Slavery
Content:
1.
Historical Misunderstanding supporting Slavery
2.
The General Teaching about Slavery
3.
The Silence of the New Testament
The
subject of slavery, and the misconceptions about slavery and the Bible,
have been raised in Chapter 13 of God is not Great. Because
this is a subject that so often causes misunderstanding we deal with
it here, where it can be dealt with more fully than in the notes:
1.
Historical Misunderstanding supporting Slavery
It
has to be said that knowledge of the Bible and its teaching prior
to the twentieth century was often inadequate. No doubt part of this
was to do with the limited education that had existed in previous
centuries and, indeed, often the poor quality of spiritual life in
the church, during certain periods of church history.
Apparent
approval of the slave trade by the church seems to have come from
a complete misuse and misunderstanding of several verses from Genesis:
When
Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done
to him, he said, "Cursed be Canaan
!
The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers." He also said,
"Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave
of Shem. May God extend the territory of Japheth. (Gen
9:24-27)
Some
of Ham's (the youngest son's) descendants were thought to populate
Africa
and therefore this was mistakenly applied to Ham, though the curse
was on Canaan,
not Ham!
The
poor quality of learning in earlier centuries applied these verses
to Africans because:
•
they did not understand the full
Biblical teaching about curses and blessings, and
•
they tended to take verses out of
context and assume they applied to life at any time, because
•
they did not understand the historical
contexts or development of Scripture.
For
those who wish to understand these things, let's deal with each of
those failures, one by one:
1.1
Curses & Blessings
A
study of Isaac's use of blessings in Gen 27:27-40 clarifies what happens:
i)
A blessing is simply a prophetic decree of good
over a person, i.e. a speaking out of God's will for this person's
future.
ii)
Please note that this doesn't mean that God makes a person act in
particular ways, more that He knows that this person will act in these
ways to bring this about.
iii)
A curse is a similar prophetic decree but it is judgment decreed by
heaven.
iv)
Very often the person bringing the blessing or curse simply has a
sense of the rightness of what they are saying which they may see
in the light of circumstances before them, but which may have a much
wider prophetic application which heaven knows, but they don't.
v)
Thus in the case of Noah, he has a sense of punishment to come upon
a future generation. The two older sons had acted honourably towards
him while the younger son despised him. Noah sensed that it would
be a future generation that would be brought down because this same
bad attitude would be theirs. The result would be their downfall.
These three sons would develop into three families and into three
sets of peoples and Canaan
would be submissive to the others, i.e. a slave to them. That would
be an historical outcome for these people.
vi)
The fulfilment of this was seen as follows: a) From Shem eventually
came Israel. b) From Ham came Canaan and from him came Sidon
his firstborn, and of the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites,
Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites.
(Gen 10:15-18). Many years later the land of Canaan was occupied by
these pagan peoples who worshipped idols, sacrificed their children
etc., people who had the option to join their distant cousins in their
present form, Israel, leave the land, be made slaves, or killed
the options were theirs. That was the actual historical outworking
of that original prophecy in Genesis 9.
1.2
Taking Verses out of Context.
We
have no right to just pick out verses and apply them to support our
prejudices. Did the church of several centuries ago use this verse
to justify supporting the growing practice of slavery or did they
use these verses to justify starting slavery? I suspect the former.
Whether all churches felt the same or there were some who dissented
from this concept, I don't know. Before the abolitionists there were
a number of clear Christian leaders who spoke out against slavery.
The fact that a large number of those who worked for abolition happened
to be Christians suggests that there were always dissenters.
I
also suspect that one reason that Christians so often side with the
present government or leaders of society, is that the general tenor
of Scriptural teaching is generally to obey God's law, and secondarily
to obey the laws of society and submit to the government of the day.
Whether it is a conscious thing or sub-conscious thing I believe is
debatable, yet it does happen and sometimes Christians have been slow
to question the establishment. I suspect that it is also the reason
that often Christians have sided with Republicans in America
or the Conservatives in England,
for often it is those political parties who have been stricter on
law-keeping, which Christians have seen as good for society.
1.3
Misunderstanding Historical Contexts & Development of Scripture
One
of the key things to understand about the Bible is that it is largely
teaching or revelation that comes with historical contexts, i.e. God
reveals Himself through His acts in respect of Israel and its surrounding
nations in the Old Testament, and then through His Son and the emerging
church in the New. There is within the flow of history a development.
Thus the Law of God was largely for the nation of Israel
and therefore applied to them
in their particular geographical and cultural location as a nation
under God, and cannot apply to individuals in hundreds of different
cultures in different locations at different times in history. The
only part of the Law that could thus be applied like this are the
Ten Commandments. Nevertheless the rest of the social, civil or criminal
law is there as wise guidance for us and indeed many of our present
laws reflect things found in the Pentateuch. The ceremonial or sacrificial
law is no longer operational in that a) the Temple
no longer exists and b) Jesus
has fulfilled the meaning of those laws.
The
key point to be made is that certain aspects of Old Testament teaching
came within specific historical contexts which do not apply today.
Thus we find people unwisely trying to apply specific things from
specific events into present day situations which are quite different.
When it is a matter of principle that may be different, but to take
verses, as in the case cited above, and try and give them general
application is to distort the truth.
2.
The General Teaching about Slavery
Please
bear in mind what has just been said, that this law in the Old Testament
applied ONLY to the nation of Israel,
which was a primitive society, initially in a very primitive world
in which slavery already existed, and the curse of Noah applied
to a specific context.
2.1
The pre-existence of slaves
•
When Abraham encountered local king
or war-lord, Abimelech, that
king already had slave girls (Gen 20:17).
