I don’t really understand
slavery, the ownership of one person by another. It is inconceivable to me that
I could own a human being and treat him/her as property, will him/her to my
children, etc. I just don’t get it. And yet it has been part of human existence
for millennia.
The Year of Jubilee, in
essence, made a distinction between Israelites and all other people. Israelite
could never truly become slaves of other Israelites. Even in desperate times if
a poor Israelite sold himself into slavery to a fellow Israelite. It could last
no longer than 50 years, at which time even if the ‘slave’ hadn’t redeemed
himself he was set free.
The Year of Jubilee also
impacted land sales of Israelite property. Jubilee was a powerful concept in
Israel
And the entire concept was
built on a single premise the surfaces in the final verse of the chapter.
[F]or the Israelites belong to me as
servants. They are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt
The Israelites belonged to
the Lord. The Lord God owned them. They were slaves to God and you cannot sell
someone else’s slave!
This concept of being
‘owned’ by God is brought in the NT. Paul refers to being a slave to God on
numerous occasions. He also instructs that we are no longer slaves to sin,
because we are owned by a new master (check out Romans 7 & 8
sometime).
So slavery becomes a
powerful concept for me to understand my relationship to the Lord. I am owned by
Him. He bought me with the blood of Jesus. He purchased me from the enemy and
can assign me to any duty, to live anywhere that He chooses. I am
His.
Am I spending enough time
listening for His desires and instructions or am I living as a run-a-way slave,
trying to command and direct my own life?
A question worth
pondering…
I am Yours,
Oh Lord… (song add more words as my prayer.)
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