In Exodus 20 you have God's moral law-the Ten Commandments.
Exodus 21:1-6...the 11th Commandment
There is a very interesting law in Exodus 21 that, while no longer in force, has a tremendous truth we all need to consider. It's a law about someone who had fallen on hard times...maybe...loss of job, health, loved one, accident, failed crop.... which resulted in a giant debt. The debt was so large it more than the value of the land of his inheritance was worth. The debt was unpayable. They were not allowed to declare bankruptcy. They could not simply ignore the debt. The lender was not expected to forgive the debt.
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- The people in debt were auctioned off and temporarily sold as slaves to pay the debt. Now that would discourage using the credit card. He would work-off the debt using his labor and time as his currency.
- This would mean the person in debt would quit his regular job, walk away from the comfort of his home, leave his family, suspend his life and become an employee to the person he owed. The lender would be the master of this indebted man 24-7, living over this man as his master. Think about the stress and strain, the tears and torment when this man takes his first step away from his old life toward a life of uncertainty and separation.
Examples; 2 Kings 4: 1, 7...Matthew 18:25
Listen to what Leviticus 25:39b-40 says about this. "Thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant (slave): But as an hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and shall serve thee unto the year of jubilee."
- Treated with due respect. "As a hired servant..." He was to be looked on as a live-in employee for 6 years. He was only legally hired for this limited time.
- If after 6 years there was still a balance, the debt was considered paid and the person was free to return to his previous life. At the end of the 6 years the. servant (slave) was free to leave.
1. THE CHOICE.
To leave. He does his time and leaves just as he came. If he came in without a wife, he leaves without a wife. If he came in without children, he leaves without his children. If he came with a wife, he leaves with his wife. He is no different when he leaves than when he came-the only difference now-he is free from his debt.
To stay. Now, this is interesting.
- " Personal. Leviticus 25:39b says, "Thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant (slave)..." No one made this decision for him.
- " Profession. "The servant shall plainly say, I love my master."
- " Public. "Then his master shall bring him unto the judges..."
- " Painful. "His master shall bore his ear through with an awl..."
- " Permanent. "And he shall serve him for ever."
The first is an expression of commitment, vs. 1-4.
The second is an expression of surrender, vs. 5-6.
2. THE CONTRAST.
Think about the difference between these two. There is a difference....
Time. Think of the ways they spend their time.
- " Committed...serves 6 years, and out the 7th. Measured length of time. "This is what I am going to do and this is how long you can count on me. When I am finished-I'm done. Good bye. Adios. Shalom. Chow. Sayonara. Arsenic-that's good bye in any language."
- " Surrendered...he's about the whole enchilada. He see the parts as it relates to the whole. 6 years or 60 years, he's in it "for ever." He never quits, turns in his retirement notice....he grows old and dies in the master's house.
Real living is not from now toward eternity. Real living begins with eternity and wraps life around it. Life should be lived with eternity in view.
Duty.
- " Committed...is bond by law. I'll do what is required, but it is limited. This far, no further. His motto is, "Every task is a chore." No real joy. Its just a job. He's always watching the clock. He marking the calendar.
- " Surrendered...is bound by love. "Whatever." No job description. No labor union negotiating a better deal. It was a blank sheet of paper with his name signed at the bottom. "Fill it in and I'll do it."
Relationship.
- " Committed...contractual...serves the master well, but he is his own master in the final analysis. If he comes in by himself, he leaves by himself. He may appreciate the master...thankful...fond thoughts...but given the change....he leaves.
- " Surrendered...relational... "I love my master" and "I love my wife and my children" more than I love my own personal freedom. His "love" is not just in his language (his talk), but in real life.
Control.
- " Committed...is his own man. He sees himself as in charge of his own life. He resented every assignment given to him. He always gave less than his best. He was always thinking about the day he would get "his life" back. He was all about "me, myself, and I."
- " Surrendered...When he says, "I love my Master" it means something because he is not his own master. He now recognizes someone else as master. The commands of the Master are not grievous to those who love the Master. You give up your freedom. "I will not go out free..." There is no life so free as the free under the Master's desires.
