Exodus 21 begins a long line of laws and ordinances required by God from His people. Most likely this made up the bulk of Moses’ time on Mt. Sinai. The Decalogue could’ve been spoken relatively quickly, but moderating the nuances of day to day life was also important.
After making an altar of earth and uncut stones, the very first thing that God talks about is slavery. For most Americans, this most likely makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. God? Slavery? How could He ever be a part of that?
Unfortunately, for most of human history, slavery has been a part of society, in one form or another. Most civilizations had slaves at one point—oftentimes as a result of conquest or submission, such as during the period of Joshua.
But unlike the stereotypes associated with American slavery (which were often unnecessarily brutal and demeaning), in Exodus 21, God is regulating the practice as only He can. There are several markers in this chapter that show just how different this slavery could (and should) be.
For starters, the term of slavery was only to be for six years. In the seventh, he was freed “without payment,” which means that he didn’t have to “buy” his own freedom, as some cultures required. This allowed the slave to spend much of their life in freedom, rather than indefinite bondage.
Second, if the slave was single when they arrived, they left single. If they were married during the period of enslavement, the spouse went with them. For female slaves, extra precautions were made to ensure they weren’t sold to foreigners or received lesser conditions than other women in the household (Exodus 21:7-11).
There’s an exception to the marriage clause, in that if they have children, his wife and children were to stay with the slave-owner. That seems harsh, but it lends itself to the next clause, which says that if the slave owner preferred to stay with his family, he could remain in bondage.
Think about that for just a second. If you’re a slave, the end goal for you is most likely freedom. But what good is emancipation if you leave behind those whom you love?
For that reason, a slave could choose to stay with his master and his family on a permanent basis. If so, then the master brings the slave “to God,” and pierces his ear with an awl. Now, he’s a permanent member of the household.
This is actually a much better life than one would think. In Genesis 15, Abraham mentions the heir of his house (before Isaac) as Eliezer of Damascus. Many scholars associate Eliezer with the unnamed servant in Genesis 24 who is tasked with finding a bride for Isaac—a job he takes very seriously.
In the New Testament, Paul writes a passionate letter to a man named Philemon on account of his slave, Onesimus. According to Paul, Onesimus had been converted in Rome and was now “very useful” to both of them as a brother. Paul pleaded with Philemon to show him love as a brother, despite his status as a slave.
We shouldn’t get sideways over the word “slave” when we run across it in Scripture. Surely for modern readers, the idea of slavery is abhorrent, and for very good reason. But God’s decision to regulate it in Exodus 21 has little to do with endorsement of the practice, and more to do with mandating the value of human life.
