Slavery: What does the Bible teach us about it?
The ignorance of people concerning this will probably amaze you. What do YOU know about it? What do you believe the Christian perspective should be about it? Isn’t the Bible to be our guide for all our norms and standards? Aren’t we to do everything we can to get our thinking lined up with our Lord’s?
2 Timothy 2:15-16
15 Study [SPOUDAZO = be diligent] to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings [speaking of false beliefs]: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. [Emphasis added]
Again, what are your beliefs about the subject matter of this article? Do you have a divine perspective about it? I’m afraid most people have no idea, and probably don’t even care, what the Bible says about it. They have their own beliefs about it and, so far as they’re concerned, it is a settled matter in their minds. But don’t we need to be objective in all matters? Shouldn’t our desire be for the truth concerning all things?
Romans 15:4
4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. [Emphasis added]
Well, exactly what does the Bible tell us about slavery? Did you know that the law of God that was given to the nation of Israel through Moses speaks of it? We’re not under that system of law today but we can certainly learn from it.
Romans 6:14-15
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law [speaking of the Mosaic Law], but under grace.
15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. [Emphasis added]
So, what does the Mosaic Law say about it and what can we learn from it?
Deuteronomy 23:15-16
15 Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant [EBED = servant or slave] which is ESCAPED from his master unto thee:
16 He shall dwell with thee, even among you, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him. [Emphasis added]
However, notice what else is said in the law God gave Israel. There we find that voluntary slavery was permissible. Slavery could be involuntary as a form of punishment for violations of the law, but voluntary slavery was permitted. Isn’t long-term imprisonment a form of slavery? We don’t call it that but that’s exactly what it is. Under the teachings of the Mosaic Law, a thief who did not make restitution for his offence could be sold as a slave.
Exodus 22:1-4
1 If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.
2 If a thief be found breaking up [what we call breaking and entering], and be smitten that he die, there shall no blood be shed for him.
3 If the sun be risen upon him [meaning if the crime occurs in daylight], there shall be blood shed for him; for he should make full restitution; if he have nothing [if he has no assets], then he shall be sold for his theft.
4 If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double. [Emphasis added]
Please never think of any of this as unjust because God is the author of all this, and He is ALWAYS perfectly just in everything He says or does.
Deuteronomy 32:4
4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. [Emphasis added]
Israel did not have long-term imprisonments. A person was arrested and held captive only until there was a trial, and the matter was settled. This way the public was not charged with the expense of the crime and a long-term expensive incarceration. Truly it was the offender who paid for his crime. They were either executed as criminals or were required to make restitution for what they had done. The Mosaic Law required a free citizenry whose freedom rested upon personal responsibility for one’s actions.
Under the directives of the Mosaic Law [the law God gave Moses for Israel], a person could also be sold into slavery for unpaid debts. However, after six years, on the 7th or the sabbatical year, debtors were freed of such obligations.
Deuteronomy 15:12-15
12 And if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.
13 And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty [empty-handed]:
14 Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress: of that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.
15 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman [a slave] in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day. [Emphasis added]
All this time the person was treated as a slave. The time of servitude could last for no longer than six years. It was then that the prisoner was set free. This also occurred on what was called the Year of Jubilee, every 50th year. This then means there were seven Sabbatical Years, totaling forty-nine years, with the Year of Jubilee being the 50th year. All slaves were then set free.
Deuteronomy 15:1-6
1 At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release.
2 And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the Lord’s release.
This then tells us all debts were limited in duration. Long term loans were not allowed for the citizenry of Israel.
3 Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release;
4 Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the Lord shall greatly bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it:
5 Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day.
6 For the Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee. [Emphasis added]
Another interesting facet of all this is the fact that a person could make themselves a slave to someone. He was then set free on the Sabbatical Year. However, if he chose the security of slavery, his ear was pierced to indicate that he was now like a woman, permanently in subjection to someone [Ephesians 5:22; Colossians 3:18; 1 Peter 3:1 cf. 1 Corinthians 7:10-17] and remained a slave.
Exodus 21:5-7
5 And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:
Yes, it was the man, the husband and father alone who made the decision on this.
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 aul; and he shall serve him for ever.
7 And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do. [Emphasis added]
Yes, it is all very interesting and quite different from what many people may have thought. And, again, this is what our loving and just God commanded as law for His people of Israel. And since unbelievers are by nature slaves to their sinful nature, they could be held as life-long slaves without all this formality. The unbelievers in this case were Gentiles who were sometimes held captive because they were prisoners of war.
Leviticus 25:44-45
44 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids [male and female slaves], which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen [unbelieving Gentiles] that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.
Yes, as it plainly says, God authorized them to be able to purchase both male and female slaves. Yes, under God’s law it was perfectly legal to own slaves.
45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession. [Emphasis added]
While slaves were to be treated humanely, they could be flogged by their master. But the law prohibited excess in this.
Exodus 21:20
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. [Emphasis added]
By this law slaves were protected from extreme flogging that resulted in death. There were also other laws that protected them from abuse.
Exodus 21:26-27
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.
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. Emphasis added]
Leviticus 24:17
17 And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death. [Emphasis added]
As you can see from these and other passages of Scripture, God authorized capital punishment as something legal and moral. Even our apostle, the apostle Paul, spoke of capital punishment as something good for our time that is ordained of God.
