IN A FAIR WORLD JUSTICE MUST BE CARRIED OUT
(Written by Sheila Gail Landgraf)
We have spent a lot of time with Moses up on Mt. Sinai getting the ten commandments from God. God has now given Moses the laws that He
wants the people to follow in order to have the best life possible.
Moses listens carefully while God stresses
and re-emphasizes the importance of each commandment and especially the fact
that he wants the people to have no other gods.
They are to put God first in all that they do as they travel through the
wilderness. They are to worship the way
God desires, building their altars of worship as they go and carefully following God’s perfect
instructions.
Altars are still necessary
and sacrifices are required to cover their sins. Christ had not yet come to pay the ransom for
our souls at this point in history; so life in those days was not full of grace and mercy. There was wrong and there was right. You must do right or suffer the
consequences. These were the days of “an
eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”
These laws that God gave from the holy mountain were intended to make
the people happier, healthier and more civilized. They were to
lay the foundations for a better world from which we all could come to live.
How odd it was in looking at the laws for a better way to find the subject of slavery defined as if it were a normal
thing. At first when you read those words you think, surely there is something wrong
here; maybe I've just misunderstood the words?
Actually, there have been many wrong
translations here for the Hebrew word that means "servant." "Servant" has been erroneously translated as “slave" in many versions of the bible.
A servant and a slave are two totally
different animals.
Let’s explore that a
bit. God had just delivered the
Israelites from slavery. They were in
actual human bondage and held against their will and commanded to perform tasks
all day long that they did not choose, for a spoiled and pagan king. This was wrong! God declared it wrong!
These Israelites who had escaped slavery had
escaped a form of human bondage where one man owns other men. God clearly forbids this; yet we find God
talking to Moses and instructing the people how they should handle situations
that might arise from their servants.
Let it be noted that because of great poverty the Israelites sometimes
sold themselves or their children into a type of service for a set time. Work would be exchanged for food and shelter
until the person who became a servant could save enough to redeem themselves,
or a certain time period ran out that deemed the debt paid. Sometimes this happened to criminals in a form of public punishment. Those
who had committed crimes repaid others by becoming their servants for a period
of time, until the time rendered in service was considered enough for the crime to be forgiven
and repayed.
Whenever a creditor could
not collect a debt the creditor was allowed to sell the person in debt's services
to someone in repayment for their debt.
This was a type of indentured servitude; but not official slavery. There is a huge difference. The difference being that servants were
honored and respected as people. Their services
were appreciated and they were rewarded by obtaining food and shelter and
sometimes pay for what they rendered to the household where they were in
service.
This is definitely not to be
confused with the type of slavery the Egyptians brought upon the Israelites. People were not forced into this role against
their own will for no reason at all.
They offered themselves as temporary servants in order to right a wrong,
such as taking on more debt than they could handle, or paying for a crime they
had committed. It was an act that could
eventually reverse the charges against them and make restitution.
In such cases of service, the masters
were strongly advised to be considerate of their servant's welfare and well being while
they were in their service. The fine for
repayment of any debt was to be limited to no longer than seven years. With this indentured service there was an opportunity for freedom and
redemption involved. Unlike slavery, there was a huge element of hope.
In the modern world today, believe it or not, we actually
live in comparable situations. It is a lesson that human beings seem to have trouble grasping. We too sometimes take on too much debt, and we too spend the money we can't repay; thus making it necessary for us
to work long periods of time to earn money in order to be able to repay our debts.
All debt is a type of servant hood. The borrower is subservient to the
lender.
At least if an Israelite was too
foolish to estimate how much debt he would be able to survive; relief was
only seven years away. Today some of us
are in debt for our life time, and thus slaves to the almighty dollar forever. This is a sad state that seems to grow and multiply in our current culture. We go off to do our jobs because we have become slaves to our own desires and we can't seem to get past that point. We can't do more than just get by when we live this way. That isn't living; that is a type of bondage! It is a never ending cycle.
