Chronological Study (012/365)

Genesis 32:1 – 35:27

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THE GOD OF ISRAEL
(Genesis 32-33)

Genesis 32:1-2 says, “¹ Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him. ² Jacob said when he saw them, ‘This is God’s camp.’ So he named that place Mahanaim.”

Reminiscent of Jacob’s vision of the ladder/stairway to Heaven (28:16-17), Jacob again is granted access to see into the spiritual realm. This time, he notices that the angels are with him, not merely going up and down between Heaven and earth. The word “camp” is the Hebrew word מַֽחֲנֶה [H4264] maḥănê (makh-an-ay’), which means a camp, host, or company, whether of soldiers or tribes. And the word “Mahanaim” Jacob chose to name the location is the Hebrew מַֽחֲנַיִם [H4266] maḥănayim (makh-an-ay’-yim), which is the dual of the prior word and means two camps. In other words, Jacob essentially exclaimed, “My camp is here, but so is a heavenly camp of the Lord’s angels!” Whereas Bethel (which means “house of God”), suggested a fixed location for GOD, this maḥănê (camp) implies that the Lord’s heavenly army is mobile. Indeed, GOD is with Jacob, just as He promised He would be (28:15).

In 32:3-5, knowing that he is returning to the land of his father, Jacob takes the initiative to reconnect with his brother Esau because he knows that he will eventually be forced to confront his past. Seeking to find favor in his brother’s sight, Jacob instructs his messengers to go ahead of him to Esau. In the Hebrew, word play is involved between 32:1 and 32:3 with the word מַלְאָךְ [H4397] mal’āḵ (mal-awk’), which does mean messenger when referring to a mere human, but is also translated to mean an angel when referring to the Lord’s messenger. So, the Lord sent messengers (angels) from His camp to meet Jacob, and Jacob decides to send messengers from his camp to meet Esau. When Jacob sends his messengers, he instructs them to address Esau as “lord” and to refer to Jacob as his “servant”. Now, when Jacob calls Esau “lord”, it is important to understand that Jacob is not referring to him as the Lord, or acknowledging him as a god; rather, the word “lord” is the Hebrew אָדוֹן [H113] ‘āḏôn (aw-done’), which means a king, a master, an owner, or someone who is in control. Thus, Jacob acknowledging and declaring himself to be in a lower position than Esau was an act of humility. In fact, this act of humility is a redemptive role reversal of when Jacob took advantage of Esau in order to acquire his birthright and blessing (25:29-34; 27:5-38). Essentially, Jacob’s actions declared that he was not first; moreover, he desired for Esau to be blessed.

In 32:6-8, Jacob’s messengers returned and stated that Esau was coming to meet him and that 400 men were with Esau. This news terrified Jacob. Why? Because in 27:41-42, the last memory he had of his brother is when his mother informed him that Esau intended to murder him. After all, with only 318 men, Abraham defeated the combined forces of four kings (14:14-16), so 400 men had the potential of completely wiping out Jacob and his entire line. Consequently, Jacob divided everyone and everything into two camps, thinking that if Esau attacked them, then at least one camp might be able to escape with their lives. Now, the Hebrew word used is מַֽחֲנֶה [H4264] maḥănê (makh-an-ay’), which is the same word that was used to describe the two camps of Jacob’s tribe and the angels of the Lord in 32:1-2. At first, Jacob was one whole camp, but then the fear of his brother tore him in half into two camps. But if the second camp was supposed to be the angels of the Lord who were with him, why did Jacob allow the fear of his brother to overcome him? Simply put, the reason is because Jacob was human and he allowed his emotions to overcome the logical truth that the Lord’s angels were with him. However, despite his fear, in 32:9-12, Jacob responded by turning to the Lord in prayer. Though Jacob did use GOD’s personal name (YHWH) for the first time, Jacob prayed to the GOD of Abraham and Isaac, revealing yet again that he had not committed himself wholeheartedly to a personal relationship with the Lord. In his prayer, he reminded the Lord of all that the Lord had promised him and then he requested for the Lord’s protection while also humbly acknowledging the fact that he was undeserving of all the love and faithfulness the Lord had already shown him, recognizing that he started with nothing and is now blessed to even be able to be two camps. Jacob reflected on his decision to walk with the Lord and how it brought him blessings. Why would the GOD of Bethel abandon him now? Truly, there’s only two paths we can walk in life, either the path of righteousness or the path of wickedness (Deuteronomy 11:26-28; 30:15-20; Proverbs 3:6-7; Ezekiel 18; John 3:18-21; Romans 1:28; 1John 3:4-10). C.S. Lewis might have said it best: “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ ” And so Jacob stayed where he was at while waiting for the Lord to guide him under His protection.

In Genesis 32:13-21, Jacob attempted to spend the night where he was at, but apparently was unable to sleep. While waiting for the Lord to respond to his prayer of protection, Jacob formulated a plan and then took action. Jacob decided to send ahead of him a peace offering gift of over 500 animals for Esau to keep for himself. This gift was larger than many towns would have been able to pay in tribute to conquering kings even at later dates, indicating just how much GOD had blessed Jacob. Not only did Jacob send over 500 animals, but in a tactical move of defense, he sent them one drove at a time, and put a space between each drove. If Esau and his men had in mind to conquer and plunder, this would have potentially saved them the trouble of exerting energy in battle. After sending the peace offering ahead of him, Jacob was still unable to sleep and so in 32:22-23, he decided to send everyone and everything across the shallow point of the Jabbok (yab-boke’) river to continue their journey even though it was still dark outside.

However, in 32:24-32, this decision to send everyone and everything across the river left Jacob alone on the other side, and abruptly, “a man” wrestled with him until daybreak. Thus, Scripture reveals a theme of mankind’s unceasing desire to wrestle against each other and against GOD. At first, Leah and Rachel wrestled against each other (30:7-8), then Laban and Jacob wrestled against each other (29:25; 31:26-30), and now Jacob finds himself wrestling with a mysterious “man”. Now, when this “man” saw that Jacob wouldn’t allow Him to prevail against Jacob, the “man” dislocated the socket of Jacob’s thigh where it meets his hip and then He told Jacob to let Him go because the dawn was breaking. Jacob, however, said he refused to let go until the “man” blessed him. In response to Jacob’s request to be blessed, the “man” asked Jacob, “What is your name?” And Jacob answered, “Jacob.” However, the “man” said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” Jacob then asked for the name of the “man”, but His response was only, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And then the “man” blessed Jacob. And then as it is written, Jacob named the place Peniel because he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” And then as the sun came up, and the “man” was gone, Jacob continued his journey, limping.

As previously discussed in the topic of theophany, the “man” in this story is none other than the preincarnate Christ, the Lord Himself. For this reason, Jacob named the location פְּנוּאֵל [H6439] penû’ēl (pen-oo-ale’), which means face of God or facing God. It is also the reason the Lord said to Jacob, “you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” How did Jacob prevail? Because he refused to give up; he was determined to be blessed. Jacob refused to let go of the Lord and so he received the Lord’s blessing! Hosea 12:3 will later recount this event by saying, “In the womb he took his brother by the heel, And in his maturity he contended with God.”

Now, even though Jacob said that he had seen GOD “face to face”, that does not mean he literally saw the entirety of the Lord’s face. Not only is this an expression that describes personal or intimate contact, but we must remember that the entire wrestling match happened during the darkness of night. For this reason, I believe the Lord instructed Jacob to let go of Him prior to sunrise so that Jacob would not be able to see His face entirely. In fact, the Lord chose to dislocate the socket of Jacob’s thigh to initiate a conclusion to the wrestling match because Jacob refused to let go until he received a blessing. However, to receive His blessing, Jacob had to answer a simple question: “What is your name?” And Jacob answered, “Jacob.” But why did Jacob’s answer of such a simple truth earn him the blessing? Because Jacob’s history had been centered around lies regarding his identity. In Genesis 27:18-19, Isaac asked Jacob who he was, but Jacob lied and claimed to be Esau, the person who rightfully deserved the blessing. But this time, Jacob told the truth and humbly confessed his character flaw and his true identity – he is Jacob, the heel grabber, deceiver, and supplanter (25:26; 27:36). In his past, Jacob had been determined to be blessed even if he had to receive his blessing through deceitful deeds. Though Jacob is still seeking to be blessed (which is a good desire), he is now humble and desires to receive blessings through honesty and hard work. Due to Jacob’s character development over 20 years of being deceived by Laban, Jacob was now humble enough to receive the Lord’s blessing. Hence, the Lord renamed him from Jacob to “Israel”, which is the Hebrew יִשְׂרָאֵל [H3478] yiśrā’ēl (yis-raw-ale’), which means God’s power, God prevails, God fights, or God contends. Thus, the Lord made it known that every blessing and victory Jacob will ever receive will not come from Jacob’s own power out from deception, but due to the Lord’s power, holiness, love, and grace. However, the name Israel also has a meaning of contending with GOD, implying that Jacob wrestled with GOD and will no longer strive against man because all his struggles will now be taken directly to the Lord. And the fact that Jacob wrestled the Lord in the darkness and then became Israel when the sun came up showcases the image of salvation! Consider the following:

In Isaiah 9:2, the prophet speaks of hope in the Messiah and says, “The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.” And then Jesus quotes this verse in Matthew 4:16.

In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”

In John 12:46, Jesus says, “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.”

In Acts 26:18, after Jesus blinded Paul (Saul) with light brighter than the sun, Jesus commanded Paul to open the eyes of both Jews and Gentiles “so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in [Christ].”

In Romans 13:12, Paul says, “The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

In Ephesians 5:8, Paul says, “you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.”

In Colossians 1:13-14, Paul says, “¹³ For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

In 1Thessalonians 5:4-6, Paul says, “⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; ⁵ for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; ⁶ so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.”

In 1Peter 2:9-10, Peter says, “⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Therefore, Jacob – now Israel – is a representative of GOD-Almighty and now walks in the light as a chosen child of GOD of the royal priesthood. However, so that Israel would understand not to rely on his own power, the Lord dislocated the socket of his thigh; consequently, Israel continued on his journey, blessed by the Lord, but humbled and limping, no longer able to run away from the consequences of his choices. And this entire story paints a beautiful picture that when a person seeks the Lord in prayer and asks to be rescued, that person will encounter a wrestling match with the Lord due to his/her sinful nature of darkness. And when that person wrestles with the Lord while seeking the Lord’s blessing, that person will never walk the same again because that person will be changed, will become a new person, will not rely upon his/her own strength, and will rely upon the Lord. That person will be changed and will walk in the light as a chosen child of GOD of the royal priesthood! Israel became a wrestler who overcomes and receives blessings because the Lord took hold of him. The Lord taught Israel not to grab at the heel of any man, but to hold on to GOD and never let go. If you set out to grab onto GOD, GOD will grab hold of you! For this reason, it is written in James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” And when the Lord grabs hold of you, truly, as it is written in 2Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” For this reason, it is also written in Revelation 2:17, “To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.”

