For the past several days Moses has been counseling the congregation of Israel on matters of borrowing and lending and also about giving to the poor. A borrowing/lending agreement between two Israelites was to be forgiven at the end of seven years, even if some of the debt remained outstanding. The same rule is to be followed regarding anyone who has made himself or herself what we would call an "indentured servant".
In most translations of the Bible you'll see such persons referred to as "slaves" but the type of contract we'll be looking at today would be best described as indentured servitude which is defined as "a contract between two individuals, in which one person worked not for money but to repay an 'indenture'---or loan---within a set time period. Indentured servitude was not slavery as individuals entered contracts of their own free will." Our portion of Scripture is speaking of a contract made between two Israelites in which a person indentures himself or herself as a servant to one of their fellow citizens in order to work off a loan or in exchange for room and board. A contract like this is not to be lifelong (unless the servant chooses to make a lifelong contract at the end of the initial agreement, which we'll talk about later) and the person who is "master" in this contract does not own the servant. This is nothing like the type of slavery with which we are familiar when our forefathers shamefully bought and owned and mistreated fellow human beings. Although the Bible refers to a man or woman as having "sold" themselves into servitude, this doesn't mean they were literally owned by anyone.
Moses says, "If any of your people---Hebrew men or women---sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free." (Deuteronomy 15:12) The contract between the master and the servant was cancelled the seventh year.
The master isn't to send his former servant away without anything with which to start their new life. "And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. Remember you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today." (Deuteronomy 15:13-15) In everything they do, the Lord's people are to behave in ways that reflect the character of the Lord. The Lord loaded the Israelites down with good things when He brought them out of slavery. Before He rescued them, He promised, "I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians." (Exodus 3:21-22) The Lord kept His promise when He led Israel out of Egypt: "The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians." (Exodus 12:35-36) Because the Lord didn't bring the Israelites out of slavery empty-handed, the citizens of Israel are not to send away a servant empty-handed.
A servant does not have to leave his master if he doesn't want to. If he's happy with his employment he may decide, when his original contract is up, to remain with his master from now on. "But if your servant says to you, 'I do not want to leave you,' because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant." (Deuteronomy 15:16-17) The piercing of the ear symbolized the lifelong contract between the servant and his master. In most versions of the Bible this procedure is referred to as opening the ear.
This same symbolism is found in the books of Psalms and Isaiah. The following segments of Scripture regard the Lord's servant willingly choosing to submit himself or herself to the Lord forever. King David pledged his lifelong service to the Lord by saying to Him, "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire---but my ears you have opened." (Psalm 40:6a) David didn't mean he wasn't required to bring the proper sacrifices and offerings to the Lord. What he meant was that what the Lord really wants from a person is his or her heart. Sacrifices and offerings mean nothing if the bringer's heart is far from the Lord. David was pledging his allegiance to the Lord forever when he used the symbolism of the pierced ear (opened ear) in his psalm to the Lord.
Next we look at a passage from Isaiah which is generally considered to be a Messianic prophecy, so we must read it as if it is being spoken by the Lord Jesus. "The Sovereign Lord has opened My ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away. I offered My back to those who beat Me, My cheeks to those who pulled out My beard; I did not hide My face from mocking and spitting." (Isaiah 50:5-6) Because the Lord Jesus came into this world as a man, He submitted Himself to the Lord as a human being is commanded to do, and He uses the symbolism of the pierced ear when speaking of His willing livelong servitude to God the Father. Because He was obedient to the Father, He suffered the things He suffered on this earth. He did it with a servant's heart because He loved the Father and wanted to be obedient to Him.
If we belong to the Lord, we must reflect His character in everything we do, and that means having a servant's heart. The Apostle Paul put it like this: "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death---even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8)
If Jesus was willing to die a torturous death on a cross in order to be a servant to God the Father, we should not fail to display a servant's heart by doing the things the Lord commands us to do in serving our fellow man. It should not be considered a hardship to treat people with love and mercy and generosity. Moses tells the congregation of Israel not to be upset if their servants want to leave after the contract is up instead of deciding to serve them for life. They also must not begrudge giving their servants the necessities for starting a new life. "Do not consider it a hardship to set your servant free, because their service to you these six years has been worth twice as much as that of a hired hand. And the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do." (Deuteronomy 15:18)
The Lord is pleased when we treat people the way He's commanded us to treat them. We are not being good servants of our God if we don't love our neighbors as ourselves and if we don't treat others the way we want to be treated. The Lord Jesus gave all He had to show God's love to mankind. We aren't being asked to sacrifice our lives as He was asked to do; we are simply being asked to show God's love for mankind in the way we interact with them. He will bless us for being obedient to Him in these matters.
Christ's obedience was rewarded as well, and we can be comforted by knowing that His ultimate and exceedingly costly sacrifice brought Him the greatest honors of all. "Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)
The servant's heart of Christ brought glory to God the Father and earned Him the greatest rewards that can be given. If you and I have a servant's heart we bring glory to God the Father and are assured He will bless us.
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