If a servant had served his master for
six years and he found himself in a happy situation; perhaps he had married happily into
the master’s household, much like Joseph and Jacob did, or perhaps he just greatly
respected his master and had been so blessed and treated so well and rewarded for
his hard work so graciously that he simply desired to stay a servant to this man
rather than try to struggle through life and make his fortune his own way.
If this servant truly desired to continue his life as such a servant, the
servant and the master would go to a public place and the master would agree to
this arrangement by piercing the servant’s ear in the presence of several witnesses. The servant would then become
the master’s bond-servant for the rest of his life. The master would always be responsible for
his servant's welfare.
This is the type of servitude that
Jesus desired with all of His heart to give to God the Father. It was called becoming a “bond-servant.”
The Disciples of Christ desired to be
bond-servants to Jesus.
In this
type of relationship the person submitting and committing to a lifetime of
service is described as a “friend” rather than a servant. It is a relationship that has developed over time and grown deeper than a mere employer/employee relationship. It is a loyal and dedicated friendship where both parties have the best interest of the other at heart.
A good Old Testament example that we have
already studied would be the relationship of Abraham and Eliezer. Eliezer was treated like an honored son. Abraham trusted him with everything that he owned
and Eliezer spent a lifetime in Abraham’s service. If Isaac had not been born, Eliezer would
have inherited all of Abraham’s wealth, yet Eliezer remained faithful and true to Abraham and provided Isaac with all of his inheritance, even finding him the perfect wife. Eliezer and Abraham's relationship have often been compared to that of God and The Holy Spirit.
This type of servant was as close as you could get to a blood
relative. Many of us are fortunate enough
to have such people in our lives, people who though they are not related would be
willing to die for us and people who make great sacrifices in order for us to be
happy and blessed simply because they love us. We in turn reward
them with all that we are able to do for them simply because we love them back.
This is a very deep, deep friendship, and it is very rare; but such relationships CAN and do exist even on a human level.
There was much discussion on the
mountain between God and Moses as to how female servants were to be
treated. This too has often been
misinterpreted by those not understanding the times and the culture of the
Israelites and/or the Hebrew language translations.
In those days, in all of the known cultures of the
earth, females were bought for a price.
It was called a dowry. They were
not actually purchased as servants; but to become the wives of the master or
the master’s son.
It is very interesting that God addressed servant’s
roles and the fair and just treatment of other human beings as the very first
clarification after He gave the commandments.
He put much importance on the fair and just treatment of individuals,
especially that of women who were living helpless lives in many cultures of the day. God
expressed to Moses that a woman’s rights were to be honored in all
circumstances. They were to be treated
with love and respect and honor.
The rest of the conversations that God
had with Moses after giving the basic laws were to clarify what punishments
were fair to those who decided to break the now freshly established laws.
God went into the punishment for breaking
each one, starting with murder. It
seemed that God placed crimes of passion or neglect on a different level than
premeditated murder and deliberate treachery.
He showed no mercy for first-degree murder. God decreed that it must be punished.
A person could only flee to a place of refuge
in the case of accidental manslaughter.
Kidnapping was also spelled out as a
capital offense right along with premeditated murder.
Next the respect for parents from their children and children
from their parents was heavily emphasized. The consequences of disrespect were severe. God did not allow this.
God was laying the ground work for molding the people of Israel into a highly civilized
society. He felt there must be no
conflicts between family members. There
were strict punishments according to the severity of the crime when this
happened.
Provisions were set for punishments that provided compensation for personal injuries.
Most
of these principles spelled out to Moses for prosecuting the sins of the people
became the patterns for our modern-day laws and criminal justice system. Most of these crimes and punishments still stand in our courts
today.
The laws of retribution were spelled out; “a life for a
life and an eye for an eye.” These laws
were actually intended to block the human desire for vengeance, and they were
NOT given to be used as a vehicle for revenge.
