This
is an emotionally-charged topic as well as a sensitive hot-button social issue
that offers no middle ground- either you are aggrieved by its barbaric practice
or you are not. I think from the standpoint of African-American descendants of
slaves brought to the shores of this continent in chains, this is an extremely
painful subject to discuss. That being said, slavery is not unique in the human
experience but the practice of perpetuating this unjust institution solely on
the basis of color is quite recent; at least as far as millennia of years of
world history goes. In this study it will be to look at what the Bible has to
say about this subject, and does it offer any perspective that is helpful in
determining the moral justification or negative sanction for such cruelty.
Genesis
16: 1-2, 6-10a
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through
her.” Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai
mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.
But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne
to Abraham was mocking, 10 and
she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son.
. . (Cp. Genesis 21: 10)
NOTE: Sarai/Sarah is considered the epitome of a God-fearing,
faithful, loving and compassionate woman.
Genesis
30: 1a, 3, 9
And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no
children. And she said, Behold my maid (female slave/bondmaid)) Bilhah,
go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children
by her. When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her
maid (female slave/bondmaid), and gave her Jacob to wife.
Joshua 9: 21
And the princes said
unto them, Let them live; but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of
water (slaves/forced labor) unto the entire congregation; as the princes
had promised them.
Joshua 9: 23
Now you are condemned
to perpetual servitude as woodcutters and water carriers (slaves/forced
labor) for the house of my God." NET Bible
Joshua 9: 27a
But that day he made
the Gibeonites the woodcutters and water carriers (slaves/forced labor) for the
community of Israel and for the altar of the LORD. NLT
1 Kings 5: 13, 14b
Then King Solomon
drafted (“conscripted”) forced laborers from all Israel; the labor force
numbered 30,000 men. He sent 10,000 to Lebanon each month in shifts; one
month they were in Lebanon, two months they were at home. Adoniram was in
charge (the Overseer) of the forced labor. Holman Christian Standard Bible
NOTE: The magnificent temple that King Solomon dedicated the
Lord, the House where the Name would be memorialized, was built with a large
pool of slave labor.
Jeremiah 34: 9, 14a
That everyone should
set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a
Jew, his brother. At the end of seven years each of you must set free the
fellow Hebrew who has been sold to you and has served you six years; you must
set him free from your service (Cp. Exodus
21: 2-6; Deuteronomy 15: 12-17). ESV
Leviticus 25: 39-42,
44-46
If any of your fellow Israelites become
poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves. They are to be treated as
hired workers or temporary residents among you; they are
to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. Then
they and their children are to be released, and they will go back to their own
clans and to the property of their ancestors. 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 bequeath them to your children as inherited property
and can make them slaves for life (Wow!!), but you must not rule over your fellow
Israelites ruthlessly.
NOTE: This is a lot more expanded than other
parts of the Old Testament.
Now, let’s look at the New Testament:
Ephesians 6: 5-9
Slaves, obey your earthly masters with
respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey
Christ. Obey
them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of
Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve
wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward
each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or
free. And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten
them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and
there is no favoritism with him.
NOTE: This is a fine thing if you
just so happen to have a God-fearing master.
Colossians 3: 22-25
Slaves obey
your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on
you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the
Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your
heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know
that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong
will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.
Titus 2: 9-10
Teach slaves to be
subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk Teach
slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to
them, and not to steal from
them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they
will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive. Teach
slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back
to them (complain about reasonable grievances or
mistreatment??), and not to steal from
them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they
will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.to them, and not to steal from
them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they
will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.
It is interesting that one of the reasons that God
liberated the Israelites was that they were slaves in Egypt and harshly treated,
but somehow it is acceptable for them to enslave other people, consider them as
inherited property, and they can be subjected to a lifetime of servitude. Even
if another Hebrew enslaved one of his fellow countrymen that person was to be treated
like hired labor, or as an “indentured servant” for a temporary period lasting
no more than seven years. The New Testament admonishes slaves to just be
faithful and bear with it, looking toward to a heavenly reward but when it came
to the plight of the Israelites the response from on High was quite different- Acts 7: 34a says, “I have indeed seen
the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come
down to set them free.” It isn’t just slavery in the past that is of paramount
importance but the psychological as well as the socio-cultural, economic, educational
and mental components that can affect people generations into the future. Maybe
the sins of the fathers are not passed down past the third and fourth
generation, but what they went through could; especially if, as in the Bible a
generation can be anywhere from forty years to a thousand.
Robert
Randle
776
Commerce St Apt 701
Tacoma,
WA 98402
April
4, 2017
