Session 9 | Did God Really Condone Slavery? Big Idea: 1. Defining the terms 2. Overarching Biblical theme on slavery 3. The difficult passages Defining the terms Slave-(define) ● Chattel slavery (ownership/property) ● Domestic service (forced labor but not living in home) ● Pawnship (using a person as collateral for a loan) ● Military service (forced military fighting) ● Slaves for sacrifice ● Conquered people as servants- ● Indentured servant-Agreed upon employment or debt repayment. ● Human Sex Trafficking History- Historians John Thornton and Linda Heywood of Boston University have estimated that of the Africans captured and then sold as slaves to the New World in the Atlantic slave trade, around 90% were enslaved by fellow Africans who sold them to European traders. Henry Louis Gates, the Harvard Chair of African and African American Studies, has stated that "without complex business partnerships between African elites and European traders and commercial agents, the slave trade to the New World would have been impossible, at least on the scale it occurred." - "Freedom", The Atlantic World, Cambridge University Press, pp. 615–660, 16 February 2009, doi:10.1017/cbo9780511816604.018, ISBN 978-0-511-81660-4 ● 6800 B.C. The world’s first city-state emerges in Mesopotamia. Land ownership and the early stages of technology bring war—in which enemies are captured and forced to work: slavery. ● 2575 B.C. Temple art celebrates the capture of slaves in battle. Egyptians capture slaves by sending special expeditions up the Nile River. ● 550 B.C. The city-state of Athens uses as many as 30,000 slaves in its silver mines. ● 120 A.D. Roman military campaigns capture slaves by the thousands. Some estimate the population of Rome is more than half slave. ● 500 Anglo-Saxons enslave the native Britons after invading England. ● 1000 Slavery is a normal practice in England’s rural, agricultural economy, as destitute workers place themselves and their families in a form of debt bondage to landowners. ● 1380 In the aftermath of the Black Plague, Europe’s slave trade thrives in response to a labor shortage. Slaves pour in from all over the continent, the Middle East, and North Africa. ● 1444 Portuguese traders bring the first large cargo of slaves from West Africa to Europe by sea—establishing the Atlantic slave trade. ● 1526 Spanish explorers bring the first African slaves to settlements in what would become the United States. These first African-Americans stage the first known slave revolt in the Americas. ● 1550 Slaves are depicted as objects of conspicuous consumption in much Renaissance art. ● 1641 Massachusetts becomes the first British colony to legalize slavery. Today- Fifty million people were living in modern slavery in 2021, according to the latest Global Estimates of Modern Slavery . Of these people, 28 million were in forced labor and 22 million were trapped in forced marriage. Modern slavery occurs in almost every country in the world, and cuts across ethnic, cultural and religious lines. More than half (52 per cent) of all forced labor and a quarter of all forced marriages can be found in upper-middle income or high-income countries. Overarching Biblical theme on slavery The bible has a lot to say on this topic because it has existed in every civilization and time period. ● What was unique in the Bible vs other groups of that God put parameters around laws to maintain human dignity. ● Old and New Testaments condemn slave trade in the form of a person forced against their will. (minus a few cases where God used slavery to punish the ungodly nations.) ● The Bible’s main goal is spiritual redemption not social reform. Just because God didn’t address a social issue the way we suppose does not mean he approved. The Old Testament was forward looking to a better covenant with better promises. The bible teaches that all humans have value because they bare the image of God. (Imago Dei-Latin) Galatians 3:28 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Colossians 3:9-11 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all. Exodus 21:6 16 “He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death. Deuteronomy 23:15-16 “You shall not give back to his master the slave who has escaped from his master to you. 16 He may dwell with you in your midst, in the place which he chooses within one of your gates, where it seems best to him; you shall not oppress him. Deuteronomy 24:7 “If a man is found kidnapping any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and mistreats him or sells him, then that kidnapper shall die; and you shall put away the evil from among you. 1 Timothy 1:8-11 8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, 9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust. Ephesians 6:9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. Most biblical cases of slavery were not ethnic based or forced servitude but indentured servant/employee and it benefited both parties. ● Had to be set free every 7th year (year of jubilee) ● Could only be a slave or indentured servant for life at the request of the person. ● A slave could inherit property and generational wealth. ● They were considered an extension of the family and a way of provision. (Indentured servanthood) Deuteronomy 15:12-18 ““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. And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed; 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. 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. 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, 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. 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.” Exodus 21:1-6 “Now these are the judgments which you shall set before them: 2 If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. 3 If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. 5 But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever. The difficult passages Some examples of how people use the bible to condone slavery: Christianity Vs Christians-Sometimes Christian’s don’t live out the biblical Christianity and it can taint the message of Christianity. Should this water down or change God’s standards of truth? Colossians 3:22 Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. Titus 2:9-10 Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, 10 not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. Philemon 1-15 8 Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, 9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ—10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains, 11 who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me. 12 I am sending him back. You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart, 13 whom I wished to keep with me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel. 14 But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary. 15 For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever, 16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave—a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. Leviticus 25:39 39 ‘And if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave. 40 As a hired servant and a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 And then he shall depart from you—he and his children with him—and shall return to his own family. He shall return to the possession of his fathers. 