Only the actual loss was to be compensated for – no more; no less.
If a servant was killed by someone’s animal
the price of restitution was thirty shekels of silver. This was the very same price Jesus was sold
for when Judas betrayed him.
Other laws of restitution and neglect
seemed to say “If something is broken by your careless neglect (for example someone’s
animal falls into your open pit), you must pay the owner the value lost which was caused by your lack of attention.
This clarification of all that can
happen whenever people decide to break the commandments and the spelling out of
how justice should be served in each different situation goes on all the way
through Exodus Chapter 23. The whole time God is being
very specific and detailed.
All of these chapters where Moses and God are discussing the punishments for broken commandments seem to be summed up in just
four little words: DO WHAT IS FAIR.
If you pay attention and do what is fair in
this life; you will never have to worry about breaking commandments.
Fortunately those of us living today find ourselves on the other side
of the law; even when we break them; Jesus has paid our ransom and we can
receive atonement when we repent with a pure heart and come clean before
God. It was a much weightier matter for
these people on the other side of the cross.
God had to be very, very specific. Their sins required a sacrifice. They needed to know what to do when they repented.
Always, whether in modern days or in
ancient days; when people begin to love and observe God’s laws with obedience; God looks after them.
After explaining the details of the
laws of the Sabbath; God reminds Moses that there are three times a year that
all of the men of Israel must come before Him each year;
EXODUS 23:14-19:”Three times a year
you are to celebrate a festival to me.
Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread
made without yeast, as I commanded you.
Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in that month
you came out of Egypt. No one is to
appear before me empty –handed.
Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the first fruits of the crops you
sow in your field. Celebrate the Festival
of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the
field. Three times a year all the men
are to appear before the sovereign LORD.”
So here God clearly spells out that he desires that His holy feasts and
festivals are to be kept by the people and the head of each household should
always come before God to represent his family each Passover, Pentecost and
Sukkot. This seems to be commanded just
like the commandments that we read about earlier. It specifies the men of Israel; but those who
have been saved by Jesus Christ have been adopted into that great family; and I’m
sure God was addressing every generation with this; as He has clarified in many
scriptures that these are to be kept before Him forever. These days are high Sabbaths. The commandment of keeping Sabbath should not be broken; the weekly Sabbaths and the Annual Sabbaths; they are all sacred times before God. Right in the middle of all of the lawkeeping; God gives us times of joy and recreation and refreshment. Our heavenly Father balances out our days in order to give us just what we need just when we need it. He is good through every given season.
After all of these long, detailed discussions, God tells Israel that He is sending His Angel before them, to guard them along
the way and to bring them to the promised land.
God advises them to listen and follow the Angel’s advice in all that
they do. God says His name is in this
Angel and if they do all that the Angel says God will protect them and bless
them and give them health and fullness. He doesn't say they will not have tests and trials and troubles; but He does say He will be with them and bless them. God
says He will confuse their enemies and fight their battles for them. He will little by little drive the other
people out of the land that He has promised to Israel.
In this passage at the end of Exodus 23, God promises to establish Israel's borders in the promised land from the
Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the desert to the Euphrates
River. This is a very debated topic in our current world, but God decided it way back in ancient times. The bible clearly spells out the borders that God has declared for Israel and Joel 3 explains what will happen to those who defy God's word on this.
I'm always amazed how people just skip over these little chapters of Exodus because they don't dig deep enough to get the meanings lurking underneath the surface. They don't study the passages and they find them boring on the surface. There is so much meat in these few words. These scriptures are full of God's instructions, commandments and promises for the life of those people who decide to follow him willingly.
People of God, look up and trust Him. He will gladly supply your needs and He will lead you through this wilderness of life if you will only listen to His word and obey His commandments. These pages of law after law were written in love and for our own protection from a Father who adores us and gave His only Son to die for us. Be like Moses on that mountain; take notes and keep walking. Follow the One God has set before you. He will not lead you in the wrong direction.