From Slave to Man to Serve the Lord

-
The issue of slavery is an age-old concern; yet, across time and culture, the Bible demonstrates both the redemption and transformation of the slave as a person as well as a transformation of the very concept. No other worldview has accomplished this. 

The Old Testament records the practice of slavery as a cultural norm in the Ancient Near East while also accounting for a significant shift regarding slavery and servanthood. The Biblical view of man is built on the foundation that man is made in the image of God. The moral, civil and ceremonial laws develop instruction and rationale regarding how people should treat one another based on this foundation. One notable example is seen at the beginning of the Book of the Covenant (Exodus 20:22-23:33) which opens with teachings on the protected rights of the person or persons who are clearly distinguished apart from property. Care is to be given by one person to another who was injured intentionally or non-intentionally. The one who caused the injury is to nurse and provide for the wounded one until he heals and/or is to be freed from service on the grounds that his livelihood has been threatened (Ex. 21:18-19; 26-27). The cultural norm is shattered and replaced. The Old Testament lifts the burden of subjugation and ultimately shifts the focus to serve as a place of honor. Serving God is the highest honor. As God’s servants come into contact with other cultures, they stand out and are even given greater responsibility and influence.

The character of Christ is unique in that by His servanthood, He accomplished what mankind could not do for himself: deliverance from bondage; that is, freedom from the penalty, power and finally from the presence of sin. This was God’s divine purpose for His servant to fulfill. The exclusivity of His servanthood is seen in His suffering, humiliation, and death not in swooping down from the heavens and conquering His enemies. He accomplished what was humanly impossible providing salvation, healing, restoration and reconciliation for His nation and all people. As “servant of the Lord,” this one man’s purpose was beyond serving a nation but to seek and save the lost. We are to imitate Him by aligning our purpose with His own, seeking and saving the lost even while suffering in the work of serving others.

Popular posts from this blog

The Island-Fish

-
Image
  “O ye passengers, whom may God preserve! come up quickly in to the ship, hasten to embark, and leave your merchandise, and flee with your lives, and save yourselves from destruction; for this apparent island, upon which ye are, is not really an island, but it is a great fish that hath become stationary in the midst of the sea, and the sand hath accumulated upon it, so that it hath become like an island, and trees have grown upon it since times of old; and when ye lighted the fire upon it, the fish felt the heat, and put itself in motion, and now it will descend with you into the sea, and ye will all be drowned: then seek for yourselves escape before destruction, and leave the merchandise.—The passengers, therefore, hearing the words of the master of the ship, hastened to go up into the vessel, leaving the merchandise, and their other goods, and their copper cooking-pots, and their fire-pots; and some reached the ship, and others reached it not. The island had moved, and descended...
Read more

“And so, about this tomb of mine . . . “

-
Image
  “VANITY, saith the preacher, vanity!  Draw round my bed: is Anselm keeping back?  Nephews—sons mine … ah God, I know not! Well—  She, men would have to be your mother once,  Old Gandolf envied me, so fair she was!  What’s done is done, and she is dead beside,  Dead long ago, and I am Bishop since,  And as she died so must we die ourselves,  And thence ye may perceive the world’s a dream.  Life, how and what is it?  As here I lie In this state-chamber, dying by degrees,  Hours and long hours in the dead night,  I ask “Do I live, am I dead?”  Peace, peace seems all.  Saint Praxed’s ever was the church for peace;  And so, about this tomb of mine.  I fought With tooth and nail to save my niche, ye know:  —Old Gandolf cozened me, despite my care;  Shrewd was that snatch from out the corner  South He graced his carrion with,  God curse the same!  Yet still my niche is not so cramped...
Read more