A SHORT SUMMARY
At this point in our study we have been through so much with Israel.
We have watched their founding father, Abraham, make a covenant with God and we have seen the beginnings of how it is being fulfilled. They have almost made it to the land of Promise.
The original people (the first descendants of Abraham) were so blessed that they grew into twelve tribes and God was leading them on with plenty and abundance of blessings.
Eventually, as is so typical of all humans; we saw them fall away from true worship and knowing and being in relationship with God which led them into famine, captivity, slavery and bondage in Egypt.
When they turned back to God through the leadership of Moses we saw God redeem them, set them free, and bring them to a place of knowing Him again.
God reestablished the Sabbath through the manna from Heaven. He taught the people how to live in His ways again as they lived out their lives in the wilderness.
God set up a tabernacle that was suitable for worship and came to live among the people as He led them forward into becoming a nation of people that would set the pattern for all nations that would teach human beings how to live out the ways of God through all generations.
Now we see that the people are on the verge of crossing over into the land of promise and God is giving Moses the instructions they are to follow as they begin to live as one holy nation before God.
The Heavenly Father explains how they are to treat the land and live in the land. After all; this is holy and sacred land; the first home of the nation of God. He tells them when to use the land for crops and when to let it rest and be restored.
God reminds the people that they too need rest and he tells them how to experience release and rest from the burdens of life by understanding and keeping His sacred times.
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the ongoing weekly bible study we have called COME AS A CHILD. You can find us here every Thursday.
We are so happy that you have decided to join us!
For the last several months we have been walking through the bible together; taking everything of the scriptures page by page, and verse by verse and asking God to give us understanding.
Our study in Leviticus is almost over; and we will move right into The Book of Numbers over the next few weeks.
If you missed last week’s lesson you may review it here: https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/year-of-jubilee/
This week we are finishing up the scripture passage found in Leviticus; Chapter 25 and especially searching out the meanings behind verses 44-45.
WHAT SLAVES CAN BE RELEASED AND REDEEMED IN ISRAEL?
We arrive at a passage in Leviticus 25; verses 44 – 45 that is often misinterpreted and confused.
It would seem upon first reading the words of this passage that God only cares about releasing the Hebrew slaves from their debts and obligations of servitude; and no one else.
Isn’t ALL slavery wrong?
Why are the scriptures worded this way? Would a loving God actually tell His people that they can purchase slaves from the other nations living around them?
Those words don’t sit well in our brains and we find them going against every other concept we have heard about the love of God.
What gives in this situation?
UNDERSTANDING TIME AND CULTURES AND HUMAN NATURE
The scriptures sound strange for a God who sees ALL as being created equal and free.
Did God really condone slavery in this chapter as many people think?
If you think this; I would suggest you reread the passage with the history of the cultures of the people living on planet earth at that time in mind.
God speaks about how an Israelite slave can be redeemed in the time of Jubilee and The Sabbath Year; then He turns around and notes that the Israelites may purchase slaves from the other people living around them; but that all Hebrews must be released on the proper dates.
Sounds pretty bad and incriminating doesn’t it?
However; this doesn’t actually mean that God condoned slavery.
It simply means that the people of the lands around the Children of Israel were living with slaves in the nature of their own cultures; paying no attention to the fact that all men are created equal and free. They were pagan; so why would they pay attention to this?
Historically, almost all Pagan cultures have catered to the elite among their ranks and the elite typically turn out to be greedy controlling people who want to own others.
This was the case of all the people living in the areas around the Land of Promise.
After the People of God moved into the land; a different type of slavery could be found. It was more like being hired-hand with food and shelter than being a slave. Slaves of Israel were treated on equal ground as the owners. It was considered very dishonorable of an owner not to do so.
God had given Israel rules for the people that served them. They were to be treated with respect and dignity.
A man did not get captured and forced into slavery in the nation of Israel; slavery only happened when one had become so poor that he could not care for himself and his own family. If a person reached that state; they could sell themselves over as a slave for a period of time. They were paid wages and they could save up and redeem themselves; or one of their kin could come and redeem them.
This worked almost like our system of welfare today; in that it was an honorable way for the poor to help themselves. The difference in this and today’s system is that the people living in such a state are given hand-outs and not asked for anything in return. The form of slavery that existed in Israel allowed a man’s pride to be redeemed in that he could actually work to repay the welfare that was being provided for him and his family. Sometimes this was the best for all.
They were released from all debt at the end of every seven years and given enough to start their lives all over again away from the service of the one who they were indebted to.
APPEALING TO OTHER CULTURES
This form of slavery seemed amazing and appealing to those who were slaves in the other cultures.
Some of them had been physically captured and were the prisoners of war. They (unlike the Israelites) were forced into bondage and treated terribly by their masters. There were no rules in the barbarian countries that existed around Canaan.
The slaves of other cultures actually longed to become the slaves of Israel; because their standard of living would greatly improve and there would actually be hope of a future for them.
These were the slaves that God was telling Israel they could buy from the other lands around them. This little bit of betterment for them would gradually lead men from all over to question the validity and the humanness of ALL slavery in general.
God knew that barbarians needed their eyes to be opened by example and it could not be accomplished overnight.
SLAVES TO THE WORLD
There was another factor to consider when we think about all of this.
It is the fact that until we know God and conform to His ways, we are all actually slaves to the world.
God had chosen Israel out of all of the nations to form a people who would set a pattern to show us this fact. Israel was the nation that would eventually lead all men to freedom; both physically and spiritually.
Through their obedience in keeping the Passover; God had given new life to a group of rag-tag people who had lived in bondage. He had freed them and led them to another place; a place that was now ripe for a good, abundant and better life.
TRUE FREEDOM COMES FROM A TRUE GOD
Only God has the power to free men from their own self-imposed slavery. The Jewish people have many stories about the fact that we all have our own Pharaohs to which we sell our souls.
We will discuss this in the next lesson where we learn (right along with the people of Israel ) that the only way to avoid slavery and to achieve God’s perfect freedom is to be obedient to God and follow His best ways to live.
All of this had to be established and confirmed before the people could move on to a better life.
It is the same with us today. Until we submit ourselves to the ways of God and become obedient; we will all remain in spiritual slavery. Once we give God complete control of the way we live; the joy of freedom is completely ours.
In the coming weeks we will be thinking about Thanksgiving and enjoying a time of gratitude. If we are grateful at all; we have to consider the fact that God has given us freedom from the bondage of sin through His Son; Jesus Christ. This is our greatest blessing and we should be keeping this in mind as we offer up our thanks. Just as God offered Israel up as a pattern for freedom from bondage to all of the other nations; He offers up Jesus as a pattern of how we should be living out our individual freedoms.
Let’s never take these things for granted as we offer up our thanks to God for his abundance in our present land of promise and plenty.
Note to our readers: If you enjoyed this lesson; you would enjoy checking in with us every Thursday and probably enjoy all of our other categories of publications in our blog. Just click the tabs at the top of the page for more and you will find our topics. Each topic has a different focus and a different way to live out 2 Timothy 4:2 in our daily lives. You will find all of our bible study called COME AS A CHILD under that topic. If you wish to be added to our e-mail list to receive a summary of each month’s articles and a peek at the coming events from The IN SEASON Lifestyle’s community events and products; just sign up below: