That Time When God Was A Slave

"Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being."  Philippians 2:6-7

There are many people who judge God and reject the salvation offered through faith in Jesus Christ because of the presence of slavery in the Bible. In short, they believe that God condones slavery since He didn't consistently destroy slave owners and slave traders at every opportunity. However, what He did was work within the midst of those both practicing it and trapped under it in order to accomplish His plan of salvation. Often times the word slavery is automatically attributed to the harshness of the African slave trade which engulfed the Western world including the United States as if that is the only form of slavery. While that is probably the worst form of slavery, it is not the only version of it. I don't say this to condone or excuse that form of slavery, only to acknowledge that slavery can take many forms. Ironically enough, one of the most memorable stories in scripture is God's deliverance of the Jews from their slavery at the hands of the Egyptians (Africans). This is recorded in Exodus 3-15. As you read it take note of the punishment God inflicts on the Egyptians to get an idea of what He thinks about slavery. However, the other form of slavery mentioned in the Bible is that of a servant or bondservant. This is someone who was paid for their work or voluntarily gave themselves to their master in order to work off a debt they owed or as a form of payment for something the servant desired. For example, Jacob served multiple seven-year stints as a bondservant for Laban in order to marry Rachel (i.e. Genesis 29:20). It is not that God condones or ignores slavery of any kind. It has been said that "harsh slavery was common in the Middle East as far back as ancient Egypt. If God had simply ignored it, then there would have been no rules for the treatment of slaves/bondservants and people could have treated them harshly with no rights. But the God-given rights and rules for their protection showed that God cared for them as well. This is often misconstrued as an endorsement of harsh slavery, which it is not. God listed slave traders among the worst of sinners in 1 Timothy 1:10 (“kidnappers/men stealers/slave traders”). This is no new teaching, as Moses was not fond of forced slavery either: "He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death (Exodus 21:16)." Slavery still continues to this day in some parts of the world and if you include sex-trafficking in that category, it is still a global industry. Remember, God has already destroyed the entire world once, during the global Flood in the days of Noah, because "every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time (Genesis 6:5)." No doubt slavery is the byproduct of the evil within the human heart. If God were to deal with mankind in a similar fashion today, He would have to destroy the earth again and this conversation about slavery would be made mute.

If you are still struggling or concerned that God condones slavery, consider something else about Him. God was a slave. Yes, the Bible tells us that when God became a human being as Jesus Christ, He became a slave. As Philippians tells us, God gave up his divine privileges, humbled Himself, and became a slave. This also points out that we, in many aspects, are still slaves ourselves. We may not be in physical bondage to any particular human being, but we are still bondservants. After all, we are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:16). What did God, in Christ, have to endure as a human being? He was betrayed by Judas for the price of a slave (Luke 22:4-5). He was beaten to the point of disfigurement and beyond human likeness (Isaiah 52:14). He was mocked (Mark 15:20). He was deserted by His friends (Mark 14:50). He was falsely accused (Matthew 26:59-60). He was sentenced to death (John 19:16). This sounds a lot like what happens to people who are slaves. They are abandoned, without hope of rescue; left to the will of those in power, and often times put to death simply because of who they are not what they have done. The only difference in all of this is that human beings are put into slavery out of the wickedness of their slave owners. When it came to God becoming a slave, He did it out of love for the world. It has been said, "The beloved hymn Amazing Grace was inspired by Negro melodies and rhythms that slaves chanted in pain. Its author John Newton, a former slave trader,  heard these melodies and chants of pain and sorrow and out of that came “Amazing Grace” probably the most beloved hymn of the last two centuries." Imagine, if you will, being John Newton. You are on the long, dark voyage from the coast of Africa to the New World. As you sit atop the slave ship the only sound you hear is the crashing of the waves. When, suddenly, the slaves on your boat start to sing one of their sorrow chants as they struggle to cope with their dire and hopeless circumstances. Now, picture the entire human race in place of those slaves. We were like those slaves; hopelessly sailing towards certain doom awaiting us in an eternity separated from our God. Then, suddenly, our God becomes one of us, frees us from our bondage of slavery and steers our boat towards the shores of freedom. That is what our God did for us through His amazing grace. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36)."