In Genesis 33:1-3, Israel, now limping, and still having not slept the night before, yet sober and alert, looked up and noticed that Esau and his 400 men were coming toward him. With adrenaline flowing through his veins, Israel divided the children among the two maids, Leah, and Rachel, putting the maids and their children in front, Leah and her children after them, and then Rachel and Joseph last. Why did he do this? Favoritism. Israel positioned them according to prioritized favor, which would have allowed Rachel and Joseph the best opportunity to flee for their lives if Esau and his men attacked. And with Joseph being the only child listed by name, Scripture is setting the stage for his prominent position we will later see. However, in a selfless and masculine act of love, Israel then “passed on ahead of them and bowed down to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother”, placing himself between the women and children and the potential threat. Before Israel wrestled with GOD, he planned to stay behind and use his servants as shields to protect himself (32:16-21); however, after receiving his new name and identity, he decided to go ahead of everyone in an act of sacrificial love. This is an example of how the love of GOD changes us from the inside out and realigns us with GOD’s will! The fact that he bowed down to the ground seven times showcases total submission, signifying to Esau that if he had any intentions of battle, then Israel surrendered in advance. Essentially, Israel gave honor to Esau while also requesting mercy and pleading for peace. And then 33:4 says that Esau ran to Israel. How would you feel in that moment if you were Israel, not knowing if your brother is running toward you with excitement or with rage? Yet the verse continues by saying that Esau embraced Israel and then they both wept. 20 years of emotions streamed down their faces in the form of tears. By Esau forgiving Jacob and not attacking him, Esau was showing Jacob the love of GOD (Matthew 6:12-15; 18:21-35; Mark 11:25; Luke 6:37; 7:47; 11:4; 17:3-4; 2Corinthians 2:7-8; Colossians 3:13). After all, as it is written, ‘the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1John 4:20; see also, 1Timothy 5:8).

In Genesis 33:5-11, Israel continues to address Esau as “lord” and refers to himself as “servant” while explaining that all the animals Esau had seen were a gift for him. Esau, addressing Israel as his “brother” declines the gift at first, but at Israel’s insistence, he finally accepts the gift. Esau’s acceptance of the gift was important to Israel because this was restitution for the wrongdoings he had committed against his brother 20 years ago. Now, in 33:10, when Israel said, “I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably”, he was not implying that Esau was like a god, but merely making a connection of the fact that Esau received him favorably and spared his life just like the “man” did who recently blessed him (32:30). If you remember, Israel believed he saw the “face of God” in that “man” who received him favorably, blessed him, and spared his life. Thus, to be received with such favor is like the encounter he had with the Lord. Therefore, when we act like the Lord, people will see the Lord when they look at us.

In 33:12, Esau says, “Let us take our journey and go, and I will go before you.” The minor details in the language are important. Esau used inclusive language such as “us” and “our” to communicate to his brother that there is no division between them. Further, Esau even offered to go before Israel, signifying that he will ensure Israel’s safety. However, in 33:13-18, Israel, still addressing his brother as “lord” and referring to himself as “servant”, explains that he is unable to travel with Esau and his men because their fast pace would be a strain on all the youth of the children and animals. And then for reasons unknown, Israel tells Esau that he would eventually meet him in Seir (say-eer’). However, the remainder of the passage goes on to state that Israel traveled in the opposite direction to Succoth and then on to Shechem, without ever mentioning Israel going to Seir. Why not? Did Israel lie to his brother? Did he visit him at some point later on yet Scripture doesn’t mention it? Scripture is silent on the matter, but the immediate context seems to imply that Israel won’t allow himself to trust Esau, and he simply desires to continue on his journey without meeting up with his brother. All known details seem to imply that Israel didn’t want to inform Esau where he was going or what he was about to do. Of course, that is mere speculation, but I believe it is a reasonable belief considering all available evidence.

Though Scripture does not say anything more regarding Seir, Scripture does state that the Lord brought Israel back safely to the land of Canaan into the city of Shechem, thus mostly fulfilling His promise made 20 years ago (28:15). And then 33:19-20 concludes with Israel purchasing some land in that city, fulfilling GOD’s promise to Abraham (12:7). Israel then possibly reconstructs the altar Abraham had built there, by building an altar and calling it “El-Elohe-Israel.” Why is this important? Because “El-Elohe-Israel” means “God, the God of Israel”. Therefore, Israel finally made the decision to have a personal relationship with the Lord rather than referring to the Lord as “the God of Abraham” or “the God of Isaac”. The Lord is now the GOD of Israel.

• In Genesis 32:1-2, Jacob had been in awe that a camp of the Lord’s angels had been with him. But are you aware that a heavenly host of the Lord’s angels are with you wherever you are? Do you have the same sense of awe? If you could see them where you are right now, how would that change your perspective regarding your current circumstance?
• In 32:3-5, Jacob took the initiative to restore the relationship with his brother. What followed was a successful restoration and an encounter with the Lord which concluded with the Lord blessing Jacob. But what about you? Is there a relationship that has been broken between you and someone else because of the wrong you’ve committed? If so, are you willing to take the initiative to restore that relationship?
• In 32:9-12, Jacob’s first response to his fear and uncertainty regarding his future was to pray to the Lord. But what about you? Is prayer your last resort or your first response?
• If there are only two paths we can walk, then there are really only two camps in which we can dwell. Where are you walking? In which campground do you dwell?
• In 32:24-32, Jacob refused to let go of the Lord; consequently, he received His blessing. But what about you? Regardless of circumstances, are you determined to never let go of the Lord until you receive His blessing?
• We must be persistent in our faith and refuse to let go of GOD until we are blessed (Matthew 7:7-11; Luke 18:1-8; 11:5-13)! Where in your spiritual life do you need the persistence and endurance of a wrestler?
• In order for Jacob to be blessed by the Lord, he first had to confess his true identity and character flaws of being sinful. Only those who confess their sinful nature showcase a need for the Lord’s blessing. 1John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Are you willing to confess your sinful nature?
• Every wrestling match Jacob ever found himself in, he came out victorious. Have you wrestled with your identity? Have you wrestled against your sinful nature? Have you wrestled against your pride? Have you wrestled against addiction? What things in your life do you need to wrestle against and come out victorious?
• Jacob had been named after his character. But what about you? What if you were named after your character? What would be your name? Liar? Murderer? Pervert? Lustful? Angry? Cheater? Jerk? So… what is your name? Who are you? Confess your name and confess your sins. Wrestle with the Lord and ask for a new identity. What name do you want to have? What would you like to be called? Helper? Encourager? Trustworthy? Honest? Man of GOD? Woman of GOD?
• Have you had a personal wrestling encounter with the Lord that ended up in you being changed and never walking the same again? If so, what is your story? And have you shared that story with anyone? If you have a testimony, are you willing to share your story? Just as we needed to hear Jacob’s story, don’t you think there are people who need to hear your story?
• In Genesis 33:3, Israel placed himself between the women and children and a potential attacker even though he had been injured, he was exhausted, and without sleep. In John 15:13, Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” So, are you loving enough to place yourself between the enemy and those who are weaker or innocent?
• In Genesis 33:10, Israel saw the Lord in Esau due to his lovingkindness. But what about you? When people look at you, do they see a reflection of the Lord? If you have been changed by the Lord, do you not realize that when people look at you, they should see a representative of GOD-Almighty who now walks in the light as a chosen child of GOD of the royal priesthood?

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DEDICATION TO DINAH
(Genesis 34)

Genesis 34:1 says that Leah’s daughter, Dinah, went out one day to visit with other daughters of the land. But 34:2 says, “When Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.” Now, Dinah was not to blame for Shechem raping her; Shechem would have been the only person condemned in this scenario. However, a curious question does arise regarding Dinah’s situation: why did she go out to visit with the other daughters of the land? Did she have a good reason to leave the safety of her home or did she go when she should not have traveled? In 1Timothy 5:13, Paul says that some young women, “learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention.” So, did Dinah go where she should not have been? We don’t know; Scripture is silent on the matter. But because Scripture describes this event as if it were a normal occurrence for Dinah, it seems likely that she was completely innocent. However, Dinah’s innocence seems to have been combined with complacency. Had she traveled alone? If so, it’s likely that her youthful immaturity led her to be isolated and vulnerable to the attack. But again, even if Dinah had somehow set herself up to enter into a dangerous scenario, Shechem would be the only person condemned in this scenario; Dinah was a victim. However, it’s always good to thoughtfully consider how events unfolded and why things happened the way they did.

It is written that Shechem is the son of Hamor the Hivite. If you remember, Genesis 10:17 informed us that the Hivites are descendants of Ham (one of Noah’s sons), through the Canaanites. They were indigenous inhabitants of the promised land, and they were usually referred to along with other groups such as the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, and Jebusites. Later in our chronological journey, the Lord will command the Israelites to conquer these people and take over the promised land (Exodus 3:8; 23:23; Deuteronomy 7:1).

Genesis 34:3 says, “He was deeply attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her.” Now, when it says that “He was deeply attracted to” Dinah, that English translation comes from two Hebrew words. First, the word דָּבַק [H1692] dāḇaq (dawb-vak’) means to stick to, to cling to, and hence, connected to [someone/something]. Second, the word נֶפֶשׁ [H5315] nep̄ešh (neh’-fesh) means soul, self, life, person, living being, that which breathes the breath of life. Therefore, the Hebrew literally means that Shechem’s soul had connected to Dinah’s soul and stuck to her. As a natural consequence of that sexual relation with her, he experienced and felt the power of GOD’s design of two becoming one (2:24). However, Shechem acted sinfully outside of GOD’s design because Dinah was not his wife and she had been unwilling to become one with him. And because his soul had connected to her, he realized that he “loved” her. Though the Hebrew word אָהַב [H157] ‘āhaḇ (aw-hav’) does mean to love, the irony of this situation is that the proper context of the scenario reveals the opposite. Obviously Shechem did not love Dinah; if he had loved her, he would not have raped her. The truth is that his initial feeling had been lust, not love. However, after he experienced the beauty of his soul connecting to her soul and becoming one with her, he then desired to love her. When Scripture says he spoke “tenderly” to her, the Hebrew word לֵב [H3820] lēḇ (lave) means the inner person, mind, heart, will, conscious understanding. Therefore, the Hebrew literally means that Shechem attempted to speak to Dinah’s heart, the inner most part of who she is, with the hope of her understanding his words. However, that action should have preceded the action of sexual intercourse. And because Shechem defied GOD’s design, he defiled Dinah.