42 For they are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. 43 You shall not rule over him with rigor, but you shall fear your God. 44 And as for your male and female slaves whom you may have—from the nations that are around you, from them you may buy male and female slaves. 45 Moreover you may buy the children of the strangers who dwell among you, and their families who are with you, which they beget in your land; and they shall become your property. 46 And you may take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them as a possession; they shall be your permanent slaves. But regarding your brethren, the children of Israel, you shall not rule over one another with rigor. What was slavery like in Israel? What were the rights of a slave and was slavery permanent? Does God endorse slavery? Because the law of Moses permitted it, then on some level there must be approval of it right? It may surprise you that in the Old Testament law that there were laws about slavery, some of which are recorded in Leviticus 25. To answer these hard questions with meaningful answers there are several major points that I would like to make that we will discuss to help make sense of the Laws within slavery of that time. 1. The slavery depicted in the Torah is far more merciful than you might think and is often not like Slavery in the early 1800s in America. 2. There are general laws about Civility, alongside the slavery passages within the Torah, that often get overlooked because of the hard passages dealing with slavery, but nonetheless these laws should still apply. 3. The Torah was an improvement on Justice compared to other societies that existed at that time. Many slavery laws within the Torah were at a minimum at the same standard of Justice seen the Code of Hammurabi, Code of Eshnunna, and the Laws of Ur-Nammu, which existed before the time of Moses and were likely in effect in Moses’s day in the Near east. a. However, there were a great number of Mosaic laws that benefited Jewish slaves, that no other code could compare to. It is important to also point out that sometimes to get change within a society you take small steps to achieving that goal. You may not get to the goal immediately, but progress is still progress, especially against the backdrop of a very stubborn group of people. 4. The Torah was not meant to be the final say on morality nor God’s heart—and therefore the laws regulating slavery as well. However, it is always important to also point out as before, the regulation of slavery was meant to protect slaves not to idealize slavery. It is by no means perfect but is better than an unregulated system. a. Afterall, as we’ve said in other talks Jesus pointed out the inadequacy of the Mosaic law, because while God does allow for Divorce (Matthew 19) it isn’t because he finds it desirable. It is more of a way to preserve the life and health of both parties involved. Take Away: 1. How has biblical study challenged the propaganda and disdain towards Christianity on this topic? 2. In what ways does study of this topic challenge your view of God’s character? 3. Allow the Holy Spirit and His Word write the law and love of God on your heart and then transform your mind to think as God does on this topic. 4. Christ Jesus is our hope in the midst of a dark, sin filled world. Chapter 23: Old Testament Slavery Matthew McDonald What was slavery like in Israel? What were the rights of a slave and was slavery permanent? What are Sabbath years and what is the year of Jubilee? Does God endorse slavery? Because of the law of Moses permitted it, then on some level there must be approved of it right? It may surprise you that in the Old Testament law that there were laws about slavery, some of which are recorded in Leviticus 25. To answer these hard questions with meaningful answers there are several major points that I would like to make that we will discuss to help make sense of the Laws within slavery of that time. 1. The slavery depicted in the Torah is far more merciful than you might think and is often not like Slavery in the early 1800s in America. 2. There are general laws about Civility, alongside the slavery passages within the Torah, that often get overlooked because of the hard passages dealing with slavery, but nonetheless these laws should still apply. 3. The Torah was an improvement on Justice compared to other societies that existed at that time. Many slavery laws within the Torah were at a minimum at the same standard of Justice seen the Code of Hammurabi, Code of Eshnunna, and the Laws of Ur-Nammu, which existed before the time of Moses and were likely in effect in Moses’s day in the Near east. a. However, there were a great number of Mosaic laws that benefited Jewish slaves, that no other code could compare to. It is important to also point out that sometimes to get change within a society you take small steps to achieving that goal. You may not get to the goal immediately, but progress is still progress especially against the backdrop of a very stubborn group of people. 4. The Torah was not meant to be the final say on morality nor God’s heart—and therefore the laws regulating slavery was that as well. However, it is always important to also point out as before, the regulation of slavery was meant to protect slaves not to idealize slavery. It is by no means perfect but is better than an unregulated system. a. Afterall, as we’ve said in other talks Jesus pointed out the inadequacy of the Mosaic law, because while God does allow for Divorce (Matthew 19) it isn’t because he finds it desirable. It is more of a desperate to preserve the life and health of both parties involved. 