“All slaves should show full respect for their masters so they will not bring shame on the name of God and his teaching. If the masters are believers, that is no excuse for being disrespectful. Those slaves should work all the harder because their efforts are helping other believers who are well loved. Teach these things, Timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them” (1 Timothy 6:1-2 NLT).
In allowing the ancient Israelites to acquire slaves from among the surrounding nations (Leviticus 25:44-46), we should consider the larger context of God’s promise to His people…
“And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them” (Deuteronomy 28:13).
This passage underscores God’s intent to appoint the people of Israel to a leadership position among the nations of that day. The Old Testament book of Psalms describes an important advantage that derived from that appointment…
“He gave them the lands of the Gentiles, And they inherited the labor of the nations, That they might observe His statutes And keep His laws. Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 105:44-45).
So God offered two object lessons in allowing the people of Israel to acquire the land, labor, and possessions of the ancient Canaanite nations:
- It served to fulfill His promise to provide the Israelites with a position of authority.
- It served to compel a sense of respect for the God of Israel and thus encourage others to observe His statutes and laws.
This scenario is also reminiscent of Jesus’ Parable of the Talents. That parable relates the account of a servant who was entrusted with a valuable possession but failed to use it properly. That possession was subsequently taken from him and given to a servant who used his resources appropriately (see Matthew 25:14-30). Much like the unworthy servant in Jesus’ parable, the former inhabitants of Canaan failed to conduct themselves in a God-honoring manner. Thus they were dispossessed of their land as a result.
In permitting the Israelites to acquire slaves from among the surrounding nations, we should also note that God initiated a test for His people as well. For instance, how would the Israelites respond when given absolute authority over another human being? Would they treat those human beings with justice, wisdom, and compassion? Or would they adopt the relationship model held by the surrounding nations and view those slaves as nothing more than a commodity to be used and exploited?