In my reading this week, I studied more what it really meant in Exodus 21 about being a slave and discovered - basically - it's the same as when we engage in an employment contract - we need an income to survive so we sell ourselves to a place of employment and get paid in exchange of our services.
When the Hebrew was down on his luck and needed sustenance to survive, he would sell himself into service to another Hebrew who could provide for his needs. On the seventh year the master was to set him free - but the slave could decide to stay forever as a bondservant because he loved his master so much.
In essence he and his family (if he had a wife and children) became part of the masters family. As I thought more on the subject, I came across something that one of the Torah teachers (Mike Clayton) had written and thought it was so beautiful from the perspective of our relationship with The Master - that I wanted to share. Hope you enjoy it! My notes are in parenthesis. Donna~
Mishpatim (the rulings)
Exodus 21:1-24:18 Jeremiah 34:8-22; 33:25-26 Matthew 5:38-42; 15:1-20 Acts 23:1-11 Hebrews 9:15-22; 10:28-39 The Master's Awl We stand this week in a holy place. The giving of the Mishpatim (rulings) is much more than just providing standards for life. Here is witnessed the Ketuba, the marriage contract. Hashem (God) is setting forth the terms of the marriage. For those who have ears to hear, we will see that the theme of this Torah portion is not commandments, the theme is love. Exodus 21 tells us what to do with slaves. It is all too easy to read over this section and consider this for a different time and people. What could this possibly have to do with life in the year 2013? Truth is, these verses are just as relevant today as they have ever been for the person who will take the time to look past the surface and gaze into the depths of scripture. Let us look not at the master, but to the slave. The slave has served his master well for six years. He has been treated well and his daily provision has been met. Though life has been good overall, he is still a slave. He lacks the freedom to come and go as he pleases. At the end of six years a decision must be made. The slave can now go free or he can decide to voluntarily give up his freedom and become a bondservant. How will the slave make his decision? Will it be based on provision, rules of the house or even his own family? Chapter 21 verse 5 gives us insight into the heart of the matter. The slave declares, "I love my master, my wife and my children, so I don’t want to go free!" Notice the slave places his master first, even above his wife and children. Because of love, the servant places himself under the subjection of his master. With this subjection comes obedience to the rules of the household and the desires of the master. His declaration is that he will obey, not from fear or duty, but out of love for his master.(I was thinking of how this should be our heart towards the Messiah. We should mindfully bring ourselves under obedience, out of love, to His rules for our lives.) In Isaiah 56:6 we see this progression when it speaks of the foreigner or gentile who is grafted into the family. We are adopted into this family through faith, faith which in the early days brings forth service. We are looking for something to do in His Kingdom, more through duty to the One who has redeemed us, not as much out of love, for in the early days we do not know Him that well. Follow the verse though. This service causes us to love His name, which in Hebraic thought is to love Him. This love then produces a new kind of service, the work of the bondservant. See, obedience to His word is not a master-slave issue. Obedience to His word is a love issue. This is what Yeshua was saying in John 14:15, "If you love Me, keep my commandments." We need to understand that the person giving the commandments to Moshe was none other than Yeshua Himself. The person the elders ate and drank with was the person of Yeshua, a manifestation of Hashem. The commandments Yeshua was speaking of were the very words given to Moshe, the Torah! If we love Him we will obey His Torah. This simple means that if we are having an obedience issue, it may have nothing to do with obedience. It may truly be a love issue. As the seventh day, the seventh millennium approaches, it is time for a decision. Do we walk away, free to do our own will or do we walk to the door to have our ear pierced with His awl? Do we receive His mark upon our lives, a mark of love, not of fear? |
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