5. Then we will draw up some conclusions that I think will be helpful in moving from this topic. As we have outlined, slavery that was permitted within Israel under the law of Moses and was nothing like most people understand slavery to be. It was not perfect to be sure, but the law made the situation not as the subjugation of a person and reducing their humanity to chattel. No doubt, the only thing that most American’s think of is an antebellum (pre-Civil war) white plantation owner beating the life out of a desperate African American. That kind of slavery was not permitted throughout Israel. If anything, slavery in Israel was a safety net and starvation prevention program. Paul Copan in his book, Is God a Moral Monster? points out that this “slavery” is perhaps better understood as servitude or servanthood and is actually very similar to what we have for employee contracts, where room and board are provided in addition to paying back debts or a small wage. Paul Copan points out that the language of saying an Israelite was a slave is in many ways while technically correct is often crude and degrading a reasonable position to hold in that society and in that time. Some may protest at the language of the Old Testament saying to have an “owner” or being a “slave,” is morally degrading and the Bible should be dismissed at once for its use of words. Ironically, as Paul Copan points out, in today’s time some of the most famous people in the world have similar language tied to their employment positions. We even have terms like (American) football players being literally “traded” as if they are property or having people who “own the team,” and thus the players. Are footballers’ slaves? Of course not. No one would ever chastise Mark Cuban for “owning” the Dallas Mavericks, yet at the same time people chastise the Bible for using the same words. But before we get into the nitty and gritty of these laws there are general rules of civility that often get overlooked as well. Most of the time when people discuss slavery, people often miss these other laws that governed the Israelites as a whole. I think part of Leviticus 19:13-18,33-34 is extremely helpful in discussing Slavery. I know that we have covered some important aspects of this in chapter 12, but I think it is important that we remind ourselves of a couple of principles: Leviticus 19:13-18,33-34, “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord. “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. … “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” There are a lot of things to be gleaned from these passages. But many of these concepts are also found within the New Testament. Honest conduct is paramount, regardless of who you interact with (Matthew 5:33-36). Withholding wages is considered wrong because obviously it is fraud and robbery (James 5:4). Impartiality in judgment is necessary, for on the one hand it is God’s nature (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11; Galatians 2:6 Ephesians 6:9), but it is something that he requires of us (James 1:8-9; 1 Timothy 5:21). The action of slander and gossip was outlawed, and the early church was warned of such things as well (Romans 1:29, 2 Corinthians 12:20, 1 Timothy 5:13). In Ephesians, Titus, 1st & 2nd Timothy the word for Slander is the Greek word for Devil commonly used in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts (1228. Diabolos [Strong’s Exhaustive concordance]). People should not hate or be angry with their brother in their heart (Matthew 5:21-22). It also says that you shouldn’t bear a grudge, but to forgive even though they may not ask for forgiveness (Matthew 6:14-15). You should be kind to foreigners even though they aren’t Israelites. This is especially interesting as God appeals to how they were mistreated in Egypt and how much better it would have been if they were treated as equals. (Leviticus 25 has more on that as well). And last of all, and probably to the surprise of all, you should love you neighbor as yourself, which has been repeated throughout a large portion of the New Testament (Matthew 19:19, 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8) It is important to keep in mind that these general laws were always in place and should be present when people had conflicted or lived together. Now that has been covered, let us go to point number 3 were we talk about the slave laws within the Mosaic law. When it comes to the laws of slavery, there are only a few chapters in the Pentateuch that deal with the regulation of Slavery: Exodus 21, Leviticus 19, 25, Deuteronomy 15,23. We will talk about the more peculiar/ harsh laws before I move to some of the better laws that I think most people haven’t heard of. After I have covered most of the Mosaic law, I will compare that with the known codes that we have in and around the time of Moses. In general, male Israeli slaves were meant to work six years and to go free in the seventh for nothing (Exodus 21:1-6). It was a temporary gig, and it was expected that you would go free. However, there was a stipulation of going free: If a man came in single then he went out singly. If he was married going into slavery, he shall go out with his wife (and kids most likely). However, if the master would provide him a wife and that wife gave birth to kids, that man could not collect his wife and kids as he went free. Now some people may think that is cruel; however, there is a lot more happening here than what might be supposed. Israeli female slaves, who were laborers in field or servants in the house were released every 7 years as well (Deuteronomy 15:12). However, if a man had his contract up before his wife, his wife would still need to serve her contract before she went free. A good modern-day example of this that Paul Copan gives is a man who in the Army and signed for 10 years. Midway through his career he meets someone within the army, and they get married. At the end of his 10 years, he decides to work a civilian job, but his wife still has some time left on her contract. She would naturally fulfill her contract, before she would be free to work somewhere else. Is that cruel of the army? No, after all, it’s what the people signed up for. That same basic idea applies. But there is another important aspect of this rule. If a man was just released from his debt, that doesn’t necessarily mean he has the means to support his family. It is true that he may glean from other people’s fields (Leviticus 19:9-10, Deuteronomy 23:24-25), but it is highly unlikely he could have a stable income. As a result, his wife would stay with her master, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t be redeemed. Whether the earn his way with his old master as a farm hand or other employee or work somewhere else, he may build up his assets until he can purchase or redeem his wife again. However, there is a third option of Exodus 21:5-6 which is very surprising: “But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.” Deuteronomy 15:16-17 also has a very similar tone in terms of its indentured servants: “But if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you, then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever. And to your female slave you shall do the same.” Now to many, this would seem odd, as no one would want to be an indentured servant for