of laws that the elders came up with to organize Israel in the most efficient way. They would know that these laws came by revelation. The civic and ceremonial laws served to press out the essence of the moral laws in daily, actionable, practical day to day things so that Israel can be shaped to be a holy nation to reflect a holy God. We often read these things in the comfort of this room, from our phones and we don’t think twice about it. But Israel received it from God and they wouldn’t’ read it as abstract philosophies or ideas. They knew it as God’s word that reveals His character.
In the Book of the Covenant, God lays out the “civic law”, and the first topic he introduces are these laws on slavery, and it is followed by laws on capital punishment and restitution. This is an important topic and understanding Israel’s past is important here. This is about national narratives. God wants the now free people of Israel to remember that they were once slaves (c.f. Exo 2:23-25). Why remember that they were slaves as they become slave owners? Their past identity has something to do with how they live now.
The law beings with a provision that allows them to “buy a Hebrew slave”, who, “in the seventh he shall go our free, for nothing” (Exo 21:1-2). Slaves were allowed in Israel, but also notice the repetition at the end of the verse. This slavery and servitude wasn’t forever, and certainly wasn’t meant to be handed down from generatio to generation. There is clear mobility and freedom is guaranteed, regardless of the debt the slave owes. Freedom is guaranteed because of Israel’s own experience – God delivered and rescued them from Egypt and they did nothing. As they experienced, so Israel too was to treat their slaves in the same way.
In other comparable near eastern practices, mobility was sometimes not guaranteed, like Israel under Egypt. In other cases, it was possible. Why 7 years? The parallel idea is the idea of Sabbath. 7 is not an arbitrary number. Israel would know something about the nature of freedom here. Freedom is bound up in rest in God. Rest is not just not doing anything, scrolling Facebook etc. Rest is related to God and the idea of rest was to extend to how they are to conduct their slave trade.
This should bring to mind various NT parallels. Matt 18:2-35 is one such example, dealing with the case of someone sinning against us. It speaks of one that owes 10,000 talents of gold, equivalent to 200,000 years of labour. His master wanted to sentence him to judgment and he cried out for mercy. His master showed mercy and he was free. This servant was freed and met another who owed him 1 denari, equivalent to 100 days wages. This servant was harsh and sentenced this other servant to prison. The master, upon hearing it, judged the servant harshly too.
Jesus, through this parable, wanted to illustrate how those that have experienced God’s gracious forgiveness are to extend the same forgiveness. The debt that we have been forgiven in Christ is far greater than what any man owes us but we struggle with this so bitterly and constantly. When someone wrongs you deeply, personally, what comes to mind? We run through the specific things they’ve done and all the reasons why they shouldn’t have. We replay the actions. We tell people around us about it. We hold on to the bitterness. But the Bible calls us to remember who we used to be, and that change in identity is to shape our current identity and how we live today.
(B) Male slavery in Israel: practice freedom, but more, kindness (Exo 21:3-6)
The law depicts two principles, for how a slave is to experience freedom (Exo 21:3-4). In the first, it shows that as he came in, so shall he go out. If he came in single, he shall leave single. If he came in married, he remains married after he regains his freedom. Slavery was not to define them! Slavery was not their identity. What defines them is the identity they had before slavery. If we are familiar with the narrative in Exodus, their true identity is their status as redeemed people before God. The Bible challenges some of our ideas of how people who are victims of crime or born into poverty are often trapped. But the Bible tells us that their true identity is not bound up in their circumstances.
The law also says that if the slave came in single and got a spouse and child, the spouse and child remain in the master’s employment and possession, but the man is free. What does this mean? The second principle is that: when one is a slave, all that the master gives you is a function of grace. All that the master gives you is not yours! We must note that this wife is likely a female slave and is not something he deserves or gets. The master has the right over what the slave has and does. This means that marriage is not a way to get out of slavery. Furthermore, this is also a way of protecting the wife and the child. The male slave entered into slavery for a particular reason. When he is free, the wife and child doesn’t go immediately. He goes out and if he proves to be an organized man, there is a way to redeem his wife and child (given in Leviticus).
The law also depicts an alternative to freedom (Exo 21:5-6). In the event that the slave decides that he loves his family and his master so much that he would rather stay with them in the employment of his master, the master was to pierce his ears.
This isn’t Stockholm syndrome nor is it an abuse of power relationship. It means that the master has been marked by such kindness that the slave is willing to work for him forever. What kind of graciousness and kindness that the master has to show? Perhaps it is the same kindness that causes the apostle Paul to introduce himself as a slave of Christ.
But why “bore his ear through with an awl” (Exo 21:6)? It was to signify that he is willing and desiring to listen to the words of his master. This is what Ps 40:6 speaks of.
The master described in these verses is ultimately exemplified in our good and gracious God! Those in power are to treat those under power in such an amazing way that they are willing to walk with them for the rest of their life. How would you describe your leadership? In some way, we all have power over someone else? Will we say that we are effective, efficient, the sort of leader who gets things done? Are you assertive, confident? The sort of leader we are to be is the sort of leader God is. He is one whose actions moves His people to a deep and sincere love. It is not a flakey and hyped-up, over-sentimentalised love. It is a love marked by deep and profound wisdom, able to care and provide for those under you. Be an Exodus 21 leader.
(C) Female slavery in Israel: practice justice, and more, protect the “weaker” sex (Exo 21:7-11)
Exo 21:7-11 deals with the situation when daughters were sold as slaves. Now, Christianity is often criticised for being a misogynistic faith. These cultural pressures are helpful because it can show us our blind spot. The church has distorted and thought wrongly of women. But this is not just about cultural pressures. It also shows us something about God.
To understand this next section, we need to remember that in the ancient world, all cultures practiced slavery without exception. These laws were given in order to ensure that that there were special privileges and commands in God’s holy law to protect women. To understand these laws, we need to see the instructions, what dangers it assumes for women, and what principles are on display.
Christian communities are always to be people of justice and mercy. We are to respect the weaker sex, not celebrate and privilege power; always giving people a way out of problems in mercy; never try and get rid of people who are problems; honouring the full rights and privileges of family members and respecting marriage and monogamy; seeking to protect the rights of those who cannot protect themselves; and helping those who cannot help themselves. This is our teaching today.
But underlying this section in Exo 21:7-11 is this: that God demands that justice be practiced, and that abuse and dangers of injustice be checked by the law and its considerations. God will not tolerate a society of injustice and abuse, because by their justice and righteousness, they proclaim His fame and character.
Paul picks up on this same theme. Christian communities are to be marked by justice and mercy (c.f. Rom 6:15-23). But though we know, we don’t live in this way. Paul speaks of it in Rom 6:3-8. The Bible tells us that the solution to lives that are not marked by righteousness and mercy is not the law. It is the work of Jesus Christ. This is what God is telling us today! We were once a slave to sin and we are to remember this and then to remember that we are no longer slaves to sin. We are to think about how Jesus bought our freedom – by condescending, taking on the lowliest of places. He bought our freedom for the price of a slave, 30 silver coins. He did all of these things to show us that we who were once slaves to sin, are not longer trapped in sin. Sin does not define us. Rather, our lives are to be marked by righteousness.
The hand of God is not too short to save. If you find yourself struggling with sin, throw yourself at the feet of the Christ. Run to your Saviour who took your sin so seriously, He came and died on your behalf. Look at the face of this Master. Bask in His presence. We have a Saviour who is this merciful and who is this powerful.
Remember who you used to be but also remember that you are no longer this person in Christ. Now you are a slave to righteousness.