Chapter 21 of Exodus begins immediately after God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The chapter begins, “These are the laws you are to set before them“. And what follows is an amazingly detailed description of Hebrew law. Ironically after just escaping from 400 years of slavery, the first topic God addresses is slavery. Understand, there were a number of ways a Hebrew could become a slave; all include the inability to pay a debt. A man could be forced into slavery to pay off a debt, or he could sell off one of his children to pay the debt. But it was a very serious matter, there was no such thing as filing bankruptcy; if you owed a debt, it would be paid. The first rule concerning slaves, limited the time of servitude to six years; “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year he is to go free“. The next rule was that you leave only with what you brought; “If he comes alone, he will go free alone; but if he has a wife when he comes, she shall go with him“. This means anything he does not bring belongs to the master; “If the master gives him a wife and she bears children, the wife and the children shall belong to the master“. But as God is merciful, He allows a way for the man to stay with his family. If a man declares, “I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free“, then his master must take him before judges. “He shall take him to the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life“. How beautiful! The man could willingly give up his freedom to become a bond-slave, bound to his master; no longer by the law, but out of love.
Over and over the apostles begin their epistles by referring to themselves as “Bond-servants of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:1, James 1:1, Titus 1:1, 2 Peter 1:1). They understood we all owe a debt of sin that we cannot pay; but by God’s grace, the debt of our sin has been paid by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. They make the point quite clearly that we who call ourselves Christians, do not serve Christ out of obligation to the law, but willingly and thankfully out of love. Yes, Jesus Christ is our master, but because he is so good, we choose to serve Him. We have a new master now, Romans 6:14 shouts, “For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under the law, but grace“.
Next we are told what the law required of a daughter sold into slavery. “If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as manservants do. If she does not please the master… he must let her be redeemed. He has not right to sell her to foreigners“. Her debt could only be paid by another Hebrew. The law also necessitates, “If he selects her for his son, he must grant her the rights of a daughter“. She becomes part of the family and inherits all the rights of being born into the family. The law also adds, “If he marries another women, he must not deprive the first one of her food, clothing and marital rights“. If he does deprive her, she is to go free without any payment of money.
We were all slaves to sin before we accepted Christ. Romans 8:16-17 affirms, “The Spirit Himself bears witness to our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also“. And Galatians 4:7 confirms, “Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God“. And Galatians 3:13 explains, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us“. Jesus had to become a man in order to redeem mankind. Our redeemer died in our place to free us from sin and allow us to inherit all the privileges of being children of God. Let us live as God’s beloved sons and daughters.