SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 9/14/2019
11:51 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
“The Submission of Employees”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Ephesians
6:5-8
Message of the verses: “5 Slaves, be
obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and
trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; 6 not by way of
eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. 7
With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that
whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord,
whether slave or free.”
The
word “slaves” comes from the Greek word doulot,
and according to John MacArthur this word indicates subjection and usually
bondage. In the times when the New
Testament was written, and even before slavery was very common and slaves had
no legal rights and were actually treated as commercial commodities. During the Roman times the citizens looked
upon work as degrading and so many had slaves to do their work for them, and
many of the slaves were treated very harshly and could be killed at the whims of
their owners.
I
want to quote two paragraphs from MacArthur’s commentary which I believe is
important to read: “Although Scripture
does not speak against slavery as such, it clearly speaks against kidnapping of
anyone for the purpose of making him or her a slave (Ex. 21:16).” “"He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells
him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death.” “The European and American slave trade that
lasted past the middle of the nineteenth century was therefore a clear
violation of Scripture, despite the rationalizations of many Christians who
were involved in it.
“Certain
types of nonabusive and beneficial slavery were permitted, or even advocated,
in the Old Testament. For example, a
thief who could not make restitution could be indentured until repayment was
worked out—a plan far superior to the modern prison sentence which provides for
no restitution of property or money to the victim or restoration of dignity for
the thief. Israelites were allowed to
buy slaves from the pagan nations around them (Lev. 25:44), but fellow
Israelites could not be bought or sold, although they could voluntarily
indenture themselves until the year of jubilee (vv. 39-40). During their time of service they were to be
treated as hired workers, not as slaves (v. 40-41, 46). Even pagan slaves were not to be abused and
were given their freedom if seriously injured by their master (Ex.
21:26-27). A slave who fled from an
oppressive master was to be given asylum and protection (Deut. 23:15-16). A fellow Israelite could not be used as a
slave for more than six years, at the end of which he was to be given liberal
provisions as a form of severance pay (Ex. 21:2; Deut. 15:13-14). Every fiftieth year, the year of jubilee, all
slaves were to be freed and returned to their families (Lev. 25:10). A slave who loved his master and preferred to
remain with him could voluntarily indenture himself for life by having his ear
pierced by his master (Ex. 21:5-6). The
kind of slavery controlled by scriptural teaching was a blessing to both employer
and employee and was a rewarding and fulfilling relation between them.”
I
think as one reads these two paragraphs and also what we will learn in the
remaining SD on this topic that slavery according to the Biblical terms of it
was fair and just, which is just as one should believe it should be. I think that it is interesting that when
Jesus Christ came to earth, according to Philippians chapter two that He was
actually a slave, however most English translations choose to use the Greek
word “doulos” as “bond-slave” but the
word does mean slave: “5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was
also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He
existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be
grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking
the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men”
(Phil. 2:5-7). Jesus willingly made
Himself a slave which means that He could become a man in order to fulfill His
Father’s will that He would die on the cross to pay for my sins and all those
who will accept His forgiveness.
Today’s quotation from “Love in Action:”
“Let us
consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one
another,
studying how we may stir and stimulate and incite
to love
and helpful deeds and noble activities.”
Hebrews
10:22 Amplified
9/14/2019 12:26 PM
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