According to worldpopulationreview.com, “Despite global efforts, modern slavery is widespread, with 167 countries harboring an estimated 46 million slaves, including forced labor and sexual exploitation.” Slavery is viewed as an abomination that has plagued the earth since the days of Genesis. If slavery should be seen as an act of evil, why then do certain passages in the Bible appear to present slavery as something to be tolerated, or even condoned? Are we right to interpret the Bible that way? Has God ever condoned slavery? This essay aims to address this issue by examining slavery through the lens of both the Old and New Testaments, and expose the redemptive nature of how God has historically moved in the hearts of slaves and their masters.
God’s Judgment
Sometimes in the Old Testament, we read passages about how certain wicked nations were destroyed by the Lord. The backstories reveal that God had extended patience and warning, sometimes for centuries, before He decided to bring forth His justified punishment. These wicked people groups had embraced terrible lifestyles, included things like child-sacrifice, rampant sexual immorality and bestiality, and idol worship. When God’s punishment would be dispensed, He often used the army of Israel to execute His divine justice. For example, we read in Deuteronomy that God used Joshua and the army of Israel to destroy the wicked Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, etc. God made it clear that He was punishing these nations for their sin. God also made it clear that the unrighteousness of these nations was being measured against His own righteousness, and not the righteousness of Israel. In other words, Israel ought not to think that it was their righteousness that was responsible for executing justice. These wicked nations were enemies of God, not enemies of Israel. Therefore, Israel was not punishing anyone, but God was. Joshua’s army was simply God’s tool for punishment. Keep in mind that it would have been sinful for the army of Israel to go around annihilating other nations by their own doing, apart from the command of God. If God ever told Israel to kill, it was God’s act of justice on the wicked. Keeping these truths in view, these same passages talk about how some were not killed, but enslaved.
In Deuteronomy 20, we see that some of the wicked people from these nations were kept alive and subjected to slavery under Israel. These were God’s slaves, not Israel’s slaves. Israel was simply stewarding these slaves at God’s command. Why would God enslave some of these wicked people? The answer is quite simple. In God’s loving kindness, He desired for these wicked slaves to experience His mercy. So, instead of justifiably killing them, God keeps them alive, allowing them yet another chance to repent. Under the stewardship of the Jews, these wicked slaves would be able to talk to the Jews and hear about the true God. They’d also be able to bear witness to God’s blessing upon the Jews, and hopefully turn from their wickedness and in faith entrust themselves to the Lord. So, this type of slavery is merciful, and has a redemptive purpose. Many of these wicked slaves did in fact turn in faith, and were grafted into the nation of Israel. Again, these were God’s slaves, not Israel’s.
When people are quick to read a passage of Scripture, especially one regarding God’s justice and punishment, they can miss everything about God’s loving patience, and His redemptive purpose in how He treats those who hate Him. In summary, Old Testament slavery that God permitted and condoned was not wicked men enslaving innocent men (which was punishable by death, Deuteronomy 24:7). We read that God mercifully enslaved the wicked, under the stewardship of Israel, with the purpose of redemption in view.
Here are additional passages which show how God’s slaves were to be stewarded by Israel. In Genesis 17:12-13 and Exodus 12:43-44, we see slaves could actually be brought into the Jewish Covenant and become Jewish believers alongside their masters. In Exodus 20:9-10, we see slaves were allowed religious privileges and allowed to rest on the Sabbath. In Exodus 21, we see slaves had some basic rights and should not be abused. Also, masters were to be held accountable for the way they treated their slaves. Among Israel, slaves and non-slaves will be punished the same for breaking the law. Additionally, slaves could be freed if they were not treated properly by their masters. In Leviticus 25:39-40, we read that slaves are to be treated well. In Deuteronomy 12:12, we read slaves were also allowed to celebrate holidays and festivals. And in Deuteronomy 15, if a slave was released, a master was not supposed to send them off emptyhanded, but with generous provisions.
