FIRST JUDGEMENT:
Ex. 21:1:
Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.
If you buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the
seventh he shall go out free for nothing. (3) If he came in by
himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his
wife shall go out with him. (4) If his master have given him a wife,
and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children
shall be her master`s, and he shall go out by himself. (5) And if the
servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children;
I will not go out free: (6) Then his master shall bring him unto the
judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post;
and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall
serve him for ever.
My comments: If you ended up in slavery it was usually because you
were in overwhelming difficulties financially. The person who bought
the slave paid all their debts for them, and if the slave were an
Israelite, he could only work for him for a 6 year term at maximum.
The owner would hope that while the slave worked for him he would be
repaid the amount he bought him for, as well as that he was entitled
to make a profit, and at the end of the term (less than 7 years) he
was obliged by God`s law to give the man a large present.
You can see from the judgment that sometimes the conditions in the
"slavery" were extremely good.
The man would then have some provision to keep him going while he
began to work for himself again. When Israel came out of Egypt, they
had worked for 430 years for nothing - and God made sure they took
plenty of money, clothing and provisions out of Egypt with them.
Slavery, especially child slavery, is very common in the world today
(2008) as well as abuse of other human beings in this condition.
|
