Topical Bible: Servants: Hired: Often Oppressed and Their Wages Kept Back

◄ Servants: Hired: Often Oppressed and Their Wages Kept Back ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical times, the role of hired servants was a common and necessary part of the socio-economic structure. These individuals, often referred to as "hired workers" or "hired servants," were typically employed for specific tasks or periods and were distinct from bondservants or slaves. The Bible provides various insights into the treatment and conditions of hired servants, emphasizing justice and fairness in their employment.

Biblical Mandates for Fair Treatment

The Scriptures consistently advocate for the fair treatment of hired servants, underscoring the importance of justice and compassion. In Leviticus 19:13 , the Lord commands, "You must not defraud your neighbor or rob him. You must not withhold until morning the wages due a hired hand." This directive highlights the expectation that employers should pay their workers promptly and fairly, reflecting God's concern for the dignity and well-being of all individuals.

Similarly, Deuteronomy 24:14-15 instructs, "Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. You are to pay his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and depends on them. Otherwise, he may cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin." This passage emphasizes the vulnerability of hired servants and the moral obligation to ensure their needs are met without delay.

Prophetic Condemnation of Oppression

The prophets of Israel frequently condemned the oppression of hired servants, viewing it as a grave injustice that provoked divine wrath. In Malachi 3:5 , the Lord declares, "Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, adulterers, and perjurers, against oppressors of the widows and the fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive foreigners of justice, but do not fear Me," says the LORD of Hosts. This pronouncement underscores the seriousness with which God views the exploitation of workers and the broader implications of such actions on society.

New Testament Perspectives

The New Testament continues to reflect on the ethical treatment of hired servants, reinforcing the principles established in the Old Testament. In James 5:4 , the apostle warns, "Look, the wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts." This passage serves as a stark reminder of the accountability that employers have before God regarding the treatment of their workers.

Cultural and Historical Context

In the ancient Near Eastern context, hired servants were often among the most economically vulnerable members of society. They relied heavily on their daily wages for survival, making the prompt and fair payment of their earnings a matter of justice and mercy. The biblical injunctions against withholding wages and oppressing workers reflect a broader divine mandate to protect the marginalized and ensure equitable treatment for all.

Conclusion

The biblical narrative consistently advocates for the just and compassionate treatment of hired servants, emphasizing the moral and spiritual responsibilities of employers. Through the laws given to Israel, the prophetic condemnations of injustice, and the teachings of the New Testament, Scripture calls for a society where the dignity and rights of all workers are upheld in accordance with God's righteous standards.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Malachi 3:5
And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, said the LORD of hosts.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

James 5:4
Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, cries: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Lost Sheep.
... adheres to the method of employing a hired servant to ... Cheviots, I learned that masters
and servants in that ... its own proper place, where it is often left from ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/xxii the lost sheep.htm

Preached Before the Governor, and Council, and the House of ...
... of his sleep." Prophets, and the greatest servants of God ... Franck, previous to bringing
them here, I hired a house ... Here I repeat, what I have often declared, that ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/preached before the governor and.htm

The Epistle of St. James
... term kurios meant master' of slaves or servants in ordinary ... of a wealthy member or
a hall hired for the ... Alas, they are often great disasters, the exploits of a ...
/.../moffat/the general epistles james peter and judas/the epistle of st james.htm

His First Residence in Germany.
... becoming acquainted with the language, he hired a lodging ... visitors at the
meeting-house was often numerous, although ... example to the poor tried servants of ...
/.../chapter iv his first residence.htm

The Oration on Holy Baptism.
... classes among the saved; the slaves, the hired servants, the sons. ... of the whip; if
you are a hired servant, look ... our just and merciful Judge; and often one who ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xl the oration on.htm

The Political Constitution of Egypt
... in kind that he remunerated his servants for their ... it out; a notice posted up outside,
often on the ... purpose formed a flotilla, and their commanders constituted ...
/.../chapter ithe political constitution of.htm

Chaldaean Civilization
... their own flesh and blood, and often settled upon ... their father, took the place of
hired servants, and were ... they ended by becoming confidential servants in the ...
/.../chapter iiichaldaean civilization.htm

Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ;
... New Testament times, he is called by no name so often as this ... No, no, their presence
and working kills me. ... that he came to heal them "that were oppressed of the ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/come and welcome to jesus.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... Egypt: they are defeated and driven back by Cyaxares ... during their respective reigns,
kept anxious watch ... their critical faculties, and often their imagination as ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

Mr. Bunyan's Last Sermon:
... too far about; and that, therefore, their usual way ... they went on all, save that
Christian kept before, who ... comfortably;[58] also he would be often reading in ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/mr bunyans last sermon .htm