This week’s reading,
Shemot / Exodus 21:3-22:3, discusses how a man is to treat his slaves if he is a slave
owner. The Scriptures detail selling one’s self, selling one’s daughter,
and treating slaves fairly. Shemot / Exodus
states that 21:7 ‘If a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to go free as the male slaves do. 21:8 ‘If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people because of his unfairness to her. 21:9 ‘If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. 21:10 ‘If he takes to himself another woman, he may not reduce her food, her clothing, or her conjugal rights. 21:11 ‘If he will not do these three things for her, then she shall go out for nothing, without payment of oney. (NASB)
Attitudes have changed over the centuries toward slavery but regardless of whether slavery was approved of or disapproved of, God needed to instruct how to treat slaves in a humane way and with respect. Today, it is unthinkable that one could even bring one’s self to sell his own daughter into slavery being a product of his flesh and bone. The fact that this existed is not contested because there are instances
where in the Scriptures a man has sold himself into slavery because of a great amount of debt.
This week I want to look at how yielding ourselves to sin, draws a parallel to what we are reading here on slavery from this week’s Scripture portion? I believe that yielding ourselves to sin after we are redeemed by the blood of Yeshua, we are essentially selling ourselves back into slavery by the work of sin. Read More here.
