October 4 – Exodus 21:1-11
October 4 – Exodus 21:1-11
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Exodus 21:1-11
1 “Now these are the rules that you shall set before them.
2 When you buy a Hebrew
slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.
3 If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him.
4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife
and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out alone.
5 But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’
6 then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.
7 When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do.
8 If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he
shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her.
9 If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter.
10 If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights.
11 And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.
It is important to understand that slavery in the Old Testament is different from what we are familiar with. The slavery of the Israelites was debt related and intended to be temporary to help families correct their financial situations. Here God offers directions for protection of families and female slaves. Thank God there was a New Master coming.
God is a God of protection. How has He protected you during good times and challenging times? Think of how you’ve seen His hand of protection.
God never intended for us to be trapped in slavery. However, in this sinful world, conditions abound for sex slavery and trafficking as identified and shared in the recent movie, “Sound of Freedom”. Our children are being kidnapped and put into sex slavery by evil people. As Christians, how can we take a stand and help eliminate this outrageous, intolerable crisis in our country? What steps will you begin taking today? We cannot stand by and look the other way.
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