Slavery?
About slavery in the bible.
Many skeptics will say they do not want to follow a belief that endorses slavery because it is wrong. I want to bring in some background information to show where they derive these conclusions before commenting.
1. There are many laws on how to treat Hebrew slaves in the Old Testament. The argument is that God is putting his stamp of approval on slavery in the Old Testament.
Exodus 21:26: When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye. If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.
Exodus 21:7-9 When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please her master, who has designated her or himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her. If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter.
Response:
There is only one occasion someone of their own people was allowed to be sold into slavery that is if they were caught stealing unable to pay. It even says if you catch them in your house at dead of night on your property you have the right to take their life until the sun rises. It even says then the slave must be set free after just seven years. It was prohibited to put anyone into slavery for a non theft debt or basically any other reason.
A child of a parent is not ideal to be put into slavery though some people think “they already belong to me”. I would think the parent is not a good match for that child by this point. It means the same rules of protection apply to children sold to slavery. It is probably safer than their parents as a form of early precursors to adoption.
As for foreigners prisoners of wartime were allowed just not to be personal property they belonged to the gain of the platoon. It is the way war works when you take in prisoners to spare their life. It has nothing to do with personal slavery just war time prisoners.
The foreigners sojourners were allowed to be bought as slaves keeping them as slaves unless they converted by integrating as one of them (willing to uphold their laws and customs). It only took circumcision and eating of the Passover to become “as a native of the land” which means they were subjected to native rights.
Hebrew slaves:
Exodus 21:16 “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.
Deuteronomy 24:7 “If a man is found stealing one of his brothers of the people of Israel, and if he treats him as a slave or sells him, then that thief shall die. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
Debtors:
Leviticus 25:40 If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave. He shall be with you as a hired worker and as a sojourner. He shall serve with you until the year of the jubilee.
Theft:
Exodus 22:2-3 If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no blood guilt for him, but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be blood guilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
Deuteronomy 15:12-14 If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your wine press. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him.
Foreigners (prisoners of war):
Deuteronomy 20:10-11 “When you draw near to a city to fight against it, offer terms of peace to it. And if it responds to you peaceably and it opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall do forced labor for you and shall serve you.
Numbers 31:26-27 “Take the count of the plunder that was taken, both of man and of beast, you and Eleazar the priest and the heads of the fathers' houses of the congregation, and divide the plunder into two parts between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation.
Foreigner integration:
Exodus 12:43-44 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him.
Exodus 12:48 If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.
2. There is a couple of verses in the New Testament that seems to allow for slavery when read without the context of the rest of the whole of the New Testament.
Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
Response:
This is not a call to enslave anyone just that if you are enslaved by an evil person it is better to obey if you are a Christian.
This is only talking about Christians taken by force by someone sinful who have are ready to suffer on this earth for God. It is basically the idea that obeying your master because it will make your time with that master easier. It mentions that even if it doesn’t make things smoother then you will be rewarded and avenged. It is the calling of every believer to suffer in this life for the name of Jesus Christ.
It is all clarified with a few more verses that explicitly literally explain that enslaving someone is against the doctrine of Christianity. It explains there is only laws concerning slaves for sinners who insist on having there own way as a way to minimize the problem. In a believer there is no need for these laws for truth is written on our hearts just like that skeptic probably to some degree feels on their heart. It is like a good quote I saw in doctor who “good men don’t need rules” because they are really good changed in their heart not needing any restraint. In the moment of conversion there is a strong renewing of the heart and spirit. Jesus Christ justified us through his blood and saves us more and more from the power of sin.
1 Timothy 1:8-11 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, **enslavers**, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
