Why would a servant choose to remain with their master according to Exodus 21:5? Primary Text “‘But if the servant declares, “I love my master and my wife and children; I do not want to go free,” then his master is to bring him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl, and the servant will remain his servant for life.’” (Exodus 21:5-6) Historical Setting of Hebrew Servitude Hebrew “slavery” in Exodus 21 is indentured service for debt relief, limited to six years (Exodus 21:2). Unlike perpetual chattel slavery of surrounding nations, Israelite law mandated release, provision (Deuteronomy 15:13-14), and protection from abuse (Exodus 21:26-27). Clay tablets from Nuzi (15th c. BC) and the Alalakh texts show similar debt-service contracts but without compulsory release, underscoring the humanitarian distinctives of the Mosaic code. The Legal Provision for Voluntary Bond-Service 1. Voluntary Declaration. Only the servant himself could initiate lifelong service (Exodus 21:5). 2. Public Witness “Before the judges” (Heb. הָאֱלֹהִים, ha-’elohim) ensured the act was free from coercion. 3. Covenant Sign. Piercing at the doorpost echoed the Passover blood on doorposts (Exodus 12:7) and marked enduring covenant loyalty within the household. Ugaritic doorpost inscriptions confirm the doorway as a legal threshold in the ancient Near East. Motivations Behind the Choice 1. Love for the Master • Hebrew ʾāhab (“love”) implies covenant fidelity. A benevolent master who reflected God’s character (Leviticus 19:18) could inspire genuine affection. • Behavioral studies on attachment (e.g., Bowlby’s secure-base theory) illustrate why just leadership fosters voluntary commitment. 2. Preservation of Family • If the master supplied a wife, her legal status remained with the household (Exodus 21:4). Staying ensured family unity, a core biblical value (Psalm 128). • Elephantine papyri (5th c. BC) record Jewish debt-servants remaining to keep families intact, mirroring Exodus 21. 3. Economic Security • A servant released without assets faced vulnerability. Remaining guaranteed shelter, vocation, and inheritance within the estate (cf. Proverbs 30:8-9). • Debt-ledger ostraca from Lachish show peasants re-entering service during drought years for subsistence, validating the text’s realism. 4. Spiritual Significance • The pierced ear signified lifelong obedience: “You have opened my ears” (Psalm 40:6, LXX “ears You have pierced”). • Prophetic typology: the Messiah, “the Servant,” declares perpetual obedience (Isaiah 50:5-7), fulfilled in Christ (Philippians 2:7-8). Believers echo this voluntary surrender (Romans 12:1). Ethical Distinctions from Pagan Codes The Code of Hammurabi §117 permits sale of family members for indefinite slavery. Exodus 21, by contrast, upholds family bonds and voluntary lifelong service only by the servant’s choice—an ethic consistent with a Creator who values freedom (Leviticus 25:42). Christological Fulfillment and New Testament Echoes • Jesus applies servant imagery: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). • Apostles adopt “doulos” as a badge of honor (Romans 1:1; James 1:1). Their voluntary bond-service mirrors Exodus 21:5, grounded in love for the Master who ransomed them (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Practical Implications for Today Choosing lifelong allegiance to Christ parallels the servant’s decision: motivated by love, sustained by covenant security, witnessed publicly in baptism, and marked spiritually by the indwelling Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). The passage challenges modern readers to evaluate freedom not as autonomy from authority but as joyful submission to a righteous, loving Lord. Conclusion A servant remained with his master because love, family unity, economic stability, and covenant devotion made continued service preferable to nominal freedom. The historical, legal, and theological strands converge to reveal a voluntary act of commitment that prefigures the believer’s enduring bond with Christ—the perfect Master who willingly became the Servant to secure our eternal redemption. |
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