In 34:4, Shechem spoke to his father, Hamor, and requested that he acquire Dinah to be his wife. In 35:5, Jacob heard that Dinah had been defiled. Scripture doesn’t state how Jacob heard, but it seems likely that Dinah went back home and shared the horrible news with her father. However, because his sons were tending livestock in a field, Jacob decided to stay silent until his sons returned home. According to James 1:19-20, Jacob’s initial silence seems to be wise, for it is written, “¹⁹ But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; ²⁰ for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.”

In Genesis 34:6-10, Hamor went to Jacob in order to arrange a marriage between Shechem and Dinah. By this point, Jacob’s sons had also heard the news and arrived, extremely angry. In Hamor’s negotiation for marriage on behalf of his son, he presented an offer of intermarriage, saying, “give your daughters to us and take our daughters for yourselves.” The end goal of this deal would be to unite as one large tribe who would share all the land and resources within the land, thus ensuring their strength and survival. In 34:11-12, Shechem added that he would do whatever it takes and pay any price as long as he could have Dinah as his wife. Though a bride price was typical in the Ancient Near East, it is written in Song of Solomon 8:7 that money cannot purchase love. And how could Dinah ever love the man who raped her? How could Dinah’s father and brothers ever allow her rapist to purchase her? Because Shechem had defiled Dinah, in Genesis 34:13-17, Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father with deceit, telling them that they would only be able to agree to this deal if all males from their tribe became circumcised as they were, because uncircumcision was a disgrace to them. The Hebrew word for “deceit” is מִרְמָה [H4820] mirmâ (meer-maw’), which means deception with a malicious motive. This is the same word used in 27:35 when Isaac told Esau, “Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.” Certainly, Jacob had once been known as a deceiver, but now his sons are far surpassing any deceitful ploy Jacob ever did because their motive in their deception is much darker than anything Jacob ever planned.

Surprisingly, in 34:18, the counteroffer Jacob’s sons presented seemed good and reasonable to both Hamor and Shechem. Now, I can understand why it might have seemed reasonable to Shechem since his desire to have Dinah was so strong, but I am surprised that his father, Hamor, would also believe the demand to be reasonable. What did Hamor have to gain from getting circumcised? But then 34:19-24 reveals an even greater surprise in that the entire tribe agrees to this demand as well. However, the details within those verses explains why they all agreed to the demand of circumcision. In 34:19, Scripture reveals that Shechem was the most respected person in his father’s household. Why? Well, 34:2 informs us that Shechem was “the prince of the land”. But if Shechem was the prince of the land, then it is reasonable to believe that his father, Hamor, was the king or chief of the land. And in 34:20-24, both Hamor and Shechem convinced their people that not only would they receive Jacob’s daughters for their wives, but all of Jacob’s livestock and property would become their own, and by becoming one large tribe, they would become stronger, which would better ensure their safety and survival from potential enemies. Thus, Scripture reveals a picture of deceit from both sides: Jacob’s sons have ulterior motives for convincing Hamor’s tribe to get circumcised; likewise, Hamor’s tribe has ulterior motives for allowing Jacob’s tribe to unite with them. Thus, this tense scenario is like watching two spiders who desire to eat each other – who will initiate the first move of attack and who will be consumed?

In 34:25-26, on the third day after Hamor’s tribe circumcised themselves, while they were still in pain, Simeon and Levi went through the city and killed every male of Hamor’s tribe with the sword. But why did they kill all of the males? Why not just Shechem? We truly don’t know the character of any of those males who got killed, but if Shechem was the prince of the land and his father, Hamor, was the king/chief of the land, then it would have been too risky to keep the other males alive. However, this was an evil deed because circumcision was the sign of the covenant between GOD and His people that would bring divine blessing (17:10-14). The only people who should be circumcised are those who worship GOD (YHWH) and acknowledge Abraham as their father in the faith. While Jacob’s sons were right to insist that circumcision would be necessary in order for both tribes to become one people, their decision to keep GOD out of their plans was wrong. So, not only did Jacob’s sons instruct Hamor’s tribe to do what GOD never commanded them to do, but then Simeon and Levi murdered all the males who received GOD’s covenant. But why did Simeon and Levi murder the males with the sword? Simeon was son #2 and Levi was son #3, both of them brothers to Dinah, sharing Leah as their mother.

After killing Hamor and Shechem, it is written that they took Dinah from Shechem’s house. This means that Dinah had been used as bait, living with Shechem in his house for at least three days until her brothers came and removed her from his house. Though it is almost certain that Shechem didn’t have another opportunity to rape her again due to him being circumcised and in pain, she still lived with her rapist for at least three days. In addition to the trauma Dinah experienced from being raped and then having to live with her rapist for at least three days, she also witnessed Shechem get killed by the sword. Through all of this, the true victim in this scenario had been overlooked; Dinah was neither consulted nor comforted. Can you imagine the trauma Dinah experienced?

In 34:27-29, the remainder of Jacob’s sons went through the city and took plunder from all the slain. In 34:23, Hamor’s tribe had schemed to take all of Jacob’s livestock, but in 34:28-29, in a great reversal, Jacob’s sons took not only all of Hamor’s livestock, but also the surviving children and females. Thus, many Hivites became absorbed into the tribe of Jacob.

In 34:30, angry with Simeon and Levi, Jacob told them that their actions caused the tribe of Jacob to be hated among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. Further, believing that the other inhabitants would wage war against them, Jacob feared that they would be destroyed and erased from history. However, because Jacob had remained silent and never took action, Jacob’s sons challenged his leadership and authority and asked their father in 34:31, “Should he treat our sister as a harlot?” However, Jacob does not answer. Perhaps the inspired Scripture ends with Jacob’s silence as a reminder that Jacob’s failure to intervene at an earlier stage may have contributed to the outcome. Regardless, his silence seems to fit his character and calls to remembrance what is written in 25:27: “When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents.”

• Genesis 34 is an often overlooked, avoided, and rarely discussed chapter in the Bible, but Dinah deserves some time for dedicated discussion. This entire chapter was included in the Holy Spirit inspired Scriptures as a dedication to Dinah due to the devastation and division caused by the lack of devotion to Dinah and her defilement. I, for one, am in absolute awe that the Lord loved Dinah so much that He made certain that her story would be included in sacred Scripture. But what about you? Do you truly comprehend how much love the Lord had for Dinah?
• In 34:1-2, Dinah got raped by Shechem because she had most likely put herself in a dangerous situation due to lacking both situational awareness and self-defense training. But what about you? Do you go to places you ought not go? Even if you travel to places that are common, do you travel alone and make yourself vulnerable to attack? Are you aware of your surroundings at all times? Have you been trained in any type of self-defense course?
• Have you been a victim of rape? If so, have you received counseling? Have you been able to heal both emotionally and spiritually?
• Do the exegeted details of 34:3 help you to better understand the depth beyond the surface of sexual intercourse? Are you able to better understand GOD’s design of two becoming one?
• Because Jacob remained silent and failed to follow through with any fatherly leadership (34:5), his sons decided to take matters into their own hands and they conjured up a plan to murder the tribe of Hamor (34:13-29). How would you have responded if you were Jacob?
• Shechem freely chose to rape a woman named Dinah; consequently, Jacob’s sons murdered the entire tribe connected with Shechem and then captured all remaining children and females, absorbing them into their own tribe. Can you see how far the reach of sin can go? Do you understand how destructive sin can be when we allow sin to be master over us?
• Are you able to put yourself in the place of Dinah and understand how she might have felt? Dinah had been a victim, but Jacob’s sons created multiple new victims by capturing the children and females alive. The children most likely witnessed their fathers get murdered. The females most likely witnessed their husbands get murdered. Are you able to put yourself in the place of all the children and females who got captured and understand how they might have felt?
• In 34:31, Jacob’s sons essentially presented the argument that their actions of murdering the tribe of Hamor was justified due to Shechem defiling Dinah and treating her as if she had been a harlot. Though this type of behavior was common in the Ancient Near East, do you believe that their actions were justified? Why or why not?
• As Christians within the new covenant, what does the Word tell us regarding seeking revenge?
• As the chronological story of the Bible continues, we will see that Dinah is never mentioned again and that she faded into oblivion. But even when everyone else seems to forget, GOD remembers. When no one seems to notice, GOD notices. When no one else seems to care, GOD cares. When you feel all alone, GOD is present. Think: GOD’s love is the reason this chapter is dedicated to Dinah. So, what does GOD want us to learn from Dinah’s drama? First, we must not allow sexual passion to boil over into evil actions. Passion must be controlled. Sexual sin is devastating because of its eternal consequences (1Corinthians 6:15-20; 10:8-13). Second, we are called to overcome evil by doing good (Romans 12:21). Third, we are to love our enemies (Matthew 5:38-48; Luke 6:27-36). Fourth, we are not to seek revenge because GOD is the Avenger (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:17-19; Matthew 26:52).

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WHO’S YOUR DADDY?
(Genesis 35:1-27)

In Genesis 34, Jacob failed to lead as a father after his daughter Dinah got raped; consequently, Jacob’s sons decided to take matters into their own hands and they murdered Hamor’s entire tribe and then looted the city. As a result, Jacob feared that the other inhabitants of the land would join forces to kill him and his entire tribe. However, in 35:1, GOD the Father does not fail to lead and He instructs Jacob to return to Bethel, dwell there, and make an altar there to Him who appeared to Jacob 20 years ago after he fled from his brother, Esau. Now, if you remember, in 28:15, the Lord said to Jacob, “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” But what was “this” land? Bethel – the location where the Lord revealed Himself to Jacob in the vision of the stairway to Heaven.

So, in 35:2-3, encouraged and emboldened by his encounter with the Lord, Jacob commands his tribe to get rid of the foreign “gods” among them, to purify themselves, change their garments, and then after doing so, they would all travel to Bethel in order to make an altar to his GOD who has been with him through everything and never left him. And surprisingly, in 35:4, everyone falls into line and acts in faithful obedience to Jacob’s command once again: “So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem.”

Now, this oak tree is likely the same “oak of Moreh” (mo-reyh’) mentioned in 12:6 when Abram traveled to the “site of Shechem” where the Lord appeared to Abram and promised him that the land would belong to his descendants, and then Abram built an altar there to the Lord. But why did Jacob’s entire tribe have to be told to get rid of the foreign “gods” among them? Well, evidently the foreign “gods” Rachel stole from Laban (31:19) were still with her, but it’s also likely that some of the foreign “gods” came from the plunder they took after murdering Hamor’s tribe and looting the city (34:25-29). But Jacob commanded his tribe to get rid of those idols.

The burial of these idols at Shechem may be symbolically significant, implying that the wicked actions of Simeon and Levi reflect the influence of polytheism. In fact, later on in our chronological journey, we will see in 1Corinthians 10:20-22 that Paul says, “²⁰ the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. ²² Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?” Therefore, Jacob was preparing his family to properly worship the Lord for when they arrive in Bethel.