forever, but in many ways, a life under a good and gracious master may be one much better than one than to be alone in the world. And in many ways, this is a picture of what our indentured servanthood to God is like. Indeed, we are either slaves to sin, or slaves to God and righteousness as it says in Romans 6:15-22. However, this picture of an indentured servant shows the tender affection and heartfelt loyalty to ultimate master that all Christians should have. But I digress. For the female slave, things were similar in terms of their becoming an indentured servant. If their job was to labor within a household, they were to go free every 7 years, just like male slaves (Deuteronomy 15:12), unless they became indentured servants. However, unlike male slaves there were some special protections for female slaves. Exodus 21:7 points out especially that female servants had to be treated with more respect than male slaves did and require more care from their masters. Now it is important to point out that people, at that time, bought female slaves bought them to become their wives or their son’s wives. Naturally, this immediately causes for concern, for this sounds very similar to human trafficking, especially since a father could sell his daughter and there is no discernable mention for consent. No doubt sex trafficking was happening all around Israel, and today that is something that sadly still takes place. However, that isn’t necessarily what the picture that Exodus 21 is painting, and given the context of the text and Pentateuch, it is highly unlikely that it justified such behavior. If anything, what the text most likely intended is a poor father might have done so to secure a daughter’s future. Exodus 21:8 outlines that if a master bought a slave and made her his wife, he could not just sell her as a slave. If he didn’t want her anymore or “wasn’t pleased with her,” he could not sell her to foreign people to dump her. If he didn’t want her, she could be redeemed with money from that situation. Verse 10 also points out that if the master should take another wife (which throughout scripture is discouraged, but if it should happen against God’s direction) the servant wife could not be diminished in her food, clothing, or marital rights (Paul Copan points out that this may refer to shelter specifically). If any of these things were infringed, she was to go out or be released from that relationship without any payment of money that she was originally bought with. In Verse 9 of Exodus 21, if a man who bought a female slave, bought the slave to be his son’s wife, he was to treat her as a daughter, since she became his son’s wife. So, in the upshot, the female slave would be considered a legitimate wife with the same marital rights. It is true on some capacity her legal position was still a slave, but with the laws of Exodus 21 a female slave, while still in a very vulnerable position, could and was more protected from being taken advantage of. Is it ideal? No, but it is better than starving or being a sex slave. When it comes to the topic of polygamy, I will refer to our two talks on marriage found in the chapter 11. As we have previously mentioned, slavery in Israel was not to be compared to slavery in American in the early 1800s. Critics who say that they are both one in the same, usually use Exodus 21:20-21 for proof, 20 “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. 21 But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money.” Critics may say, “Sure if you kill someone you should be punished. I am glad that the Bible at least recognizes murder, but what about the dehumanization of man saying slaves are his money?” The answer to this question is very simple: A verse taken out of context is a pretext. Just before the passage regarding slaves, these verses present themselves, “When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but takes to his bed, then if the man rises again and walks outdoors with his staff, he who struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed.” The offender of hitting a freedman had to pay for the loss of his time and probably for the doctor (“shall have him thoroughly healed”). So, in short, what really the Exodus 21:20-21 is talking about is quite plain: It validates the slave’s life, but it also points out the simple fact that a slave’s debt payment or wage could not be withheld from him. What Verse 21 essentially means is that the slave, who was bought for money for a specific amount of time, could not have their slavery extended because they were beaten. Two of the hardest passages that I will also mention here are found in Exodus 21:28-32 and Leviticus 19:20-22. The Exodus 21:28-32 reads: “When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable. But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death. If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed on him. If it gores a man's son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule. If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.” Now the question that often comes from this passage is as follows. If a man is executed for negligent manslaughter by proxy of his animal, why isn’t the executed for negligent manslaughter of a slave, because of his animal? Does this mean the Bible’s view of slave’s lives is not equal to that of a free man? This is a very good question, and a hard one because it the language of the text doesn’t seem leave us many options. However, I do think there are some important things to point out before we jump to any conclusions. The first is quite simple: The owner of the ox could be ransomed for an amount of money, whether a freed man or a son or daughter of someone was killed. If it killed a slave, the law had already predetermined a set amount of money for the ransom. So, a form of justice could be just the same as the slave. As a result, life of a slave isn’t necessarily inferior to that freedman in hard and fast sense. The second reason why I think this law is not cruel as you think is because a similar law exists in the Code of Hammurabi (#251 and #252), where it discusses a very similar situation. However, unlike the code of Hammurabi, if an ox killed someone the owner of the ox was just fined. In fact, if a freedman was killed, he had to pay 1/2nd of mina (1 mina was 60 shekels) or 30 shekels and if it was a slave then the owner would pay 1/3rd of a mina or 20 shekels. Another major difference between the code of Hammurabi is that the Mosaic law demanded the stoning whenever an ox gored someone. The code of Hammurabi did not. So, when you add all these things together, it is slightly uncanny. The Law of Moses human life, because it recognized that ox killing someone as negligent manslaughter and could therefore be prosecuted as such. It also made slave’s lives at a bare minimum equal to the life a free man in Babylon. And thirdly, it recognized the problem and took care of it, while the code of Hammurabi said nothing of the Ox. It could still be alive and could gore other people, and you could argue that it was in favor of the man with the ox, which was still a danger, placing his property over the lives of those around him. It is important to note that the code of Hammurabi is dated currently around ~1700 BC [1] whereas the Mosaic law came probably around ~1450 BC [2]. So, in effect, these laws would basically be coinciding each other, and the improvement of said laws from that time could not be understated. Was this law perfect? No, but it is an improvement. The other passage that is difficult within the Bible when it regards to slavery, is seen in Leviticus 19:20-22. “If a man lies sexually with a woman who is a slave, assigned to another man and not yet ransomed or given her freedom, a distinction shall be made. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free; 21 but he shall bring his compensation to the Lord, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, a ram for a guilt offering. 22 And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the Lord for his sin that he has committed, and he shall be forgiven for the sin that he has committed.” A critic of the Bible points out, “See the Bible allows for rape of slaves, all you have to do is to give a guilt offering then you’re fine. In fact, so long as you gave your guilt offering, you could pleasure yourself as much as you wanted. Furthermore, it is just one more proof that slaves were less than normal free people within the Israeli society, because if a man raped a woman, the man would be executed (Deuteronomy 22:25-27).” Again, this is another difficult passage, but I don’t think it is impossible to have a good and reasonable explanation. Firstly, this passage does not allow for the rape or even encourage it. If anything, it prohibited such actions against female slaves. Secondly, there is another passage within the Old Testament that likely would have prevented habitual or willful sin, which most people do not know about and is found in Numbers 15:27-31, “If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who makes a mistake, when he sins unintentionally, to make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven. You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the people of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them. But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the Lord, and that person shall be cut off [i.e., most frequently meaning executed] from among his people. Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him.” It is important to note that this law applied to all laws. If anyone willingly wanted to commit sin, with a high hand or without regard for God, then that person would be executed. So, I have a hard time really seeing repeated or habitual rape of a slave being something that existed if the people of Israel followed God’s law. From a more theological note, the idea that one could keep on sinning without really repenting but just following a ceremonial code without respecting its meaning is nothing more than sheer stupidity. What would you say to a man who was a chronic alcoholic came home every evening and beat his wife only to apologize each morning and saying he loves her? Does he even mean that he is sorry? Does he even mean he really loves her? I would put to you that he doesn’t. Much in the same way is someone who claims to follow God, but willingly and knowingly doesn’t follow Him. It’s literally nothing short of a lie—a deception to those around you and to yourself. True conviction, true repentance, and true belief all have real action. Now, I am not saying that if you have the action that absolves you from sin (after all its because of his Sacrifice). But a genuine belief causes action just like a genuine love is evidenced by action. Thirdly, this law connected this form of rape to sin, which also cannot be understated. In other words, you would be under God’s condemnation because of your actions. It is and would be a great step to a better morality. By comparison to other law codes, there is no mention of man approaching a slave woman (who is engaged or promised to another man) sexually and having any punishment administered. Granted, this is an argument from silence, which is a very weak argument in general, but when you consider the mutilation punishment codes for slaves, it is highly unlikely that they regulated that aspect for slavery. Now that we have covered the flagrant side of things, we will now talk about the inequity between a freed and slave woman. As we’ve said throughout this book, the civil law within the Mosaic law is not God’s final say on morality (the standards mentioned in the New Testament are much higher and strict). I will freely admit that the passages of Exodus 21:28-32 and Leviticus 19:20-22, from a philosophical level, are less than ideal. From a practical level though, change within a society in its morality takes time. Even if you look at American history, it took nearly ninety years from the time of the declaration of Independence, stating all men have been created equal, to that being a reality in the emancipation proclamation of 1863 and the Civil war ending in 1865. Considering that happened only 200 years ago, in what we call a civilized world, I think that there is something to be said about moral progress, even if it isn’t complete moral success. Now that we’ve covered, what I would call the most difficult or troubling parts of the Mosaic Law, I am going to go over some more pleasant and interesting laws that most people haven’t heard of. The first of these can be found in Exodus 21:26-27 and it reads, “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. 