Freedom

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."  Galatians 5:1

Not too many years ago slavery was widely practiced in this country. It was one of the most ungodly atrocities that has ever befallen America. Envision for a moment standing at a slave market, and here is a huge hulk of a man, in chains, to be auctioned off as a human slave, a piece of chattel. The auction starts.

"Who'll give me ten dollars?" the auctioneer calls. And the bidders respond with enthusiasm. Soon the auctioneer is fielding bids of one hundred dollars, then two hundred for the man. The price goes up to a point nobody can bid except one man who's extremely wealthy. And he offers top dollar. The auctioneer says, "Sold!" The transaction is complete. The slave brought down to his new owner. The owner is given the key to the man's chains. He then reaches down and unlocks the chains and removes them from the man. He looks at the man he just bought and says, "Sir, go free." The slave looks at him and says, "Sir, I thought you bought me." The wealthy man says, "I did. I bought you to set you free. Now go free." The man says, "I don't understand. Why are you doing this?" "Because I love you. And because God didn't create you to be a slave. He created you to be free." At this the slave asks, "Sir, where do you live?" "Oh, I live just over the hill there," answers the wealthy man. "Where are you going now?" asks the now-former slave. "I'm going home." "Sir, can I go with you?" "Sure. But only if you want to - not because you have to. But if you want to go with me, I'd love to have you come and be my friend." The slave looks the man in the eye and says without reservation, "When a man loves me like that, I want to go home with him forever."  That man was purchased so that he could be set free.

Folks, I believe some of the deepest knowledge of God was experienced over and over during that awful era of slavery. The slaves had nothing. They were stripped of everything. All they had was Jesus. And by having Him, they had everything. Many beautiful and meaningful songs came out of slavery. They're songs of a deep understanding of Jesus. Back in those days, one of the ways they kept slavery going was by prohibiting the slaves from having shoes. That way, if they ever escaped, they'd be easier to find barefooted. People would easily spot them as slaves and turn them in. Those slaves didn't have shoes or freedom, but they knew that someday they would have shoes and would be free. And that's how the great spiritual was born, "I got shoes, you got shoes, all God's children got shoes. And when I get to heaven I'm gonna put on my shoes, gonna dance all over God's heaven, heaven-gonna dance all over God's heaven." Why'd they sing that? Because they knew someday they were going to be in the presence of Jesus, and they were going to have their shoes in heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ has set you and me free because He bought us so He could set us free. Don't let yourself be yoked again to this burden of slavery. Don't let anyone ever put you back under the law again. But go free in Jesus Christ! [Bob George, Grace Stories, pgs. 206-208]

The Supreme Court, Gay Marriage and Slavery

In 1857, in Dred Scott v. Sandford, the U.S. Supreme Court held that African-Americans, whether enslaved or free, could not be American citizens and therefore had no standing to sue in federal court, and that the federal government had no power to regulate slavery in the federal territories acquired after the creation of the United States. In the eyes of many, this decision stands as the worst decision in the history of the U.S. Supreme Court. There is no question that most people in their right mind would agree that this decision was terrible; African-Americans should have been considered citizens and slavery is an abomination. In another landmark decision just this past week, the U.S. Supreme Court held that gay and lesbian couples have a constitutional right to marry. For many who support gay marriage this decision is viewed as one of the best decisions the U.S. Supreme Court has ever made. I would bet that most, if not all, of these people also agree that the Dred Scott decision was terrible. The question I want to know is, "What standard of truth do they use to denounce one decision and applaud the other?" As a Christian, I believe both decisions rank as two of the worst decisions the U.S. Supreme Court has ever made; right up there with the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, which gave women the constitutional right to murder their unborn children. Without a standard of truth to rely on, the only thing left is the individual's own understanding of things, based off of feelings and experiences, or whatever group has the biggest numbers or the greatest influence. This is what some would call "Mob Rule" where it doesn't matter if something is moral, ethical, right or wrong. All that matters is who has the loudest voice. When there is no standard of truth to guide us anything goes. And when anything goes, anything will go. In other words, chaos reigns supreme.