In Genesis 34:30, Jacob worried that all the other inhabitants of the land would unite together to kill him and his entire tribe; however, 35:5 states that GOD had placed a great terror upon all the surrounding cities so that they did not pursue Jacob’s tribe as they traveled. So, in 35:6-7, Jacob and his tribe arrive in Luz (which will later become known as Bethel) and Jacob builds and altar there, calling the place “El-bethel” (which means “God of Bethel”, or “The God of the house of God”). In 28:18, Jacob had only constructed a pillar to GOD, but now he constructs an altar to GOD, revealing a personal relationship with the Lord and acknowledging how GOD has been faithful to him.

Now, in 35:8, the narration seems to be abruptly interrupted and says, “Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; it was named Allon-bacuth” [al-lone’ baw-kooth’] (which means “oak of weeping”). But why is the death of Rebekah’s nurse mentioned yet the death of Rebekah is never mentioned? Why was there never any weeping for Rebekah mentioned? And why was Rebekah’s nurse with Jacob anyway? In 24:59, Rebekah’s nurse is briefly mentioned, yet without name. Here, a name of the nurse has been given as Deborah. It’s possible that her presence with Jacob suggests that she had been sent to him by Rebekah in fulfillment of her promise in 27:45 when she said, “I will send and get you from there”. Nevertheless, Scripture is silent on the matter and so all guesses are mere conjecture. However, one thing seems to be certain: the narration regarding Deborah’s burial is not an abrupt interruption; rather, it is a continuation of the previous narration and showcases a stark contrast to the burial of the false “gods”. No tears were shed while burying the false “gods”; to be rid of those false “gods” is a good riddance. However, there was weeping involved in Deborah’s death.

In 35:9-10, it is written that GOD blessed Jacob. This not only confirms the blessing he received from the Lord in his wrestling match in 32:29, but more importantly, it places Jacob on a par with Abraham and Isaac, of whom similar affirmations were also made (24:1; 25:11). Not only did GOD bless Jacob, but He also reminded him that his name was no longer Jacob, but Israel. So, not only did GOD bring Israel back to the place where he first encountered the Lord (28:10-22), but GOD made it known that the GOD of Bethel is the same GOD who gave Israel his new identity back in 32:24-32 after wrestling with Jacob and dislocating the socket of his thigh. Therefore, the Lord who revealed Himself at the top of the stairway to Heaven is the same Lord who wrestled with Jacob and gave him his new name of Israel. But in 35:11, GOD gives Israel a new name by which he can call the Lord: El Shaddai (which means, “God Almighty” or “God most powerful”). And this is how GOD revealed Himself to Abraham in 17:5-6, and also how Isaac referred to GOD in 28:3-4 when he blessed Jacob. And continuing in 35:11-12, GOD Almighty says to Israel, “¹¹ Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from you. ¹² “The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, And I will give the land to your descendants after you.”

When GOD said, “Be fruitful and multiply”, it was the same command GOD gave to Adam and Eve (1:28) and Noah and his sons (9:1), but it was also the blessing Isaac spoke to Jacob before he fled from his brother (28:3). And when GOD said that nations and kings would come from him, that was the same promise GOD gave to Abraham (17:6,16). Therefore, GOD declares that Israel is indeed the one who will continue what GOD started through Abraham.

In 35:13-16, after GOD finished speaking, Israel set up a pillar, anointed it with oil, and then the entire tribe of Israel continued on their journey toward Ephrath (ef-rawth’). However, on the way, Rachel began to give birth, but she had great difficulty and suffered severely through her labor. In 35:17, a midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for now you have another son.” In fact, the birth of this son was exactly what Rachel had desired. In 30:23-24, after giving birth to Joseph, believing that GOD had taken away her reproach, she named her son Joseph, saying, “May the Lord give me another son” because the meaning of “Joseph” is “may he add”, which implied that her prayer was for GOD to give her yet another son. Therefore, this new son was the answer to Rachel’s prayer.

However, 35:18 says that Rachel’s “soul” departed from her body while giving birth. The Hebrew word translated here as “soul” is the same word that had been used in 2:7 when GOD gave Adam the breath of life and he became a “living being”. The Hebrew word is נֶפֶשׁ [H5315] nep̄hešh (neh’-fesh), which means soul, self, life, the inner being of a person, mind, living being, creature, desire, emotion, passion, activity of the mind, will, character, that which breathes, that which possesses the breath of life. This is the same word that had been used in 1:20,21,24,30 which describes all sea, land, and air animals that possess breath. Thus, Rachel breathed her last breath and her body died while giving birth to this new son. However, in her last moments, she named her son ben-‘ônî (bane-o-nee’), which means “son of my sorrow”. But Israel quickly changed the name of his son and called him binyāmîn (bin-yaw-meen’) [or, Benjamin], which means “son of the right hand”, which indicates a place of honor and status. In fact, Jewish commentators note that this name indicates that Benjamin was Israel’s favorite son and that this is consistent with the favoritism shown to both of Rachel’s sons. And later on in our chronological journey, we will see that in a different time period, Psalm 110 will show a similar meaning for this idiom. Therefore, Israel refused to allow Benjamin to be blamed for the death of Rachel and have that horrible character trait follow him his entire life; instead, Israel celebrated the fact that even through death another life came into existence.

But was Benjamin to blame for Rachel’s death? No; in fact, Genesis 30:1 says, “when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she became jealous of her sister; and she said to Jacob, ‘Give me children, or else I die.’ ” And in 31:32, after Rachel stole Laban’s “gods”, Jacob had said to Laban, “The one with whom you find your gods shall not live”. Consequently, Rachel’s death was ironic because she did not die because she had no children; rather, she died while giving birth to a child. Further, Rachel’s death seems to be fulfillment of Jacob’s curse because Rachel had been guilty of stealing Laban’s “gods” and they were in her possession at the time of Jacob’s curse.

Therefore, 35:19 says, “Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).” So, Luz later becomes known as Bethel (35:6); likewise, Ephrath will later become known as Bethlehem. Because these minor and seemingly insignificant details will become important later on, we must notate them now so that we will remember them later on when these details arise again.

In 35:20, Jacob set up a pillar over Rachel’s grave, and then 35:21 says they all continued on their journey until Israel stopped and pitched his tent beyond מִגְדַּל־עֵדֶר [H4029] miḡdal-ʿēḏer (mig-dal’-ay’-der), which means “tower of the flock”, indicating that it was a shepherd’s watchtower near Ephrath (Bethlehem).

And then 35:22 seems to once again abruptly interrupt the narration and states, “It came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it.” But why so abrupt? Why had evil infiltrated at this time? Why Reuben? Why Bilhah? Well, Dinah had recently been raped (34:2), Israel heard about that yet he failed to take action (34:5), and so Israel’s sons bypassed the authority of their father and took matters into their own hands, murdering all males of Hamor’s tribe, and looted the city (34:13-17,25-29). Further, Rachel had just died (35:18) and they were all traveling without knowing what to expect. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that everyone had been overwhelmed by emotions and most likely filled with anxiety/stress. But the fact that Reuben had sexual relations with his father’s concubine showcases his lack of respect toward his father. Possession of the concubines that belonged to the head of the tribe was presumably a sign of leadership in the tribe. Typically, when the father died, the care and ownership of the concubines (as part of his property) passed to the next head of the tribe. But to seize ownership of the concubines prior to the father’s death would be understood as an act of subversion and disrespect (comparable to seizing land or herds), but would not be unusual if succession to tribe leadership were contested. In this context, Reuben’s offense against his father circumvented proper succession procedures and implies that his father was powerless. Regardless of motive, this act was not as abrupt as it may seem while reading the text; rather, this had been building up like a volcano ready to erupt ever since Israel failed to lead as a father when Dinah got raped.

Reuben was the firstborn and Bilhah had been Rachel’s maid. Therefore, it is likely that because Rachel was no longer around to watch over Bilhah and keep her held accountable, Bilhah seized the opportunity to pursue either pleasure or purpose for herself. But why Reuben? I believe it is reasonable to assume that because he was the firstborn, this was in some way an act of rebellion against Israel on Reuben’s part and a prideful expression of his own authority as the rightful heir and future leader of the tribe. And because Reuben was the oldest son, he would have been the one closest in age to Bilhah. Now, we cannot know for certain, but Bilhah could have chosen to have sexual relations with Reuben because she knew he was the firstborn; consequently, it’s possible that Bilhah had hopes of becoming the main woman/wife of the new future tribe. However, it’s also possible that there existed no ulterior motives other than the primal pursuit of pleasure at the expense of purpose and that they had both been merely led by lust. However, this was not only a great sin against Israel, but also against two of Reuben’s brothers because Bilhah was the mother of Dan and Naphtali (30:4-8). But 35:22 states that Israel heard about this great sin and yet Scripture does not state that Israel did anything about it. And so Israel not only failed to take action against the great sin against Dinah being raped, but now he fails to take action against this great sin of Reuben having sexual intercourse with Bilhah.

And because this great sin involves multiple people, 35:23-26 explains once again the relation between all children in Israel’s tribe. But due to the birth of Benjamin, this list is now updated and complete:

LEAH	ZILPAH	RACHEL	BILHAH
Reuben (01)	Gad (07)	Joseph (11)	Dan (05)
Simeon (02)	Asher (08)	Benjamin (12)	Naphtali (06)
Levi (03)
Judah (04)
Issachar (09)
Zebulun (10)
[Dinah]

In conclusion to this new drama, 35:27 says, “Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre [mam-ray’] of Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned.” Again, the minor details that seem insignificant should be noted. Mamre was a site near Hebron where Abraham had settled (13:18; 14:13; 18:1) and where Isaac also later lived. The land of Kiriath-arba will later be known as Hebron. So, this one chapter (chapter 35) identifies three locations while clarifying their updated/current names, which indicates the time period it was written – the author wrote at a later time and explained what happened in the past. Therefore, GOD brought Israel to Hebron, which connected him with Abraham and Isaac, highlighting the fact that through Israel the continuance of GOD’s ultimate plan will be fulfilled.

However, a minor detail in 35:27 also reveals yet another omittance of Rebekah. An examination of Scripture reveals that Rebekah was omitted in chapter 30 (14 years after Jacob had fled from Esau), and she was omitted in 31:18 (20 years after Jacob had fled from Esau). Moreover, in 35:8, Scripture mentions the death of Rebekah’s nurse (Deborah) and the weeping that happened due to her death, but no mention is made of Rebekah’s death or any weeping that happened due to her death. And finally, 35:27 only mentions Israel’s father, Isaac, but Rebekah is omitted. And because Rebekah was omitted from all accounts, I think it is reasonable to believe that not only had Rebekah died long ago, but Scripture does not honor her for some reason. But what reason would that be? Well, the last bit of information we knew about Rebekah is that she favored Jacob over Esau and convinced Jacob to deceive his father / her husband Isaac in order to steal the blessing that rightfully belonged to her firstborn, Esau. Consequently, Rebekah might have been omitted because she was not honored. However, Scripture is silent on the matter and so that thought must remain as mere conjecture.