•
The truth is that Abram also had slaves,
because that was what Hagar was considered (Gen 21:10).
•
Joseph was sold by his brothers as
a slave to the Midianite traders (Gen 38:28) who were obviously
slave traders, who sold him on as a slave to Potiphar in Egypt where
slaves were obviously common (Gen 39:1).
•
Joseph subsequently spoke about making
one of the brothers a slave (Gen 44:10).
•
After four hundred years, Israel
still living in Egypt,
were all made slaves for the
Egyptians (Ex 1:11-14).
•
It is quite clear therefore, that
in those early years slavery was a well established world practice,
and was not something instituted by God through Israel. It was an
expression of oppression by powerful people over less-powerful people,
an expression of sin in the world, and a well-established practice
that sinful men were not likely to give up easily (and this needs
to be born in mind in what follows and in the light of comments
about the Bible not saying anything about abolition).
2.2
Slavery and the Law of Moses
•
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). An obvious restraint on bad slave owners.
•
The law of Strict Liability (as
our present law calls it) held an owner accountable to anyone
gored by his bull if he knew the bull had a tendency to do that.
If they are killed by it, the owners life is forfeit, whether
the dead person was a slave or not. If they were simply gored
and were a slave then a fine is imposed. Laws of consideration
that covered both slaves and non-slaves. (Ex 21:28
-32).
•
The slave as well as anyone else
was granted a day's rest on the Sabbath (Ex 23:12).
•
If a man sleeps
with a woman who is a slave girl promised to another man but who
has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due
punishment. (Lev 19:20).
The slave girl is thus protected from powerful men.
•
If one of your
countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do
not make him work as a slave. He is to be treated as a hired worker
or a temporary resident among you; he is to work for you until
the Year of Jubilee. Then he and his children are to be released,
and he will go back to his own clan and to the property of his
forefathers. Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought
out of Egypt,
they must not be sold as slaves.
(Lev 25:39-43) Israelites were not to work as slaves and were
eventually to be released back home.
•
Your male and
female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them
you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents
living among you and members of their clans born in your country,
and they will become your property.
(Lev 25:44,45). Israelites could join in the same practice as
the rest of the world. Note that is not a mandate to treat foreign
slaves harshly: Do
not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.
(Ex 22:21 Also
23:9)
•
If a slave
has taken refuge with you, do not hand him over to his master.
Let him live among you wherever he likes and in whatever town
he chooses. Do not oppress him.
(Deut 23:15,16) Israel could
thus become a refuge for fleeing slaves, who could join Israel
and become one with them.
•
Thus if we look carefully, we find
that the Law given to Moses regulated what was an existing practice
in the world and forbade Israelites to be slaves, to accept slaves
from other countries but to treat them well. A slave fleeing to
them was to be given refuge. Contrary to much that is spoken about
slavery in the Old Testament, there is a caring and concerned element
in the Law that helped slaves coming from the world.
3.
The Silence of the New Testament
The
comment is often made that the New Testament is silent on the matter
of slavery. That isn't quite true:
3.1
Instructions to Slaves
Slaves,
submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those
who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. For
it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering
because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you
receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer
for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.
1 Pet 2:18-20
Slaves,
obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity
of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win
their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing
the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were
serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward
everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
Eph 6:5-8
There
is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you
are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal
4:28
Notes:
•
These instructions come in letters
to churches and are therefore instructions to slaves who are Christians
and part of the church. For them to be able to hear these instructions
read out they would have to take part in the ordinary life of
the church, i.e. although they were still slaves there was obviously
an equality in the faith, slave and non-slave (Gal 4:28 above)
•
The message to slaves was standout
in the way you serve', with the clear implication that their witness
will lead others to Christ.
3.2
Instructions to Masters of Slaves
Masters, provide your slaves with what is
right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
Col
4:1
the
Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is
slave or free. And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do
not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master
and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.
Eph 6:8,9
Notes:
•
The message for those who owned
slaves and, for the same reason as above, were obviously Christians,
was treat them well.
•
The reason given is that God is watching
you and (implied) you will be answerable to Him.
3.3
Conclusions
•
It seems almost as if the Lord knows
that, in those early days, there is little point in saying the
world, Don't have slaves', because the world was not ready to
receive it.
•
What the Christian world was ready
to receive was the possibility of the division between master
and slave being almost removed where they were Christians, or
at least the master was a Christian.
•
The Lord knew that there would be,
at a specific time later in history, when world slavery (because
it was common) would rise up in some of the leading nations in
the world where there was a Christian influence, and after a period
of acceptance (yes, even by many Christians), there would rise
up among a number of those Christians a conscience that would
work and work until slavery was abolished.
•
It is worth noting in passing, I
believe, that people worked in service (below stairs') in a very
class conscious world right up until the early part of last century,
under conditions that were not far off slavery at times. The social
structures of society would require the pressures of social change
following the First World War before change would come for such
workers.
•
Today we consider such servitude
immoral although voices are really rarely raised against prostitution
slavery, which is common in many parts of the world, possibly
nearer to home than we would like to think, or child labour which
is akin to slavery, and certainly the slavery of children being
drafted into fighting gangs in certain war-torn areas of the world.
(Slavery or people traffiking is The biggest money-making crime
in the world today!)
•
Although the Christian church was
obviously slow to take up arms against slavery, and even accepted
it for a long period, the church (comprising largely of ordinary
people) were not the instigators of slavery, and were in fact
the majority of those fighting for abolition.
•
Competing against culture has always
been difficult and Christians are still human beings who don't like
to flow against the tide. We can be grateful that some did!