Topical Bible: Servant: Hired in Kind

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Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical times, the concept of servanthood encompassed various forms of service and labor, including those who were hired in kind. This form of servitude involved individuals who worked in exchange for goods, services, or other non-monetary compensation rather than for wages paid in currency. The practice of hiring servants in kind is evident in several passages throughout the Scriptures, reflecting the agrarian and barter-based economy of ancient Israel.

Old Testament Context

The Old Testament provides numerous examples of servitude arrangements where compensation was provided in kind. In Genesis 29, Jacob serves Laban for seven years in exchange for the right to marry his daughter Rachel. However, Laban deceives Jacob, giving him Leah instead, and Jacob agrees to serve another seven years for Rachel. This narrative illustrates a form of servitude where labor is exchanged for familial and marital rights rather than monetary payment.

In Leviticus 25:39-40, the law addresses the treatment of fellow Israelites who become poor and sell themselves as servants: "If your brother among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, you must not force him into slave labor. Let him stay with you as a hired worker or temporary resident; he is to work for you until the Year of Jubilee." Here, the servant is considered a hired worker, and the arrangement is temporary, with the Year of Jubilee providing a release from such service.

New Testament Context

The New Testament also reflects the practice of hiring servants in kind, though the focus shifts more towards spiritual servitude and the relationship between masters and servants. In the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16), Jesus describes a landowner who hires laborers for his vineyard, agreeing to pay them a denarius for the day. While this parable primarily addresses themes of grace and the kingdom of heaven, it also reflects the economic practices of the time, where laborers were often compensated with goods or provisions.

Cultural and Theological Implications

The practice of hiring servants in kind underscores the communal and relational aspects of ancient Near Eastern societies. Servants were often integrated into the household and community, and their service was not merely transactional but relational. This arrangement fostered a sense of mutual obligation and care, as seen in the biblical injunctions to treat servants with fairness and compassion.

Theologically, the concept of servitude in kind can be seen as a reflection of God's provision and care for His people. Just as servants were provided for through their labor, believers are called to trust in God's provision and to serve Him with their lives, knowing that their ultimate reward is not material but spiritual.

Biblical Principles

The biblical principles governing the treatment of servants, including those hired in kind, emphasize justice, mercy, and the inherent dignity of every individual. In Deuteronomy 24:14-15, the Israelites are commanded: "Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or a foreigner residing in your land. You are to pay his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and depends on them." This command highlights the importance of timely and fair compensation, whether in kind or in currency, and reflects God's concern for the vulnerable and marginalized.

Overall, the concept of servants hired in kind in the Bible reveals a complex interplay of economic, social, and spiritual dimensions, offering insights into the values and practices of ancient Israelite society and the broader biblical narrative.

Nave's Topical Index

Genesis 30:31,32
And he said, What shall I give you? And Jacob said, You shall not give me any thing: if you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flock.
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2 Chronicles 2:10
And, behold, I will give to your servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
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Library

The Three Parables of the Gospel: of the Recovery of the Lost - of ...
... younger of two sons of a father, who is equally loving to both, and kind even to ...
This favour only would he seek, to be as a hired servant in his father's house ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xvii the three parables.htm

'To Him that Hath Shall be Given'
... Do you think that God gave us whatever of an intellectual and emotional and moral
kind is in us ... It used to be the custom when a servant was hired for the ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/to him that hath shall.htm

The Lord of Life.
... did not need to be urged to be kind to a ... returned to the Centurion's house they found
the servant cured of ... There were hired mourners, as is the custom in that ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter xviii the lord of.htm

God's Slaves
... And he must be a very inconsiderate master, who has only another kind of duty ... The
relation between master and hired servant is not the one that is in view, but ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/gods slaves.htm

The Lost Sheep.
... adheres to the method of employing a hired servant to keep a ... and such its sphere,
that the servant is necessarily ... to two distinct classes of human kind; but it ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/xxii the lost sheep.htm

The Prodigal Son.
... position of a hired servant. Bengel suggests that the father may have cut the
prodigal's speech short by giving aloud an order to the servants for the kind and ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/xxiv the prodigal son.htm

Number one Thousand; Or, "Bread Enough and to Spare"
... The prodigal son had played the madman, for sin is madness of the worst kind. ... he
is indeed a child of God, and would be willing to be a hired servant so long ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/number one thousand or bread.htm

The Good Shepherd.
... shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." And Jesus tells how the hired servant who
cares ... carry the lambs in His bosom," or His arms, like the kind shepherd is ...
/.../anonymous/mother stories from the new testament/the good shepherd.htm

The Life of Mr. John Craig.
... was frequently delivered out of very great dangers, by the kind interposition of ...
might purge himself, and said "If he had thought his hired servant (meaning Mr ...
/.../howie/biographia scoticana scots worthies/the life of mr john 2.htm

Confession of Sin --A Sermon with Seven Texts
... is the prodigal; he has run away from a good home and a kind father, and he ... I forgive
you all; you shall not say anything about being a hired servant"I will ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 3 1857/confession of sina sermon with.htm