In summary, the sons of Israel disrespected and dishonored their earthly father, but Israel desired to revere and honor his Father in Heaven. And despite the dysfunction within Israel’s family, GOD still chose the Israelites to be His chosen people by which He will accomplish His ultimate plan for His creation. This chapter highlights how life here on this earth can seem to be falling apart, while all the divine pieces in the spiritual realm are falling into place. Even though everything seemed to be going wrong, GOD was causing all things to work together for good, for those who love Him, for those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

• In Genesis 35:2, Israel commanded his family to get rid of their idols. Unless we, also, get rid of the idols in our lives, they can divert our focus and ruin our relationship with the Lord. Sadly, many people proclaim belief in GOD while at the same time showcasing loyalty to idols. Many people acknowledge GOD without living rightly for GOD. Is that you? Do you claim GOD while living a life of idolatry? An idol is anything that replaces the One true GOD in priority and position. Idolatry extends beyond the worship of idols and images and false gods. Our modern idols are many and varied. Even for those who do not physically bow before a statue, idolatry is a matter of the heart — pride, self-centeredness, greed, gluttony, a love for possessions and ultimately rebellion against GOD in any act of unfaithfulness. Are you placing anything or anyone above GOD in priority and/or position? Money? Pornography? Drugs? Alcohol? A sports team or player? A singer or musician? A social media platform? Who or what is receiving your devotion at the time when you should be devoted to the Lord and His Word? Are you merely acknowledging GOD but not living for GOD according to His will?
• In 35:10, GOD reminded Israel of his new identity – he is someone who will not let go of the Lord until he is blessed; he is someone who holds onto the Lord while the Lord showcases His power on Israel’s behalf. Although everything seemed to be falling apart, GOD reminds Israel that with the Lord everything will fall into place. This was a reminder that Israel needed to keep his eyes on the Lord and obey His commands despite what things might look like in the flesh while in this physical world. Many people wrongly believe that Christianity should enable a life free from problems while only being blessed. As a negative consequence to this wrong belief, many people become disillusioned and abandon The Way and walk away from the Lord, disheartened and disappointed. Instead, we need to learn from Israel and become determined not to let go of the Lord until we receive the Lord’s blessing. However, we typically do not ever receive the Lord’s blessing until we endure the storms of life and prevail in holding on to the Lord. Problems and difficulties in this life here on this earth are inevitable and unavoidable; therefore, we might as well view them as opportunities for growth. After all, how can we prevail unless we have a problem to prevail over? If GOD says He is El Shaddai – GOD Almighty – and that nothing is too difficult for Him (18:14), do you believe Him or not? Who’s your daddy? Is He a good Father, or not (Psalm 103:13)?

The Bible and Slavery: Lies Exposed!

If you would prefer to read this investigative study rather than watch the YouTube video, I have provided the words below.

I had once received a message from an aggressive atheist who pridefully proclaimed himself as part of an “atheist round table” group. Attacking the Bible, he said, “Exodus 21:20-21 says we can beat our slaves all we want without punishment as long as they survive for a couple days. Why care what the Bible says?”

Well, let’s examine what’s actually written and then investigate the matter:

(Exodus 21:20-21)
“²⁰ If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies at his hand, he shall be punished. ²¹ If, however, he survives a day or two, no vengeance shall be taken; for he is his property.”

Now, at first glance, these two verses under examination certainly do seem awful when understood at a surface level through a modern mindset. For the people who are either new to the Christian faith or weak in their faith, these isolated verses about slavery might become the enemy’s torpedo that causes the Christian’s ship of devotion to sink. Such a detonation of doubt can lead someone to abandon ship and swim for “safety.” Deciding to no longer sail in the name of the Savior, these uninformed and disoriented defectors typically choose to either never sail in the sea of salvation again or they join the enemy who blasted their belief in GOD. For the apostates who decide to join the enemy’s army, the demons lower down to them a lifeboat of deconstructionism. After the capsized and now-compromised converts crawl inside like cockroaches, the demons bring them on board the Devil’s Dinghy, and ironically, they become slaves to Satan even though they believe they’re sailors who are safe and sound on a better boat.

The enemy often uses isolated verses without proper context as claims for sufficient reasons to reject GOD’s Word and mock Christianity. However, the purported claim the enemy presents as “incriminating” evidence also presents the Christian with a good opportunity to destroy speculations and strongholds raised up against the knowledge of GOD while taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ in order to expose the devil’s lies by presenting the Truth (2Corinthians 10:4-5).

Proverbs 18:17 says, “The first to plead his case seems right, until another comes and examines him.”

While it is perfectly acceptable to question the Bible, it is unacceptable to accept lies about the Bible due to neglect of properly pursuing the answers to the questions asked. If the critic is to use the Bible as an argument against the Bible, the critic should know what the Bible says and understand what is written in proper context. Thus, while this investigative study will serve to address the perceived problem of the Bible endorsing slavery, it will also answer the critic’s question as to why we should care about what the Bible says. For if the critic plans to use the Bible as an argument against the Bible, the critic should care if his/her quoted text actually supports his/her argument. But as I will showcase exhaustively in this investigative study, all of the critics’ claims regarding the Bible endorsing slavery are due to ignorance of ancient Near East culture and an inability to perform unbiased textual criticism with integrity.

The critics clearly fail to understand ancient Near East culture (ca 1445-1406 B.C.). If ancient text is read and attempted to be understood with a modern mindset, it will most likely be misunderstood. For example, in many nations, Israel being one, it is customary to greet someone with a kiss on both cheeks. Thus, this expression of welcome was particularly practiced when a guest entered a home. The master of the house would greet his guest, then seal it with a welcome kiss, first on the right cheek, then on the left. However, many people in our modern society here in the United States would immediately file for a sexual harassment lawsuit if they got kissed when greeted. And though slavery seems too immoral to be associated with any culture’s approval, it is a fact that there were different types of “slavery” that existed. In fact, slavery still exists today in our modern society even if you’re unaware of it. In fact, you might be even be a slave without even knowing it.

So in this study, I’m going to explain the bigger picture of the entire biblical story, investigate the Old Testament, investigate the New Testament, and then reveal all the available evidence against the backdrop of the bigger biblical story picture.

The Big Picture:

First and foremost, when investigating the Bible with integrity, one needs to understand the ancient Near East culture. Second, one needs to understand the entire biblical story as a whole so as to better understand specific incidents under microscopic examination. As with anything under a microscope, things look fairly chaotic and scary. Have you ever examined the microscopic mites that live at the base of your eyelashes? They seem terrifying under a microscope; however, they’re normal and harmless. Unless you have too many of them. But this is why it’s important to zoom out and see the bigger picture. When seeing the bigger picture, it’s evident that the magnified microscopic fear is not terrifying, nor is it actually harmful. Likewise, when critics zoom in on one isolated verse under a microscope, they’re oblivious to the bigger picture. And sadly, they don’t even understand the microscopic image they’re examining.

GOD raised up a covenant nation and gave the people laws to live by; He helped to create a culture for them. In doing so, He adapted His ideals to a people whose attitudes and actions were influenced by deeply flawed structures. These Old Testament laws were not the permanent, divine ideal for all people in all places for all time. In fact, GOD informed His people that a new, enduring covenant would be necessary (Jeremiah 31; Ezekiel 36). By the Old Testament’s own admission, the Mosaic Law was inferior to GOD’s future plans He had for His children. The Law of Moses was never intended to be enduring. It looked forward to a new and better covenant. In fact, Galatians 3:24 informs us that the Law was a mere “tutor” for Israel in order to prepare the way for Christ. The word “tutor” is the English translation of the Greek word παιδαγωγός [G3807] paidagōgos (pahee-dag-o-gos’), which means a trainer or overseer, someone who was authorized to train up a child by administering direction and discipline in order to achieve the desired development. So, in other words, the Mosaic Law was Bootcamp basic training. Therefore, the Old Testament highlighted sin and showcased humanity’s inability to save themselves from sin. The Old Testament highlighted human depravity and their tendency to rebel due to hardened hearts and depraved minds. But as Acts 17:30 says, GOD had previously overlooked the times of ignorance; however, because Christ fulfilled the Law, there is now a new expectation for all people to repent and to place their faith in Christ. It is for this reason it is written in 1Corinthians 10 that the Israelites were ungrateful and mutinous children full of stubbornness and treachery. In fact, all of their blunders were documented as examples for our benefit, written down so that we might learn from their mistakes so that we will not also fall into the same sins.

The problem arises with the critics when they fail to distinguish between what the Bible describes and what GOD prescribes; what is, and what ought to be; what actions GOD allowed, and what actions GOD approves.

And so, like two sides of the same coin, we have human hard-heartedness and divine forbearance. GOD met people where they were at while seeking to show them a higher standard. Just as a human adult father has different stages of expectations and degrees of discipline for his children depending upon their age, maturity, and ability for understanding, it is the same in the bigger biblical salvation picture with humans in general. It is for this reason the Israelites went through different stages of development themselves. They were slaves in Egypt, they were set free yet still had the slavery mentality, they became a free people in their own land, they had judges, they had kings; meanwhile, they all struggled to abide by GOD’s Laws. What needs to be understood is that GOD’s ideal had always been the Garden of Eden. And so the entire biblical story is GOD’s salvation story of restoring this ideal relationship. In the bigger picture, GOD allowed a type of slavery so that we would learn something extremely important regarding right actions that GOD approves. So, what did GOD want us to learn?

Old Testament Investigation:

Critics make the mistake of associating the servanthood of the Old Testament with antebellum (prewar) chattel slavery of the American South. However, Hebrew [debt] servanthood was to contract themselves out in order to pay off debt. An Israelite might become an indentured servant to pay off his debt to a אָדֹן [H113] ‘āḏôn (aw-done’), which means a lord, a master, someone who was in charge. In other words, someone would work for a “boss” or “employer.” Calling the “boss” a “master” is often a misunderstood concept by uninformed critics who view ancient Near East culture with a modern mindset. The simple truth of this word, ‘āḏôn, is that it was a title, often used to express respect for someone of a higher social ranking. In fact, this word was used when referring to kings, prophets, those in government positions of authority, or even GOD; therefore, this word expressed general recognition of superiority as far as titles were concerned. It is for this reason that Joseph had acquired the title of ‘āḏôn even though Pharoah was his ‘āḏôn (Genesis 41:40-44; 42:30; 45:8). So, how can a slave be a master at the same time? In our modern society, it’s equivalent to a Manager being “master” over multiple employees, yet the Regional Manager would be “master” over the Manger and the President of the company would be “master” over the Regional Manager.

