Deuteronomy 15 (Slavery)

intricatic · #1 (**permalink**) 03-29-2008, 02:48 AM

12 “If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed; 14 you shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. From what the LORD your God has blessed you with, you shall give to him. 15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today. 16 And if it happens that he says to you, ‘I will not go away from you,’ because he loves you and your house, since he prospers with you, 17 then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Also to your female servant you shall do likewise. 18 It shall not seem hard to you when you send him away free from you; for he has been worth a double hired servant in serving you six years. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all that you do.
(Deuteronomy 15)

What can be said about this portion of Deuteronomy 15, and what can be drawn from it in terms of the New Testament?

TrinityLives · #2 (**permalink**) 04-06-2008, 04:59 PM

I have always found it interesting how this passage ( among others) get so distorted in todays world as a tool to show " How God cant be".
Because of the Africans who were sold to the Americas as slaves, this idea of slavery has transported over to the term in the bible (IMO).

Slaves of the Bible who were appointed to be "servants" were different then the slaves of Egypt.
Yes they were made to live for 6 years and serve BUT They were fed, clothed and given shelter. Many decided to stay on because they were treated well. We have to remember what the living conditions were then. It wasn't the freedom that many of us have here and it certainly wasn't the riches. If God did not set up some sort of system, many would have perished in poverty. Especially the women.
Many slaves in the America were treated with this respect too, but many were not. Just as in Egypt.

I think servant is probably a better word then slave. If there were treated so bad as many claimed why when they could flee did many stay on?