Sunday, November 15, 2015
Remember that while you were a slave
Matthew 26:51 "And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear."
In Romans chapter one, Paul calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ.
Out of the six Greek words for "servant" used in the New Testament, Paul used one of the most slavish terms possible. The word used in this passage is "doulos" and comes from the root word "deo" which means "bind."
Paul literally speaks of himself as a bondman or slave of Jesus Christ -
a slave by free choice; yet owned and purchased by Jesus Christ.
*** Release of Debt Slaves
Deuteronomy : 12 If your fellow Hebrew – whether male or female – is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you must let that servant go free.
13 If you set them free, you must not send them away empty-handed.
14 You must supply them generously from your flock, your threshing floor, and your wine-press – as the Lord your God has blessed you, you must give to them.
15 Remember that while you were a slave in the land of Egypt {the world} and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore, I am commanding you to do this thing today.
{Redeemed: to buy back, recover, to make up for; or make amends for; offset as for; some fault, shortcoming, etc.
16 However, if the servant says to you, “I do not want to leave you,” because he loves you and your household, since he is well off with you,
17 you shall take an awl and pierce a hole through his ear to the door. Then he will become your servant permanently (this applies to your female servant as well).
18 You should not consider it difficult to let him go free, for he will have served you for six years, twice the time of a hired worker; the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
{Here you see where the desire of the slave - servant is to remain and continue to love with the master - which in not the norm in world society.}
The idea of being a love-slave by choice comes from Old Testament passages such as Exodus 21:2-6 and Deuteronomy 15:12-17. If an Israelite bought a Hebrew slave, he must set him free in the seventh year. However, if the slave loved his master and said, "I will not go away from thee," then a hole was to be bored through the lobe of his ear pronouncing him a bond-slave forever.
Jesus is the supreme example of selflessness - He puts others ahead of Himself.
We see clearly from Jesus' example, that the way to exaltation in God's kingdom comes through humility and servant-hood to others. Christ's humiliation, displayed in His coming to earth as a man, is not only a lesson in Christology but also an example to all believers of what greatness in God's kingdom entails.
Let this attitude of heart, taken from the example of Jesus Christ, continue to motivate all true believers in Jesus Christ.
The Creator became the creation; the Lord became the servant; the Highest became the lowest. All of this was done because of God's great love for us.
Deuteronomy : 12 If your fellow Hebrew – whether male or female – is sold to you and serves you for six years, then in the seventh year you must let that servant go free.
13 If you set them free, you must not send them away empty-handed.
14 You must supply them generously from your flock, your threshing floor, and your wine-press – as the Lord your God has blessed you, you must give to them.
15 Remember that while you were a slave in the land of Egypt {the world} and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore, I am commanding you to do this thing today.
{Redeemed: to buy back, recover, to make up for; or make amends for; offset as for; some fault, shortcoming, etc.
16 However, if the servant says to you, “I do not want to leave you,” because he loves you and your household, since he is well off with you,
17 you shall take an awl and pierce a hole through his ear to the door. Then he will become your servant permanently (this applies to your female servant as well).
18 You should not consider it difficult to let him go free, for he will have served you for six years, twice the time of a hired worker; the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
{Here you see where the desire of the slave - servant is to remain and continue to love with the master - which in not the norm in world society.}
The idea of being a love-slave by choice comes from Old Testament passages such as Exodus 21:2-6 and Deuteronomy 15:12-17. If an Israelite bought a Hebrew slave, he must set him free in the seventh year. However, if the slave loved his master and said, "I will not go away from thee," then a hole was to be bored through the lobe of his ear pronouncing him a bond-slave forever.
Jesus is the supreme example of selflessness - He puts others ahead of Himself.
We see clearly from Jesus' example, that the way to exaltation in God's kingdom comes through humility and servant-hood to others. Christ's humiliation, displayed in His coming to earth as a man, is not only a lesson in Christology but also an example to all believers of what greatness in God's kingdom entails.
Let this attitude of heart, taken from the example of Jesus Christ, continue to motivate all true believers in Jesus Christ.
The Creator became the creation; the Lord became the servant; the Highest became the lowest. All of this was done because of God's great love for us.