Likewise, the term עֶבֶד [H5650] ʿeḇeḏ (eh’-bed), which means “servant,” typically should not be translated “slave.” It comes from the word עָבַד [H5647] ʿāḇaḏ (aw-bad’), which means one who works, labors, or serves. In fact, both Abraham and Moses used the word ʿeḇeḏ to humbly describe themselves in order to honor the Lord (Genesis 18:3; Exodus 4:10). However, even the Messiah is described by this word in that He will willingly serve the people and become the suffering servant (Isaiah 42:1-7; 49:1-7; 50:4-10; 52:13-53:12). Again, how can the Master also be a servant? Simply put, the master/servant relationship described in the Bible is not the slavery modern people believe it to be.

Even when the terms “buy,” “sell”, or “acquire” are used of servants/employees, they don’t mean the person in question is mere property and without any value. Think of a sports player today who gets “traded” to another team, to which he “belongs.” Yes, teams have “owners,” but we’re hardly talking about antebellum chattel slavery. Rather, these are formal contractual agreements, which is what we find in the Old Testament servanthood/employee arrangements. One example of this contracted employer/employee relationship was Jacob’s working for Laban for seven years so that he might marry his daughter, Rachel (Genesis 29:20).

In Israel, becoming a voluntary servant was commonly a starvation-prevention measure; a person had no collateral other than himself. Credit cards didn’t exist back then. And if credit cards didn’t exist today, you would be forced to do something similar to Old Testament servanthood in order to work off your debt. Like it or not, but the vast majority of Americans are in debt and are currently working off their debts as servants to society in contractual agreements. And so contrary to the critics’ claims, this servanthood wasn’t much different experientially from paid employment in a cash economy in our modern society. And this is why we see something like Leviticus 25:47, which describes someone becoming poor and then willingly selling himself into servanthood. If his kinfolk didn’t “redeem” him (pay off his debt), then he would work as a debt-servant until he was released on the seventh year (Deuteronomy 15:1,12). Thus, this servanthood was not a lifetime experience. In reality, GOD commanding that people be released from their servanthood on the seventh year is more loving and merciful than what we experience today in our modern society. The sad truth is that many people in our modern society work until the day they die as servants to society, never paying off their debts. So, which one would you prefer? Being released from all debt on the seventh year or working until the day you die, never paying off your debt? Nowadays, people are unable to pay off debt because they get overwhelmed by unfair interest; in stark contrast, GOD commanded in Exodus 22:25, “If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest” (see also, Leviticus 25:36-37; Deuteronomy 23:19). Now, Deuteronomy 23:20 states that Israelites could charge interest to foreigners, but I’ll expound upon foreigners later in this study.

If you examine Jeremiah 34:12-22, we see that, later on, when inhabitants of Judah took back Hebrew servants they had already released, GOD condemned them for violating the Law of Moses and for forgetting that they had once been slaves in Egypt. And so yet again, the Bible describes the hardness of man’s heart, but GOD never prescribed those actions. The critic fails to distinguish between what GOD allows to happen due to free will and what actions GOD approves. GOD allowed much evil to happen in order to honor free will, yet GOD never approved of those evil actions.

Once a servant had been released, he was free to pursue his own livelihood without any further obligations to the one he had once served. In other words, he returned to being a full participant in Israelite society. Becoming an indentured servant meant a slight step down the social ladder, but a person could climb back up as a full citizen once the debt was paid or he was released in the seventh year (or in the fiftieth year of the Jubilee, whichever came first- Leviticus 25). The release year was to serve as a reminder to the Israelites that poverty-induced servanthood was not an ideal social arrangement. In fact, servanthood only existed in Israel because poverty existed. However, what did GOD think of people being in poverty? GOD commanded that the poor were to be given opportunities to glean so that they could find food (Leviticus 19:9-10; 23:22; Deuteronomy 24:20-21). Also, fellow Israelites were commanded to lend freely to the poor (Deuteronomy 15:7-8), who were not to be charged interest (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 36-37). GOD’s desire is for there to never be any poor in the land (Deuteronomy 15:4); however, because He knows the wickedness of man’s heart (Jeremiah 17:9), GOD said that there would always be poor in the land (Deuteronomy 15:11). Therefore, poverty-induced servanthood only existed because the Israelites hardened their hearts and did not obey what GOD commanded in that they should love their neighbors as they would love themselves (Leviticus 19:18).

Job, defending his innocence, declared that he always treated his servants right because he believed them to be equal with him as a creation of GOD from the womb (Job 31:13-15). It is for this reason we see in Exodus 21:5-6 that some servants loved their “master” so much that they desired to remain with him for life and become part of his family. In fact, in 1Chronicles 2:34-35, Caleb’s descendant, Sheshan, gave his daughter in marriage to his Egyptian servant, Jarha. If Jarha was truly a slave without value, why would Sheshan give his daughter in marriage to him? Whereas all other surrounding nations of the ancient Near East were unloving toward their slaves, GOD commanded the Israelites that if they happened to seriously injure their servants, then they must release them on account of the injury inflicted (Exodus 21:26-27). In addition, GOD clearly commanded that if anyone kidnaps someone in order to place or sell that person into slavery, the kidnapper should be put to death because evil needed to be purged from the community (Exodus 21:16; Deuteronomy 24:7). And this is why Paul also condemns kidnapping in 1Timothy 1:10. Not only that, but Israel was commanded to offer safe harbor to foreign runaway slaves (Deuteronomy 23:15-16). In stark contrast, the Code of Hammurabi demanded the death penalty for those helping runaway slaves. The main takeaway from GOD’s commandments is clearly evident: GOD applied a much higher moral standard to the Israelites than all other surrounding ancient Near East cultures. And it is for this reason GOD told the Israelites in Deuteronomy 18:9, “When you enter the land which the Lord your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations.”

Deuteronomy 23:15-16 says, “You shall not hand over to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. He shall live with you in your midst, in the place which he shall choose in one of your towns where it pleases him; you shall not mistreat him.”

Now, some critics claim that this runaway slave isn’t a foreigner but is a fellow Israelite; however, there are plenty of reasons to reject that claim. Not only is there no mention of the word brother or neighbor, but according to Leviticus 25, Israelites weren’t allowed to enslave fellow Israelites. Also, the foreign fugitive slave could freely choose a place to live in Israel, unlike the rest of the Israelites, who had to stay put on the land allotted to clans (cf. Numbers, Joshua). Thus, those who benefited weren’t society’s elites but all of the vulnerable, marginalized foreign people in the midst of a completely different society. Furthermore, Israelites entered servitude voluntarily whereas runaway slaves would likely have become slaves against their will (and that’s why they ran away). So, if alien slaves received protection from harsh matters, how much more would this be so for Israelites? I believe an obvious conclusion from all available evidence is that if the three plainly stated laws of the Old Testament had been followed in the American South – that is, the anti-kidnapping, anti-harm, and anti-slave return regulations in Exodus 21:16,20,26-27 and Deuteronomy 23:15-16; 24:7 – then antebellum chattel slavery would not have happened in America. Slavery based on skin color didn’t happen in America because of the Bible; in stark contrast, it happened because wicked people either ignored the Bible or twisted Scripture for their own evil agendas. In Old Testament law, though there was a social distinction between a servant and a free person, a servant was most certainly protected by the Law.

The Israelites were always to remember that they themselves had been the victims of this evil practice for an extended time (Genesis 37:28,36; Exodus 1:8-14) as slaves in Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15; 15:15; 16:12; 24:18,22). Accordingly, Israelite masters were to treat their servants in a fair and charitable manner. The servants were to be given a day of rest every week just like all other Israelites (Exodus 20:10) and, as beings created in the image of GOD, were expected to attend worship festivals (Deuteronomy 12:12,18; 16:11). Israelites who were debt-servants were to be treated with special benevolence and to be released after six years (Exodus 21:2; Deuteronomy 15:12) or in the Year of the Jubilee (Leviticus 25:40-41), whichever came first. Female servants who became wives to their owners or owner’s sons were to be treated with all the respect and rights of a regular wife (Exodus 21:8-11). When an Israelite’s term of servanthood had ended, he was to be given a gift so as not to leave empty-handed (Deuteronomy 15:13-14). If servants were physically abused by their owners, they were to be granted immediate freedom (Exodus 21:26-27) and, unlike animals, the killing of a servant constituted a crime (Exodus 21:20). Further, the expectation for how Israelites were to treat one another (and particularly those who were typically oppressed or overlooked) is indicated in the repeated statements at the end of this section of laws: “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him” (Exodus 22:21-24; 23:6-9).

In that ancient time when slavery was the normal human practice, GOD wanted to teach the Israelites a better and more loving way of handling day-to-day life. GOD initiated change slowly from the Old Testament times, to the New Testament times, up to this present day, in order to help humans integrate the absolute moral standard in such a way as to achieve that goal. Any deep-sea diver will testify to the fact that immediate change of pressure creates too much shock and that is why they must rise to the surface slowly. Likewise, the Israelites lived as slaves under Pharaoh’s rule for a long time and that slave/owner mentality was all they knew. Thus, GOD had to provide them with boundaries.

Leviticus 18:1-5 says, “¹ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² ‘Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, “I am the Lord your God. ³ You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. ⁴ You are to perform My judgments and keep My statutes, to live in accord with them; I am the Lord your God. ⁵ So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord.” ’ ”

The boundaries GOD established for the Israelites were the bare minimum of acceptable behaviors. That’s exactly what the Ten Commandments were: the bare minimum (Exodus 20)! And this evident by everything Jesus commanded in Matthew 5:20-48 when He told His disciples that they must now live by a higher standard. In essence, the Lord raised the bar again, revealing that the people had it set too low. 

So, returning to GOD’s original design and ideal of the Garden of Eden, we see that GOD desires for all humans to be equal, not working for each other; rather, each person should be under GOD’s authority and care in order to be his/her own “master,” sitting under his/her own vine and fig tree (1Kings 4:25; Micah 4:4; Zechariah 3:10). Slavery has never been biblically endorsed as GOD’s ideal.

Overcoming Objections:

Exodus 21:20-21 says, “If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies at his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, he survives a day or two, no vengeance shall be taken; for he is his property.”

First and foremost, any “what-if” scenario that’s presented as an argument only calls attention to the critic’s ignorance of the proper context. Any time you see a “what-if” scenario, it is an example of case law, which begins with specific examples that don’t necessarily present best-case scenarios. Again, case laws describe scenarios where humans deviate from GOD’s perfect loving design in order to act in accordance with their hardened hearts and wicked desires. So, from the very first word of “if” we already know that this is an undesirable scenario. And the proper context reveals to us that these are case laws regarding unwarranted abuse; therefore, this scenario is highlighted as being something bad, not good.

Second, as I’ve already mentioned, the word translated as “slave” does not mean a slave as a modern person would understand the term. This is an indentured servant who is working off debt.