Romans 13:1-7
1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers [EXZOUSIA = authorities]. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation [KRIMA = judgment].
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword [a reference to capital punishment] in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath [punishment], but also for conscience sake.
6 For this cause pay ye tribute [taxes] also: for they are God’s ministers [deserving payment for what they do], attending continually upon this very thing.
7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. [Emphasis added]
Something people commonly don’t realize is that the Roman Empire in the days of Paul was heavily populated with slaves. Many had been taken captive in warfare. Some had willfully become slaves for the security it provided in a household. So, there were many reasons for it, but it surely was a common practice.
You may recall that the apostle Paul’s letter to Philemon is about slavery. Philemon was a mature Christian who had a group of believers that met in his home for the study of the Scriptures. Onesimus, a slave, was one of them. Please note how Paul speaks to him.
Philemon 1:1-3
1 Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer,
2 And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:
3 Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. [Emphasis added]
Many times, people build their personal beliefs and standards around their culture, rather than the Word of God. Our goal as believers is to work at building our thinking around the teachings of Scripture.
Again, 2 Timothy 2:15-16
15 Study [SPOUDAZO = be diligent] to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. [Emphasis added]
Doing this is a process that will involve many changes in one’s thinking about a lot of things, including such things as slavery.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect [TELEIOS = mature], thoroughly furnished unto all good works. [Emphasis added]
We’ll never be “perfect” in this life [as we use this word today], but we can and should become spiritually mature in our thinking just as the verse is telling us. Therefore, we need to be fully committed to studying the Bible as often as we possibly can. The wisdom we gain from it will be useful all our lives.
Proverbs 3:13-15
13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
14 For the merchandise [SACHAR = profit] of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. [Emphasis added]
We all have access to this wealth called wisdom. It is because of the impact it has had on the minds of Americans in times past that we became the wealthiest nation on Earth. Such was true for England in the nineteenth century and for other countries in earlier times. It is this truth that you should want to build your life around because it provides a correct understanding about not only things like slavery but a multitude of other subjects. It is ignorance of the truth and even an unwillingness to apply what we may know that gets us into trouble. This is especially true regarding the gospel message. Nothing in life is more important than that. But we should all make ourselves slaves to the teaching of Scripture. Paul commends many of the believers in Rome for having done this and exhorts others to do the same.
Romans 6:12-13
12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13 Neither yield ye your members [the parts of your body] as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. [Emphasis added]
Then Paul makes it plain that we’re not to be “servants” to sin, but to righteousness.
Romans 6:16-20
16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants [DOULOS = slaves] to obey, his servants [DOULOS = slaves] ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants [DOULOS = slaves] of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18 Being then made free from sin [positionally], ye became the servants of righteousness.
19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants [DOULOS = slaves] to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants [DOULOS = slaves] to righteousness unto holiness.
20 For when ye were the servants [DOULOS = slaves] of sin, ye were free from righteousness. [Emphasis added]
Much can be said about the meaning of this passage. Perhaps we will have a chance to study it more thoroughly at another time. But one thing you need to understand about all this is that being a slave is not necessarily bad; so much of it depends on who your master is. We all need to see ourselves as servants, even as slaves to God, always working at being obedient to Him as our Master.
But even if the day comes and we find ourselves in forced enslavement, what are we told to do?
Ephesian 6:5-6
5 Servants [DOULOS = servants or slaves], be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
6 Not with eyeservice [or as we would say—lip service], as menpleasers; but as the servants [DOULOS = servants or slaves] of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; [Emphasis added]
There are other passages that tell us essentially the same thing— Colossians 3:22-25; 4:1. Then we have Paul’s words to young Timothy about this—
1 Timothy 6:1-5
1 Let as many servants [DOULOS = slaves] as are under the yoke [living in bondage] count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed [BLASPHEMEO = reviled or slandered].
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.
3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
Please note that Paul has stern words for people who would resist his teaching on all this. Here’s what he says about him—
4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting [NOSEO = being sick or ailing in one’s mind] about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. [Emphasis added]
These words have been completely ignored by many people in the past as they are now. I hope and pray you will not be one of them.
Paul told Titus, who had been ministering on the isle of Crete, much the same—
Titus 2:9-10
9 Exhort servants [DOULOS = slaves] to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again [talking back to them];
10 Not purloining [NOSPHIZO = pilfering or stealing], but shewing all good fidelity [PISTIS = being faithful]; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. [Emphasis added]
The way people, even churchgoers, treat this subject, you’d think there wasn’t anything in the Bible that teaches these things you’ve seen in this article. Could it all be any clearer? After the life of freedom we’ve been able to live, I would think that none of us as Americans would want to be slaves. But we must realize that according to the Word of God, slavery is a fully or completely legitimate institution. There’s not one word in the Bible that prohibits the institution itself. Like a lot of things, there are many abuses of it. But many wonderful people have been slaves and many wonderful people have been slave owners [like Philemon]. Let us all gladly make ourselves slaves to our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ! We can then follow the example of men like Paul and Timothy.
Philippians 1:1a
1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants [DOULOS = slaves] of Jesus Christ,…[Emphasis added]
This all means that if you don’t see yourself as a slave to our Lord Jesus Christ, your spiritual life is moving in the wrong direction. I hope you’ll see the need to immediately make a change to it.