27 If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.” Fairly straight forward, and in many ways, this would be abuse deterrent, for someone who either loses his eye or knocks out his tooth would be literally free from his debt and obligation. A second interesting law can be found in Deuteronomy 23:15-16 “You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him.” So, if you were a slave in Israeli times, and under the cruel circumstances of a master wanted to run away, you could. While you would be leaving behind probably everything that you knew, in a way, you could start over in that regard. A third law (found in two places) is the prohibition against kidnapping and enslaving in times of peace (if it was within war, that was a slightly different situation): 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.” However, the most interesting laws in the Mosaic law can be found in Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 15, which describe Sabbath and Jubilee Years. Every seven years (The Sabbath year), all the people of Israel would stop pruning their vine and stop tending their fields and would let the ground go fallow. (Leviticus 25:1-7). God promised that from what they would get in the 6th year would be enough to get them to the 9th year. (Leviticus 25:18-22). They could also gather some food within 7th year that would grow naturally. But also, at every seven years (The Sabbath Year), all debts and all slaves would be forgiven and be released. (Deuteronomy 15:1-6). Furthermore, for all the Israeli slaves that were released God commanded the master of the house to give liberally from his flock, winepress, and threshing floor. No one was meant to leave empty handed, because God blessed the master of the house and therefore, he should bless others. (Deuteronomy 15:12-15). In Many ways, this is a similar idea to what Jesus said of the gifts (casting out demons, healing the sick etc.) that the Disciples mention in Matthew 10:8b, “You received without paying; give without pay.” But if the master of the house was kind and merciful, and the life that the slave lived was good then he or she could bind themselves to their master for the rest of their lives (Deuteronomy 15:16-18) At the end of 7 sabbath years or 49 years, a fiftieth year would be proclaimed throughout all the land on the Day of Atonement. This year would be called the year of Jubilee and is unique in its laws. Not only would everyone be declared free (if someone sold themselves as a slave less than 7 years ago), but everyone would go back to their clan and reclaim their sold land. That might sound strange, but the reality is this: God had ordained each tribe with a set amount of land, and it was meant to always stay within the tribe. Whether someone sold it or not to someone else didn’t necessarily matter for the Year of Jubilee. However, because of this system, you could buy and sell land, but at a calculated price with the year of Jubilee in mind (Leviticus 25:13-17, 25-28). Nothing was really sold in perpetuity or permanently sold to anyone. The only property that could be sold in perpetuity was a house in a walled city. All other properties that didn’t have a city wall around them (unwalled villages or fields) could be and were redeemed in the year of Jubilee. Levites, since they were related to the work of the tabernacle, had some special privileges with their land. At any rate, every Seven years you would become debt free. But every fifty years, if you were an Israelite, you could get land and go into business yourself. Everyone had one chance in their lifetime, should their family fall on hard times, they had a God-ordained chance get back on their feet. While these laws were wonderful, God had more laws that helped poor brothers (familial relations but also other Israelites) and what other Israelites should do to help them. If a man became poor, and sold his land, his nearest kinsman would come and redeem the property. This was likely to keep the family land together as much as possible, and to have keep the family safe. Boaz was Naomi’s and Ruth’s Kinsman redeemer (Ruth 4). But if the man became prosperous enough to redeem his own land, then he could. If he couldn’t, he would wait until the year of Jubilee. (Leviticus 25:25-28) If a man became poor and could not make enough to have a living, then God commanded either a brother/another Israelite to take that man in and to support him as a stranger or sojourner. From what the verses said, you would loan him money and/or food without interest. The Israelites were meant to do this because they feared God (Leviticus 25:35-38). If an Israelite did become so impoverished/in debt, then he decided to sell himself to you. You then keep him and treat him as a hired hand or sojourner. You would release him then at either at the Year of Jubilee or presumably at the end of 7 years and him and his children would be released. God then makes it very clear not to be cruel or ruthless to these slaves, because you must fear God. God then makes a distinction between gentile and Israeli slaves, as you could own gentile slaves in perpetuity, and they could be inherited to sons. (Leviticus 25:39-46) If an Israelite was so impoverished and in debt and decided to sell to a rich sojourner or a rich gentile that lived within Israel, one of his kin could redeem him (either cousin, uncle, or close relative of his clan). But if they don’t, and in time he has enough money to redeem himself, then he could. If he did buy the redemption, then he would be just a hired hand of the sojourner until the year of Jubilee. If he could not pay back his debt, he and his children would be released at the year of Jubilee or likely at the end of seven years, whatever came sooner. (Leviticus 25:47-54). The last of these “poor brother laws” comes from Deuteronomy 15:4-11, and I think it is probably best read as it was in the text: “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care let there be an unworthy thought in your heart, and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cries to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore, I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’ Pity or rather mercy to the poor was something that God expected throughout all the law, and that shows in these “Poor brother” laws found in the Old Testament. What I find striking throughout my reading of the text is that God frequently appeals to several different reasons why the Israelites should follow his law: 1. It is because they fear God, and out of His love for him did as He asked. (Leviticus 25:17, 36, 42). 2. They should follow his rules (granted that was a part of the covenant) and would be blessed if they did (Deuteronomy 15:4,5,10,14). 3. Withhold good to those who deserve it, is indeed sin. (Deuteronomy 15:9). 4. Ultimately, Israel was God’s servant, and in a wider sense, He redeemed them. He in many ways was the master of Israel, the keeper of its land and its Judge. And if there was anyone who thought he was greater than his brothers, he would be nothing, because ultimately the Israelites were all servants to God: Leviticus 25:55 “55 For it is to me that the people of Israel are servants. They are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” Now that we’ve gotten a better picture of what slavery was supposed to be like in Israel, I think it is now relevant to compare them to ancient law codes that would have been before or around the time of Moses. But before we get into the comparison, I will give a brief background on the different law codes available and present them at that time. To note, these historical documents along with some of the surrounding or background information came from a book Compiled by James B Prichard named The Ancient Near East: An Anthology of Texts and Pictures which is one of the best volumes on what we collectively have from archeology and textual basis for as far back as Moses. For reference, some people put Moses’ writing Leviticus sometime between 1450 BC and 1410 BC. For background purposes: 1. The Code of Ur-Nammu is a Babylonian law code that was made by the founding king of the Third Dynasty of Ur (2112-2095 BC). Most of his works were known in scribal schools that were around 300 some years later (1800 BC to 1700 BC). 