Another interesting example of slavery as a punishment from God is seen in Genesis 9:25-27. Here, slavery is first mentioned in the Bible, when Noah spoke a prophecy which cursed his grandson, Canaan, saying, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants he shall be to his brothers. He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant.” The Hebrew word “servant” here is slave, to be in subjection to. This prophecy was fulfilled in the future generations of Canaan in the times of Joshua, when the Israelites, who sprung from Shem, conquered the land of Canaan and slew thirty of their kings, and took their cities and possessed them, and made the Gibeonites, one of the states of Canaan, slaves who worked as wood cutters and water fetchers.
Indentured Slaves, or Servitude
Another type of slavery that was condoned in both the Old and New Testament, was the type of slavery that resulted from indebtedness. This meant that one person could temporarily “buy” another person who had significant financial debt. This master/slave relationship allowed the “bought” person to serve his master for up to six years, or until his debt was paid off. At the seventh year, all master/slave contracts were broken and any slave was free to go, without debt. Keep in mind, these master/slave relationships were amicable; a master treated the slave well, and slaves respected their masters. In fact, sometimes, at the seventh year, the slave didn’t want to leave his master, because the slave was treated so well that he thought, “I’m better off living under the care of my master, that I’ll surrender myself to him forever!” In these cases, the slave would become a bond-servant of the master. Exodus 21:5-6, “But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’ then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.” As an act before God, the bond-servant relationship was created. Christians are called “bond-servants” when they choose to submit themselves fully to Christ, for the rest of their lives. In summary, indentured slavery was not the type of slavery where an evil man enslaves an innocent man; as that’s always wrong in all circumstances. The indentured slave provides another example of redemptive slavery, where this type of slavery served as a catalyst for one to get debt-free, and under Jewish Law, no cruel treatment was tolerated from either side. When a master has a “love your neighbor” attitude toward all people, not looking down upon any, it can create a loving relationship. You win people over by love. A loving master wins over an indentured slave, transforming the slave relationship into full-time employment. With regards to evil slavery, the motive is the economic gain of the master. On the other hand, the primary motive for indentured slavery, or servitude, was the economic relief of the servant, while mutually benefiting the master.
Additional guidelines for indentured slaves, or those under servitude, include Exodus 21:2, where the law permitted Israelites to sell themselves into slavery by other Israelites if needed, such as in the case of debt, but every seven years, they were to be set free. Also, Leviticus 25:35-37 said you can take on a fellow countryman as a slave, in order to sustain him if he’s poor, but you can’t charge interest to a slave’s debt. Leviticus 25:47-49 adds that a family member could purchase your freedom by simply paying your debt. A slave could purchase his own freedom as he prospers. Additional guidelines for bondservants include Exodus 21:5-6, saying these types of servants became part of the family. Also, Genesis 24:2 and Proverbs 17:2 say that as a part of the family, bondservants could even share in the inheritance.
Another type of servitude was put into place for criminals. This is when a criminal has been punished, but cannot pay his restitution. So, being in debt, he is subject to slavery until he can pay the debt. This is not the same as voluntary indentured slaves, who willfully subject themselves. Laws about this exist in Exodus 22:1-3 which say the guilty who cannot make restitution shall be sold for his theft.
Addressing the Realities of the Day
In the New Testament we see teachings that address a present reality, and how to operate within it. Sometimes people mistake these teachings to assume that God must be approving of the situation at large. For example, during Jesus’ day, the Israelites were enslaved by the Romans. The entire nation of the Jews, and most of the recognized world was occupied by the Roman Empire, which reigned over several continents. The Roman Empire wasn’t God’s good plan for mankind, but nonetheless, the Lord spoke about how to operate while living in that situation.
One of the things that made the Roman Empire so effective in their conquests, is that they had a tactic that helped their military move more swiftly and arrived more refreshed at the battlefield compared to their enemies. This tactic was to force pedestrians into carrying their gear for one mile. Jesus teaches His followers, “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two,” Matthew 5:41. Jesus’ hearers understood what Jesus was talking about here. When a Roman soldier, i.e. your slave master, “forced” you to go with him one mile, you obeyed, because if you didn’t, you’d be in serious trouble. It was the law of the day. Jesus is here teaching about loving your enemies and demonstrating righteousness that rises above the standards of the day. In summary, Jesus says, “When a Roman soldier, who is your slave master, forces you to carry his gear for a mile, My followers will go an extra mile, as a way to show love to his enemy.” This is where the expression, “Go the extra mile” comes from. Loving your enemy this way would certainly cause the soldier to ask, “Why are you going an extra mile? Nobody does this!” Then, the follower of Jesus could share his faith, and talk about Jesus’ love for everyone. So, in this example, Jesus is not saying, “All slavery is good, so just go with it!” Nor is Jesus saying, “All slavery is bad, so if your slave master tries to force you to do something, always refuse and fight back.” Keep in mind that Jesus’ hearers already knew what God thought of evil slavery; He hates it! Afterall, one of the most famous historical events was the Lord freeing the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery in Exodus.
