FREE ESSAY ON SLAVERY AND THE BIBLE

SLAVERY AND THE BIBLE

Slavery and the Bible
The first mention of slavery in the Bible is found in Noah's declaration, Cursed be
Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers (Gen. 9:25). He said this after
waking up from a naked, drunken stupor and learning that his son Ham had mocked him.
Although Ham was the guilty party, Noah's statement was directed at Ham's youngest son
Canaan. If he was involved with his father in this act of disrespect, the statement can
be taken as the pronouncement of a curse, Cursed be Canaan." It is possible, however,
that Canaan did not join his father in making fun of Noah. If so, the statement would be
in the form of a prophecy: Cursed will be Canaan." Exodus 20:5 and Ezekiel 18:4 clearly
declare that God punishes the children for the sins of their parents only when they
choose to continue the wicked ways of their parents. So this is the preferred translation
if Canaan was not personally involved. In either case, God gave Noah a prophetic
knowledge of the future. The Canaanites developed an advanced society but became involved
in despicable moral and spiritual practices, including ritual prostitution, sexual
orgies, and child sacrifice. That is why God warned the Israelites against any
association with Canaan's citizens (Lev. 18:24-30). Because He knew that the danger of
spiritual contamination for His people was so great, He commanded the execution of all
the Canaanites who resisted their advance and the complete destruction of every trace of
their religion (Dt. 7:1-6). It was the failure of the Israelites to follow God's
directions that brought about the fulfillment of Noah's prophecy. Their negligence to
consult God led to their being tricked into making slaves of the Gibeonites instead of
driving them out of the land or killing them (Josh. 9). Later, they did the same with
another group of Canaanites (16:10).
About 500 years after the death of Abraham, his descendants through Isaac were living in
Egypt as slaves. Genesis 37 to 50 tells the story of how this came about. The 10 oldest
sons of Abraham's grandson Jacob disliked their younger brother Joseph so much that they
found a way to sell him to traders who in turn sold him to an Egyptian officer as a
slave. In his new land, Joseph went through a series of ups and downs and eventually
became the prime minister of Egypt, the highest official under the king. God enabled
Joseph to foresee an approaching time of famine, and used him to store up food and then
distribute it during the famine. His political position made it possible for him to
settle his father's family in Egypt's most fertile territory. Here they prospered for
many years. However, the time came when the leaders of Egypt began to view the rapidly
growing Israelite community as a threat. As a result, they made slaves of the Israelites,
treating them with ever-increasing harshness. Finally, desperate because the descendants
of Jacob continued to multiply, they issued an order that all their male babies be
destroyed at birth. The first 12 chapters of Exodus tell the story of how the Lord
responded to the cries of His people. He miraculously provided Moses to be their leader,
sent 10 plagues on the Egyptians, helped the Israelites celebrate their first Passover,
and led them out of the land of bondage. It appears that as they left for Canaan, they
had no slaves. The former distinctions between masters and slaves had been wiped out
during their own time of bondage. The many other people (Ex. 12:38) who accompanied them
were Egyptians who for one reason or another were eager to leave their homeland.
Owners, had to make it possible for slaves to join in the celebration of the Passover
(Ex. 12:43-45), the weekly Sabbath rest (Ex. 20:8-11), and the 8-day festivities of the
Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles (Dt. 16:9-17). No limitation expressed! All
slaves were included. A Hebrew who became a slave (usually because he was unable to pay
his debts) could not be kept in bondage for more than 6 years. If he married while he was
a slave, he had to make a choice when his time for release arrived. He could choose to go
free and leave his wife and children with his master. Or, if he loved his master and
valued his family more than personal freedom, he could choose to remain with him for life
(Ex. 21:2-6). Sometimes a father in financial difficulty would sell a young daughter to a
fellow Israelite to be the wife of a family member when she came of age. If no family
member claimed her, the purchaser could offer her to a friend or relative for the dowry
price. If she remained unclaimed, she was to be released with no strings attached (Ex.
21:7-11). She could never be sold on the open slave market.
While this rule gave daughters in Israel more protection than was given in neighboring
nations, it troubles us. We are revolted at the idea of a father selling his daughter
under any circumstances. We may wonder why God modified this practice instead of
eliminating it. But that overlooks the fact that in the Near East culture of that time
the absolute rights of parents over their children, especially the daughters, were
universally assumed. For example, they arranged the marriages of sons and daughters.
Their right to do so was never questioned. Therefore, it would have been neither possible
nor profitable to legislate into that culture regulations that would give children the
rights they possess today. For example, consider the story of Rebekah and Isaac (Gen.
24). Abraham's servant told Rebekah's father and brother his desire to take her to be
Isaac's wife. Notice that they asked her if she were willing to go before they sent her
to her new home (vv.57-58). Few parents would run roughshod over the wishes of their
daughters. And for those who might do so, God provided laws to protect girls from being
exploited. The non-Hebrew slaves, though not eligible for release like the Hebrew slaves,
did receive considerable protection from inhumane treatment. The law said, If a man beats
his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be
punished (Ex. 21:20).
As we can see throughout the bible slavery is an important issue and no matter where we
turn we will always see it.