2. The Code of Eshnunna is a Babylonian law code that is dated to around 2000 B.C, and was named after king Eshnunna, who lived between the fall of the third dynasty of Ur and the Rise of King Hammurabi. 3. The Code of Hammurabi (also Hammurapi) is a Babylonian Law code during the life of King Hammurabi who was believed to have ruled between 1728 BC to 1686 BC. Now Let’s get into the differences between these two law codes. Other codes: The Mosaic law: Law of Eshnunna (#23): If a man has no claim against an (another) man but distrains [or seizes] the (other) man's slave-girl, detains the distrained in his house, and causes (her) death, he shall give two slave girls to the owner of the slave-girl as a replacement. (#24): If he has no claim against him but (nevertheless) distrains the wife of a muskenum (royalty or priest), or child of a muskenum and causes (their) death it is a capital offense. The distrained who distrained shall die. If someone killed a slave one way or the other, they would be executed (Exodus 21:20). There were no exceptions. Furthermore, the idea of replacing the female slave with 2 more is like the right of restitution of stolen goods. Exodus 22:1,4 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep…4 If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.” Thus, the Mosaic recognizes the life of a slave as a human and not as property. Law of Eshnunna (#31): If a Man deprives another man’s slave girl of her virginity, he shall pay one-third of a mina of silver [20 shekels]; the slave girl remains the property of her owner. Leviticus 19:20-22: 20 “If a man lies sexually with a woman who is a slave, assigned to another man and not yet ransomed or given her freedom, a distinction shall be made. They shall not be put to death, because she was not free; 21 but he shall bring his compensation to the Lord, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, a ram for a guilt offering. 22 And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the Lord for his sin that he has committed, and he shall be forgiven for the sin that he has committed.” Not only were rams expensive (valued in shekels), but this action was brought under God’s judgement and had to be met with a Guilt offering, otherwise your iniquity would literally damn you. While the other law may have allowed Law of Eshnunna (#49) If a man is caught with a stolen slave (or) or stole slave girl, he shall surrender slave by slave (and) slave girl by slave girl. This may mean that he himself becomes enslaved, but the meaning in my eyes slightly unclear. The Code of Hammurabi had a very similar law (#14) where kidnappers were executed. Kidnapping was a capital offense, regardless of who it was, and was treated severely: 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. Law of Eshnunna (#54-57). This is like the law of a goring ox killing a slave vs freedman or a vicious dog killing a slave vs freedman. If it was a slave, it would be 15 shekels if it was a Freedman, it would 2/3rds of a mina or 40 shekels. We’ve sort of already covered this in the above, as the bible recognizes negligent manslaughter. Granted in this case (vs the code of Hammurabi) the amount of the freedman is more than the Jewish requirement for a dead slave. However, the Mosaic law is closer to the amount prescribed for a freeman vs a slave. Code of Hammurabi (#15-20): 15. If a seignior has helped either a male slave of the state or female slave of the state or a male slave of a private citizen or the female slave of a private citizen to escape through the city gate he shall be put to death. 16. If a seignior has harbored in his house either a fugitive male slave or a female slave belonging to the state or a private citizen and has not brought him forth at the summons of the police that householder shall be put to death. 17. If a seignior has caught a fugitive male or female slave in the open and has him taken to his owner of the slave shall pay him two shekels of silver 18. If that slave has not named his owner, he shall take him to the palace in order that his record may be investigated, and they shall return him to his owner. 19. If he has kept that slave in his house (and) later the slave has been found in his possession that seignior shall be put to death. 20. If the slave has escaped from the hand of his captor that seignior shall (so) affirm by God [the ruler/king/founder of a city] to the owner of the slave and he shall then go free. Also, the Law code of Ur-Nammu (#14) is similar in that, “If […] a slave woman [or a male slave fled from the master’s house] and crossed beyond the territory of the city and (another) man brought him/her back the owner of the slave shall pay to the one who brought him back two shekels of silver. Runaway slaves in Israel could not be returned to their masters. They were to live in peace, in the place where you lived. Deuteronomy 23:15-16 “You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. 16 He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him.” Code of Hammurabi (#117) IF an obligation came due against a seignior and he sold (the services of) his wife, his son or daughter or he has been bound over to service they shall work (in) the house of their purchaser or oblige for three years with their freedom reestablished in the fourth year. Like the Mosaic law except it would be every 7 years (Deuteronomy 15:12-18). I will also point out that the special protections are not noted in this law or other laws when it regards to female slaves as it mentions in Exodus 21. Code of Hammurabi (#146) When a seignior married a hierodule and gave a female slave to her husband and she has then borne children, if later that female slave has claimed equality with her mistress because she bore children, her mistress may not sell her; she may mark her with the slave mark and count her among the other slaves. This law is like what happened in Hagar in Genesis 16. Slave wives would have also special protections as outlined in Exodus 21, where they had to have food, clothing, and marital rights, without which that female slave could go free. Code of Hammurabi (#170, 171) This is a little bit of a longer set of laws, but for brevity’s sake I will summarize. If