Marbaniang, Domenic

Slavery is the practice of owning slaves. Though God permitted it in the Old Testament (See Permissive Will ), He legislated laws to protect the dignity and individuality of the slave as a human created in God's image. According to the New Testament principle, however, slavery is inhuman, immoral, and evil. People sometimes bemoan the fact that slavery was permitted in the Old Testament; but, what one needs not fail to recognize is that it was permitted for only a liberating purpose and with certain limitations. It was both limited and liberating. Deuteronomy 15:12-18 underscores at least three laws about the practice of slavery: 1. It was to be VOLUNTARY The Law specifies, - If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself.. (Deut.15:12, NIV) It was not to be a forced bond-labor. It had to be voluntary. When a person would be in so much debt that he couldn't pay it back anymore, he usually would prefer selling himself as a slave. In other cultures, such slavery would become...

People sometimes bemoan the fact that slavery was permitted in the Old Testament; but, what one needs not fail to recognize is that it was permitted for only a liberating purpose and with certain limitations. It was both limited and liberating. Deuteronomy 15:12-18 underscores at least three laws about the practice of slavery: 1. It was to be VOLUNTARY. The Law specifies, "If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself.." It was not to be a forced bond-labor. It had to be voluntary. When a person would be in so much debt that he couldn't pay it back anymore, he usually would prefer selling himself as a slave. In other cultures, such slavery would become permanent and for generations. But, the Bible didn't permit that, unless the servant voluntarily willed to remain with the master (16-17). 2. It was to be TEMPORARY. It says that when one has served for 6 years, in the 7th year "you must let him go free." Slavery couldn't spill over into the 7th yea...