Ex. 21:1 “Now these are the rules that you shall set before them. 2 When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.
Read Exodus 21:1-11
Grady Smith the writer for Entertainment Weekly “came out” recently. Yes, he admitted to his colleagues that he is a Christian. Tattooed on his arm are the words, “and that is what some of you were.”(1 Cor 6:11)
He is humorously illustrating how we find it nearly impossible to identify with anyone who has not shared our experience. As a Christian we are all part of this beautiful mess called humanity. Paul writes to the Corinthians, “You used to be just like your colleagues. You still needed redemption and grace.”
It is only apt that God would begin His commandments for communal living to his people with laws concerning the treatment of slaves. God’s desire for humanity is that they practice justice. “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today.” (Deut 15:15)
What God is basically saying is, “You used to be a slave. Now you are redeemed. Now you are a son. Treat everyone else like a son.”
The basis for dealing equitably and justly does not spring from a sense of moral superiority, it springs from a shared sense of family in the beautiful mess called humanity. We humans are capable of great acts of kindness and at the same time such acts of barbarism.
The realization that “once we were slaves, and now we are free,” should fill our hearts with compassion to those who are still enslaved by fear, worry, doubt, and stress. Paul puts it this way “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1Cor. 6:11)
The degree and measure that you give Grace to others directly shows how much Grace “think” you have received from God. If everyone in the world owes you something, it inherently stems from the fact that you actually believe God owes you something. If everyone in the world is deserving of grace, “or goes free for nothing” (Ex 21:1), then you may actually have grasped that you received a salvation that was extremely costly to God and extremely free to you.