Third, when it says that the person shall be punished, the word “punished” is the English translation of the Hebrew word נָקַם [H5358] naqam (naw-kam’), which means to avenge. This verb always involves the death penalty in the Old Testament – the implication is that judicial vengeance is the result. This theme is reinforced by the mention of taking “life for life” (Exodus 21:23-25), which immediately follows the passage under examination. This confirms that the servant was to be treated as a human being with dignity, not as property. Anyone who kills his servant will be killed, life for life. This makes it clear that all human lives are equal in value.

Fourth, when the verse says that the servant is “property,” that is the Hebrew word כֶּסֶף [H3701] keseph (keh’-sef), which literally means “money.” Not only that, but the Old Testament clearly affirms the full personhood of these debt-servants (Genesis 1:26-27; Job 31:13-15; Deuteronomy 15:1-8), and this passage under examination is no exception. The servant/employee came into the master’s/employer’s house to get out of debt. So, the employer stood to lose money if he mistreated his employee; his treatment toward the employee had a direct impact on his income. Don’t forget that even though the employer might not receive capital punishment for murder, the servant would be released if he received any type of permanent injury (Exodus 21:26-27). Therefore, it would be the employer’s loss, either with the loss of his own life due to someone avenging the servant or the loss of his servant being released, which would negatively impact his income.

In conclusion, everything GOD commanded the Israelites to do regarding servants is an extraordinarily different treatment compared to other ancient Near East laws in this regard. For example, the Code of Hammurabi insisted that payment went to the master for such injuries to a slave. Therefore, the protection of servants from maltreatment by their masters is found nowhere else in the entire existing corpus of ancient Near Eastern legislation.

Exodus 21:2-6 says, “If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment. If he comes alone, he shall go out alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out alone. But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’ then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.”

Again, the first word “if” informs us that this is yet another case law. Deuteronomy 15 makes explicit that this scenario applied to a woman as well. In this passage under examination, the man cannot simply leave with his wife if the employer gave her to him. Why not? Because they both would have been servants. Again, consider the employee/employer scenario. In this case of debt-servitude, the employer’s family would engage in marriage negotiations. By taking the servants into his home, the employer made an investment. If the man took the female servant with him just because his time ended, the employer would suffer loss from his female investment. For this scenario, think in terms of military service. When someone signs up to serve for three or four years, he still owes the military, even if he gets married during this time. Therefore, the man had three options:

1. He could wait for his wife and kids to finish their term of service while he worked elsewhere. His wife and kids weren’t stuck in the employer’s home the rest of their lives. They would also be released on the seventh or fiftieth year, whichever came first. Yet if the now-free man worked elsewhere, this would mean (a) he would be separated from his family, and (b) his previous “master” would no longer supply him with food, clothing, and shelter. So, where would he go, how would he survive, and how would he be able to communicate with his family? We must remember that travel was not easy back then and there didn’t exist any technology that would enable the man to communicate with his family via a great distance. On the other hand, if he lived with his family after release, he’d still have to pay for room and board if he remained on that employer’s property. So, this scenario created its own set of financial challenges.
2. He could get a decent job elsewhere and save up in order to “purchase” his wife and kids from the employer, releasing them from their contractual obligations. However, it would be seemingly impossible for a newly free man to earn enough to support himself and purchase the release of his family.
3. He could commit himself to working permanently for his employer. If he did this, he could not only stay with his family, but he didn’t have to worry about finding new work or where he would live and how to see his family.

Leviticus 25:44-46 says, “⁴⁴ As for your male and female slaves whom you may have—you may acquire male and female slaves from the pagan nations that are around you. ⁴⁵ Then, too, it is out of the sons of the sojourners who live as aliens among you that you may gain acquisition, and out of their families who are with you, whom they will have produced in your land; they also may become your possession. ⁴⁶ You may even bequeath them to your sons after you, to receive as a possession; you can use them as permanent slaves. But in respect to your countrymen, the sons of Israel, you shall not rule with severity over one another.”

Now, does this passage describe slavery? Yes. It does. But is it the antebellum chattel slavery of the American South? No. It’s not. In the ancient Near East, the Israelites were surrounded by nations of wicked people. Sometimes, when Israel conquered wicked people, they subjugated them as workers rather than killing them. This would have been GOD’s just judgment upon a wicked people. This had absolutely nothing to do with the color of skin; rather, it had everything to do with the content of character. Again, this was just judgment upon a wicked people. For example, under kings David and Solomon, both Ammonites and Canaanites engaged in such forced labor because they were wicked (2Samuel 12:31; 1Kings 9:15,20-22; cf. Judges 1:28-35). In cases where Israel’s captured enemies (especially the males) didn’t care to abide by the “laws of the land” and posed an internal threat to Israel’s safety (Numbers 21-22; 25; 31), servanthood was one way of subduing or controlling this menace.

Now, to better understand this concept, think of how Israel played the role of harlot against GOD and rebelled against GOD’s laws (Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 3:1-3; Ezekiel 16; Hosea 4; cf. Luke 13:34). When Israel became the wicked nation, GOD used Babylon as just judgment against Israel. And this is showcased in the book of Daniel. Babylon took Daniel and others, subjugating them as workers rather than killing them. Believe it or not, in the ancient Near East, some people preferred to remain alive as foreign workers in a foreign land rather than being killed. Why? As long as you’re alive, you’re able to repent and your life could possibly change for the better. As long as you’re alive, there’s always hope for redemption and restoration. Regardless, the point is that this specific punishment was appointed to wicked people. In the case of Daniel, however, he received GOD’s blessing and favor because he wasn’t actually wicked, he just happened to get caught up in Israel’s judgment. But GOD placed His hedge of protection around Daniel. And GOD always does this with the people who are righteous and desire to align themselves with GOD’s will. That’s why Ruth, as an alien subject to Israel’s laws, got redeemed by Boaz (Ruth 4:9-10). Ruth was righteous and so she had GOD’s blessings and favor upon her.

Now, let’s return to Deuteronomy 23:20 which states that a foreigner could be charged interest. Why? Were the Israelites “xenophobes” as modern liberals would declare? No. Again, the surrounding nations were wicked. Simply put, it doesn’t pay to be wicked; in fact, it will cost you. In that verse, the word “foreigner” is the English translation of the Hebrew word נָכְרִי [H5237] noḵrî (nok-ree’), which means “strange.” The implication of this strangeness often refers to an adulterous people who create unexpected calamity. Similar to noḵrî, a תּוֹשָׁב [H8453] toshab (to-shawb’) is a sojourner. Although a sojourner is also a foreigner, this type of foreigner was not wicked and only desired to reside in the land temporarily, most likely with intentions of using the land as a rest stop toward his ultimate destination. A גֵּ֥ר [H1616] gêr (gare) is a term referring to a sojourner who resides in the land of Israel as an alien “client,” who would have been subject to Israel’s laws (Leviticus 19:33-34; 24:22). And so this is most likely the sojourner who decided to stay in Israel rather than continuing to wherever he had previously planned to go; either that, or he had intentionally traveled to Israel to live there for a time in order to conduct business with them. Under the Mosaic Law, aliens were not slaves but were usually in the service of some Israelite whose protection they enjoyed (Deuteronomy 24:14). This, however, was not always the case. Sometimes an alien client was wealthy and an Israelite would be in his service (Leviticus 25:47).

The established foreigners were those who had embraced the worship of GOD and willingly abided by GOD’s laws. However, a significant presence of apparently resentful and hostile foreigners required stricter measures than those for cooperative aliens who were willing to follow Israel’s laws. If they were unwilling to follow Israel’s laws, persisting in wickedness, then they would have been persuaded to abide by GOD’s laws by means of discipline (forced labor). Only Israelites were allowed to own land (which ultimately belonged to GOD – Leviticus 25:23; Joshua 22:19). Strangers in the land could, if they chose, not only be released, but potentially become people of means. However, for poor foreigners wanting to live in Israel, voluntary servitude was pretty much the only option. Therefore, there were only two types of foreigners: they either embraced GOD and willingly abided by His laws or they were wicked and were forced into labor. The wicked who were noncompliant did not receive the same treatment as the foreigners who were compliant. But for the righteous, GOD commanded the Israelites in Deuteronomy 10:19, “So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.” And these righteous resident aliens were proselytes or converts to the religion of Israel. In fact, the term gêr is typically translated as προσήλυτος [G4339] prosēlytos (pros-ay’-loo-tos) in the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament). In the New Testament, this word describes converts to Judaism, or foreign converts to the Jewish religion (Matthew 23:15; Acts 2:10; 6:5; 13:43).

Therefore, slavery in the Old Testament was reserved for the wicked people; however, servanthood provided Israelites and compliant foreigners with a way to work off their debts. Hebrew servants took part in the religious festivals and even rested on the Sabbath (Exodus 12:48-49; Leviticus 25:6).

Leviticus 25:35 says, “Now in case a countryman of yours becomes poor and his means with regard to you falter, then you are to sustain him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you.”

Well, this leads us to a curious question: how did the Israelites treat strangers or sojourners? 

Exodus 22:21 says, “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

Exodus 23:9 says, “You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

Leviticus 19:9-10 says, “Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the Lord your God.”

Leviticus 19:33-34 says, “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.”

Zechariah 7:10 says, “do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.”

Therefore, if sojourners or alien residents were to be treated exceptionally well, then obviously the Israelites did not enslave them. So, who then were the slaves? Again, slavery was reserved for wicked people as judgment against their wickedness; however, servanthood was for righteous and compliant people who needed to work off debt under someone who had been able to care for that person. 

And let’s not forget that Exodus 21:16 says, “He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death.”

Therefore, a slave was not a random stranger an Israelite decided to kidnap and force into slavery. Slaves were wicked people under judgment. A servant, however, was someone who needed to be under the umbrella of someone else due to his/her inability to care for him/herself. And the Israelites were commanded to care for the servant humanely. In fact, the servants of Hebrews had freedom that slaves in other nations did not have. And it is for this reason that some servants decided to remain with the Israelites out from loyalty and love (Exodus 21:5-6). Evidently, some servants chose not to go out as free men because their lives were actually better as servants to their masters than they would have been as free men in a different place.

New Testament Investigation:

Rome (unlike Old Testament legislation) sought to institutionalize not merely servanthood, but (chattel) slavery. Because Rome did not operate by GOD’s laws, slaves were considered their master’s property. However, slaves of Rome did have quite a range of other rights and privileges, including the possibility of starting a business to earn potentially large sums of money, the capability of purchasing their freedom, and the right to own property (known as the peculium). So, in some regard, slavery wasn’t unkind to all slaves in the Roman Empire.