When the New Testament tells slaves to be submissive to their masters and for masters not to threaten their slaves, God is instructing Christians as to how to operate given the conditions that some might face. We see the Apostle Paul writes a letter to another brother, a Christian named Philemon. You can read about this in the book of Philemon, verses 1:10-19. In summary, Philemon entered into a slave/master relationship with an indentured servant, named Onesimus. Onesimus agreed to serve Philemon until his debt was settled. However, Onesimus wasn’t a believer and didn’t take responsibility for himself. Onesimus was a bad worker and eventually ran away. While on the run, Onesimus found himself in the company of the Apostle Paul. Paul led Onesimus to the Lord and discipled him. Paul observed Onesimus maturing in his faith, and saw Onesimus’ desire to honor the Lord and live with conviction. Onesimus apparently even owned up to the fact that he was “useless” to his master, Philemon. Paul sends Onesimus back to Philemon and sends Philemon a letter to let him know what he can expect from Onesimus, his new brother in the faith. Paul includes in the letter that he’d love to have Onesimus stay and minister with Paul, but tells Philemon, “without your consent I did not want to do anything.” Paul understood that Onesimus needed to honor his commitment to serve Philemon. Paul believes that though Onesimus was wrong for running away, that God used these circumstances to bring Onesimus into a relationship with Him. Paul says, “For perhaps he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother.” Paul also adds that he would lovingly agree to help settle Onesimus’ financial affairs with Philemon.
The bottom line here, is that Philemon and Onesimus would see their relationship transform as a result of their shared faith. Paul never says, “Philemon, how dare you operate as a slave-master.” Nor does Paul say, “Onesimus, it’s good that you fled! You should never return to your service as a slave.” Instead, Paul says things like, “I am sending him back as a brother. Honor him.” And to other Christian slave masters in general, Paul says, “Do not threaten them, remembering that you too have a Master.”
So, once again, the type of slavery in view here is not wicked people enslaving innocent people; which the Bible would never condone. The New Testament reiterates this truth in 1 Timothy 1:10 where it records that kidnapping, or “man-stealing”, is outright sin. The Greek word for kidnapping here refers to the following acts – a slave-dealer, kidnapper, man-stealer, of one who unjustly reduces free men to slavery, of one who steals the slaves of others and sells them.
When the New Testament speaks of slave/master relationships, the teachings of the texts serve to equalize the relationships, and dissolve the slave/master stigma, even though the relationships still exist in the social structures of the day. Here are some examples. Ephesians 6:5-9, “Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.”
Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” You see here that when people are in Christ Jesus, all are equalized, and no superiority exists, even when the obvious relational differences are present; men are men, women are women, slaves are slaves, and masters are masters.
1 Corinthians 7:20-24, “Each man must remain in that condition in which he was called. Were you called while a slave? Do not worry about it; but if you are able also to become free, rather do that. For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord’s freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ’s slave. You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called.” Colossians 4:1, “Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.”
So, we see that the when a master and a slave come to faith in Jesus, and if they both adhere to the Word of God, then their relationship transforms to one of equal respect and amicable gain. They’re both better off showing love toward one another, working well with one another for mutual benefit, and understanding that in Christ, they are both “owned” because of the great sacrifice that Jesus paid to own them, “You were bought with a price,” 1 Corinthians 7:23. The master and slave are both co-heirs of Christ! So, the Lord doesn’t abolish the slave/master relationship, he transforms it. So, in some instances when the Bible addresses slavery, it does so by offering regulatory wisdom and guidance.