For a Christian, the standard of truth is the Word of God; the Bible. The Bible tells us that, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)." Therefore, since the Bible is God's Word, it would behoove us to look at it as our standard of truth when deciding whether something is right or wrong, sinful or holy. God is not silent on the issues of slavery, homosexuality and marriage. While there are different kinds of slavery, when it comes to the type of slavery which took place in the United States and affected people like Dred Scott, the Bible says, "Anyone who kidnaps another and either sells him or still has him when he is caught must be put to death (Exodus 21:16)." The entire African slave trade was one based on the kidnapping and selling of Africans. The penalty for this type of sin is death. Regarding homosexuality, the Bible says, "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads (Leviticus 20:13)." Regarding marriage, Jesus said, ""Haven't you read," ... "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh' (Matthew 19:4-5)?"These are just a few verses on the subjects, but they are clear that slavery and homosexuality are sins deserving of death and that marriage is the union of a man and woman. When you have the standard of God's Word to fall back on these things become simple to define and understand. However, the good news is not just having a standard of truth to rely on, but that the author of that truth has made a provision for all mankind to spend eternity with Him in heaven. Slavery and homosexuality are sins, but they are sins that God has forgiven and is no longer counting against mankind because of the death of Jesus Christ. For those who come to a saving faith in Jesus they will not only be set free from their sins, but will become the "bride of Christ"; forgiven and alive to God. That is a decision from God Himself; the One and Only Supreme Court.

Let Us Serve The Egyptians

“As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert (Exodus 14:10-12)!” Recidivism is defined as a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior. You often hear this term used when talking about ex-con’s who relapse into criminal behavior. One of the factors that lead an individual to commit crimes that lead them back to prison is that they are more comfortable with the structure, culture and surroundings of life in prison then they are with a life of freedom. The fear of being in charge of their life is often too much to overcome. In many ways it is like the Jews shortly after God freed them from slavery in Egypt. Despite being an eyewitness to the plagues God inflicted on Egypt, living through the Passover, having God lead them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire to give them light by night, they still wanted to go back into slavery when they saw Pharaoh’s army approaching them. They had just been set free after 430 years of slavery, but would rather be in bondage to the Egyptians then trust their God! Is it all that different then the ex-con committing crimes that land them back in prison? Is it any different than Christians today who choose the bondage of religion and forsake the freedom of being led by the Holy Spirit of God?

 They love the structure that religion provides despite the fact that in most cases it prevents them from being free in Christ and learning to trust and depend on their God. What did Paul ask the church in Galatia? “Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh (Galatians 3:3)?” The Jews were foolish to think that the bondage of slavery was better than being led by their God who freed them from it? They obviously forgot that they initially were enslaved by the Egyptians because after Joseph died, “a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt (Exodus 1:8).” The “new king” had forgotten what God did through Joseph that benefited the Egyptians and it led to the enslavement of the Jews. It is easy as a Christian to long for the “structure” of religion because people would rather be told what to do by their religion and its masters then be led by their God. Freedom can be scary for a Christian. Will they live a life of sin now? Will they stop going to church? Will they stop reading their Bibles? The list is endless. It is as if God is so small to them that He cannot provide them with a life to live that is more meaningful and fuller then anything they’ve previously experienced. Moses led the Jews out of bondage, but they still desired it. Paul, through his letters, tried to lead the early church and present day Christians out of the bondage of religion and its legalism, but people still desire it. Jesus Christ set the world free from the bondage of sin and darkness, “but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil (John 3:19).”  There is a lesson to be learned from the ex-con, the Jews and the early church who loved bondage more than freedom. That lesson is to embrace the freedom you have been given and never return to bondage.