a man has a wife and a slave wife, if he acknowledges the children as of the slave wife as his own, they shall have part of the parental inheritance. However, if the father does not acknowledge them as his children, then the slave wife and her children shall be free with her dowry and go back to her father’s house. This law from a Biblical standpoint is like what Abraham probably did. He gave his entire inheritance Isaac, even though he had a third wife name Keturah and some sons (her sons were named Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah see Genesis 25). However, he sent them all away with many gifts as well. Jacob, or Israel, had concubines named Zilpah and Bilhah (see Genesis 30). However, these children that they bore were recognized as children of Israel. In the Mosaic law, however, we don’t really have an equivalent, and if anything, we have something quite opposite to the code of Hammurabi. Deuteronomy 21:15-17 “If a man has two wives, the one loved and the other unloved, and both the loved and the unloved have borne him children, and if the firstborn son belongs to the unloved,[a] 16 then on the day when he assigns his possessions as an inheritance to his sons, he may not treat the son of the loved as the firstborn in preference to the son of the unloved, who is the firstborn, 17 but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the unloved, by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the first fruits of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his.” It makes no distinction between children born to a slave, concubine, or freed woman. Code of Hammurabi (#199): If he has destroyed the eye of a seignior’s slave or broken a bone of a seignior’s slave, he shall pay one half of his value. This law within the Code of Hammurabi does have a very good equivalent within the Mosaic law. If someone destroyed the eye of his slave or knocked out his tooth, that slave would go free (Exodus 21:26-27). However, if that happened because of a third party did so, my guess is that either the slave would go free and the third party would pay restitution to the owner or the third party would pay restitution to the slave himself (however, the restitution laws may apply to the slave as any other normal freedman. See Chapter 19 discussion). Either way, it would benefit the slave in some major fashion. Code of Hammurabi (#205) If a Seignior’s slave struck the cheek of a member of the Aristocracy, they shall chop off his ear. (#282) If a slave has said to his master, “you are not my master,” his master shall prove him to be his slave and cut off his ear. Code of Ur-Nammu (#21’): If a man’s slave woman comparing herself to her mistress speaks insolently to her (or him) her mouth shall be scoured with 1 quart of salt. Mutilation laws (all but 1 in the Mosaic Law) were not enacted within Israel. Additionally, the anti-mutilation law of Exodus 21:26-27 would probably render the slave free if that happened to him. It is no doubt he would have been punished, but not to these extremities. Code of Hammurabi (#250/251). We’ve covered this above. So, when you look at the total summation of the slavery laws between Jewish law and Gentile law, the mercy seen within Jewish law cannot be understated. But now that we’ve defended or reasonably vindicated the Mosaic law as being a moral improvement, though not perfect, what does that mean for us Christians today? That is a most excellent question, and I think there are several things that we can learn from when adding some more scriptures. Generosity to poor brothers is something that is common throughout all of God’s people. He commanded it to the Israelites, throughout their history, and a common theme within the New Testament. Paul, when he became a Christian, was encouraged to also remember the poor: Galatians 2:10 “Only, they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.” Paul later in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 also encourages bountiful generosity to be with Christians, “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God can make all grace abound to you so that always having all sufficiency in all things, you may abound in every good work.” In 1 John 3:16-18, the apostle John calls into question a Christian’s salvation if they do not help their brothers, “By this, we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deeds and in truth.” Finally, in Acts 4:34-35, we get a picture of the early church following God in radical obedience, “There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.” Slavery was not goal for any of God’s people, as that can be seen in the Old Testament (“There shall be no poor among you…Deuteronomy 15:4). In the New Testament, this much the same. It should be noted the book of Philemon, written by Paul, was primarily written to free a slave of his obligation from his master. Philemon 1:15-16 "For this perhaps is why he [the slave] was parted from you [Philemon] for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord." Additionally, Paul also writes to Christians that their salvation is secure even if they were a slave. But if they were a slave, they should try to become free, 1 Corinthians 7:21 “Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.).” Just as Judaism brought more rights to the slave, Christianity recognizes the slave not only has human, but of equal standing in comparison to those who were free before God. It put the charge on both masters and slaves to honor and respect each other, because both will have to give an account to God. To me this is striking, because the Old Testament and New Testament gave the same reason for such actions: Because they were told to fear God. 1. Colossians 3:11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. 2. Colossians 3:22-4:1 "Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality. 4:1 Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven." 3. Galatians 3:27-28 “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” 4. 1 Corinthians 12:13 “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” 5. Ephesians 6:5-9 "Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him." 6. 1 Timothy 6:1-2, "Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved." 7. Titus 2:9-10 “9 Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.” Summary: 1. Jewish slavery, while not perfect, was an improvement from the laws of its time. 2. Slavery was not the Goal for any of God’s people. 3. Not only does the New Testament legitimize the humanity of slaves, it puts them in the same religious brotherhood as masters and puts master on guard to honor God in how the treat their slaves. 4. Generosity is something that God also commands of His people, though the amount He leaves for his people to give as they believe is right.