Examine the book of Philemon: Written around A.D. 60 while imprisoned in Rome, Paul wrote to Philemon and the church who met in his home to intercede on behalf of Philemon’s servant, Onesimus, who had run away. Somehow, Onesimus ended up meeting Paul and became a Christian (1:10; cf. Colossians 4:9). Though Paul wanted Onesimus to stay with him (1:13), he sent Onesimus back to Philemon because it was the right thing to do (1:14). Paul appealed to Philemon to accept Onesimus back — not as a slave — but as a brother in Christ (1:16) on the basis of love (1:9), even as Philemon would welcome the apostle himself (1:17). This is a heartfelt letter from one brother to another in hope of gaining another brother. The message plays out Paul’s claim that “there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28; see also Colossians 3:11). The two main messages of this letter are family [of Christ] and reconciliation (see 2Corinthians 5:17-21). In this story, we see how Paul reflects the love and grace of Jesus by his willingness to absorb the cost of another’s sin in order to make things right (1:18-19) and set that person free.

The book of Philemon alone should be enough to refute the claim that the New Testament endorses slavery, but there’s more! We know that the New Testament does not endorse slavery because GOD is love (1John 4:8,16) and GOD’s absolute moral standard reflects GOD’s nature, which is love. GOD’s focus is the heart and He prioritizes the soul over the body (Matthew 10:28; Romans 8:35-39). GOD demands love (Matthew 22:36-40; John 13:34-35) — that’s what His absolute moral standard is all about! Who needs a doctor except the person who is sick (Matthew 9:12; Mark 2:17)? Jesus is the One who can heal and as our Great Physician, He prescribed to us Himself — the Bread of Life (John 6:35)! Once we absorb Christ, we absorb the Cure. Evil is both incompatible and inconceivable when we are in alignment with GOD’s will. If any person condones antebellum chattel slavery, that person is not in alignment with GOD’s will and is not a true Christian. It is important to remember that anyone can claim to be a Christian (Matthew 7:21-23), but Christ-followers are known by their fruits, which all boil down to our obedience to walk in GOD’s will of loving GOD and loving others as we would love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40; Galatians 5: 22-26; Ephesians 5:9). It is for this reason Paul wrote to the believers in Colossae, “Masters, grant to your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven” (Colossians 4:1). And it is for this reason Paul called himself and other believers bond-servants of the Lord (Romans 1:1; 2Corinthians 4:5; Galatians 1:10; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 4:7). And it is for this reason James, Peter, Jude, and John all referred to themselves as bond-servants of the Lord as well (James 1:1; 2Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1; Revelation 1:1).

Examination of 1Peter 2:18-25 — Submission of Slaves to Masters:

“18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. 19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. 21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”

I highlighted specific words in red that I want you to place your focus on. If a slave endures what is unreasonable with fear and grief and sorrow while suffering unjustly, slavery is obviously unjust. If our suffering is compared with the suffering of Christ and we know evil causes the suffering, we know that slavery is evil. How can that which causes unjust suffering be good? How can that which is considered unjust be endorsed? It cannot be endorsed, only endured. Slavery was not invented by the GOD who is good and Holy and commands love; rather, slavery was invented by wicked humans who desired to exploit others in order to possess power and control. In Revelation 18:11-13, doomed Babylon stands condemned because she had treated humans as “cargo,” having trafficked in “slaves [literally ‘bodies’] and human lives.” This repudiation of treating humans as cargo reflects how all humans are created in the image of GOD (Genesis 1:27).

In Philippians 2:7, we are instructed to imitate Christ Jesus who “emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant.” Again, it all culminated in Christ’s example of servitude and that all children of GOD should be servants. Christ Jesus told His disciples (and us) in Mark 9:35 that “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” The Lord also told us that those who are first will be last, and those who are last will be first (Matthew 19:30; 20:16; Mark 10:31; Luke 13:30). The Lord is not as concerned with our physical lives here on this earth as He is with our spiritual condition and eternal salvation. In the big picture of GOD’s salvation story, GOD allowed everything we don’t want so that we would be humbled and grateful in the new glorified life to come. Why? Because with humility and gratitude, there will never be prideful rebellion.

John 8:34-36 says, “34 Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

In this life we are all slaves to sin because we were born as slaves to sin and thus inherited the destiny of a slave, which is no inheritance at all. The only way to freedom is through Christ Jesus – the King! It is written that Jesus was the propitiation for our sins. In 1John 2:2; 4:10, the word “propitiation” is the English translation of the Greek word ἱλασμός [G2434] hilasmos (hil-as-mos’), which means an offering to appease an angry or offended party. In other words, a sacrifice was made in order to make right the wrong so that the sin was covered and remitted. Christ Jesus was the sacrifice that covered our sins and appeased the wrath of GOD. In Hebrews 2:17, the word translated as “propitiation” is the Greek word ἱλάσκομαι [G2433] hilaskomai (hil-as’-kom-ahee); however, in Luke 18:13, that same Greek word is translated into English as “merciful.” Why? Because it is GOD who provided the offering and thus showed an act of mercy to the sinner. The sinner had nothing to offer and so the King provided the offering on the slave’s behalf. It is for this reason it is written in John 19:30 that Jesus, while on the cross prior to His death, said, “It is finished!” That phrase in Greek is Τετέλεσται tetelestai (te-te-lest-ahee), which is the word τελέω [G5055] teleō (tel-eh’-o), which comes from the word τέλος [G5056] telos (tel’-os). Both of these words have a meaning to complete, bring to fulfillment, and conclude, but it can also have a meaning of making the required or final payment in order to satisfy a cost or debt such as in Matthew 17:24 and Romans 13:6 when teleō means paying or bringing fulfillment to the Roman tax requirement. Thus, not only did Jesus fulfill the command of the Father to be the offering that would appease the Father’s wrath, but Jesus fulfilled the payment necessary to purchase our freedom so that we are no longer slaves but free. And it is for this reason Mark 10:45 says Jesus came to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. That word “ransom” is the English translation of the Greek word λύτρον [G3083] lutron (loo’-tron), which is a redemption price. In the Old Testament, it’s always used to signify “equivalence.” Thus, a life for a life (Exodus 21:30). In Leviticus 19:20, it represents the redemption price of a slave in order to set that slave free. 1Timothy 2:6 also uses this Greek word to inform us that Christ died for all people. However, these passages make clear that the payment was universal, but only those who accept GOD’s gift receive the pardon and freedom. The root word for lutron is λύω [G3089] luō (loo’-o), which means to loosen, break apart, unbind, or release. So, in 1John 3:8 when it says that Jesus came to [luō] destroy the works of the devil, it means that Jesus came to set the captives free. It is for this reason it is written in Luke 13:16 that while rebuking the Pharisees, Jesus said, “And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been [luō] released from this bond on the Sabbath day?” Revelation 1:5 also uses this word when it says that Jesus loves us and [luō] released us from our sins. Therefore, slavery is evil and that is the lesson GOD wants all of humanity to know and understand. And because slavery is evil, Jesus came to set us free!

Again, John 8:34-36 says, “34 Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

That which you cannot walk away from has ownership over you. If you are unable to release your hatred toward others, you are a slave to sin. If you are incapable of walking away from drugs, alcohol, or pornography then you are a slave to those desires. Even if you are unable to walk away from something seemingly insignificant such as a cigarette, you are a slave to the desire. Or perhaps, like I’ve already mentioned, you might be a slave to society, working off your debt in contractual agreements that never end due to overwhelming interest charges. Slavery most certainly does exist in this modern day in which we all live; however, the person in bondage has usually enslaved him/herself. What have you allowed in your life that has enslaved you?

2Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 

So, if you understand the bigger spiritual picture, the image of slavery should disturb you on a spiritual level, not a physical level. Abraham was called GOD’s servant as well as friend (Isaiah 41:9; James 2:23). Jesus told His disciples that He no longer called them slaves but friends; in fact, Jesus Himself would lay down His life for His friends (John 15:13-15). The Son of Man, who Himself came to serve humankind (Mark 10:45), took on the form of a slave – GOD in the flesh serving and dying for humanity (Philippians 2:5-11).

In Romans 6:16-18,22, Paul said, “¹⁶ Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? ¹⁷ But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, ¹⁸ and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness…. ²²  But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.

It is for this reason Paul said in Galatians 4:4-7, “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Therefore, you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.”

It is written in Ephesians 2:19 that “you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household.”

Conclusion:

Consider two main reasons why slavery was not abolished immediately:

1. GOD is concerned with the soul and focuses on the heart.
2. GOD’s timing is perfect.

An issue of the heart:

• GOD looks at the heart (1Samuel 16:7).
• The heart is the start and directs the deeds. A repentant person receives a changed heart; a changed person can change culture/society (Proverbs 28:14).
• Hearts can change. And when they do, priorities change (Ezekiel 11:18-20).
• When we desire for GOD’s will to be done, evil is incompatible and inconceivable (Luke 22:42).

All in GOD’s timing:

• Love is patient (1Corinthians 13:4).
• GOD is love (1John 4:8,16).
• GOD is patient. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (Ezekiel 18:21-23,32; 1Timothy 2:4; 2Peter 3:9).
• In GOD’s perfect timing, He will set things right and restore life back to the original design of the Garden of Eden (Isaiah 25:8; 65:17; 2Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1,4,27).

In conclusion, the atheist’s Bible-busting-bomb about slavery isn’t destructive at all to a Christian’s ship of devotion because the torpedo is a dud and completely ineffective against soldiers of Christ who are equipped with the full armor of GOD and enabled to accurately handle the Word of Truth (Ephesians 6:10-18; 2Timothy 2:15).

So, are you ready to submit your life to the absolute moral standard of the Lord and end the cycle of true slavery in your life? 

Understand this: if the evil version of slavery angers or upsets you, it only does so because it goes against the absolute moral standard of GOD, of which you are already aware even if you suppress this Truth (Romans 1:18-20; 2:12-16).

So, does the Bible endorse Slavery? Yes and no. If you choose to be a slave of righteousness, then the Bible endorses that right choice. However, if you choose to be a slave of sin, then the Bible does not endorse that choice; in fact, it condemns that choice. If you’re hung up on this topic, you truly need to consider the fact that Christians abolished slavery while everyone else generally stood by and watched. And it is for this reason slaves of the American South had been attracted to the Gospel and understood the deeper spiritual implications! Whoever the Son sets free is free indeed! The slaves understood Luke 12:4-5, which says, “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵ But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!”

Even Job, through his suffering, said, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom;
And to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28).

It is written in Psalm 111:7-10, “The works of His hands are truth and justice; All His precepts are sure. They are upheld forever and ever; They are performed in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.”

Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

If the critics had knowledge of the Holy One, they would know that the Lord provided a free gift of grace that enables slaves to become free adopted children of the King. If the critics had any understanding, they would humble themselves and gratefully accept the pardon they’ve been given from their eternal sentence to Hell. Yet like ungrateful dogs, the foolish critics bite the Hand that feeds them and they continue to harden their hearts, choosing to remain as slaves to sin. And so for all who choose to rely upon their own strength, the words of the sons of Korah in Psalm 49:20 shall come true for them in the end: “Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.”