Provision.
- " Committed...for 6 years he has enjoyed the care and abundant provision of the master. And when he left, the master was to "furnish him liberally," Deut. 15:14. But this only a "one-time" send-off gift. After leaving, he would have to find a job, reclaim his land, possibly plant and reap a crop, sell his produce.
- " Surrendered...He owns nothing and yet has everything. Everything that is his master's is his. He is a true steward. He hasn't a single worry. Every day for the rest of his life all his needs are met, plus that of his family. Those who are truly surrendered are as Vance Havner said, "Stranded on God; shipwrecked on omnipotence." Romans 8:32; Phil. 4:19; Matthew 6:11.
Appearance.
- " Committed...There was nothing externally different from him than from any other servant. There are no scars, there is only the pain of regret...6 long years taken out of his life to pay off his debt.
- " Surrendered...You see him and immediately, you know he is different. It was not a private mark, like Jewish circumcision. It was a public mark. His ear was marked. It had a hole. It was visible for all to see.
Paul said in Galatians 6:17, "From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." e.g. 2 Corinthians 11:23-27.
3. THE CONNECTION.
There is something here about Jesus Christ and what He was willing to do for us.
Turn forward to Psalm 40:6. "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened..." This is pointing back to Exodus 21. But it is always point ahead to Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10:5 references Psalm 40:6 and tells us this is speaking of Jesus Christ. But instead of Jesus simply giving his ear, the Bible says "a body hast thou prepared me." God gave Jesus His body through the miraculous virgin conception of Mary. And for what purpose did God give Jesus a body? To be pierced for us; to be sacrifices for us.
Jesus could have gone out free, but instead He was pierced...not in his ear only, (the crown of thorns must have done that) but His hands and feet with the nails and His side was pierced and opened with a spear.
Our Savior's death is not to be views as only a debt that is cancelled. It should be seen as the supreme expression of love. He doesn't do the minimum and leave. He does it all and remains. His man "offered one sacrifice for sins for ever," and has "perfected for ever them that are sanctified," Hebrews 10:12, 14. And now through the piecing, not of Jesus' ear to a door, but the piercing of the body of Jesus on the cross God's law is now put into our hearts and it is written in our minds and our sins are no more remembered, Hebrews 10:16-17. Hallelujah! But, wait...
There is, also, something here about us and what we should be willing to do for our Master, Jesus. While many serve the Lord like the first servant, we should all serve our Master like the second servant.
- " Out of "love."
- " Out of gratitude for the family He has given us.
- " Physically and publicly identified as belonging to our Master.
- " Surrendered to our Master "forever."
Some have reduced the call of God to a limited commitment, when it is really a call to absolute surrender.
Of the two servant. Of the two, which one are you?
In a month I will celebrate the three worst months of my life-Aug-Oct, 1963.
- " High School senior...basketball...baseball.
- " Summer camp, 1963...counselor, Jr age boys. Led 4 or 5 to Christ. I got the impression from the Lord, "Jerry, if I had all your life we could be doing this for the rest of your life."
- " College at NTSU..I tried to live it straight. Never got drunk like some in the dorm. But I had big mistake. I wanted to know God's will...so I could decided if I wanted to do it or not. Do you know what happened? Nothing! God didn't let me in on it with that attitude. I was doing horrible in college... -10 in Algebra. I knew somewhat, but I never mentioned it to a single person.
The most radical weekend of my life, Oct. 25-27, 1963.
- " Oct 25, Friday...H.S. rivals LW vs. Azle. Judy...majorette.
- " Oct 26, Saturday...date...Corral Drive-In....I came to the place that night in my heart where I said, "God, whatever you want me to do for the rest of my life, I'll do it. The war is over. I surrender." Left the movie and got my dad and mom up. "Judy and I have something we want to tell you." Yeah, that's what they thought, too. They were relieved I was just surrendering my life to God, and not making some bone-headed mistake! That night I went to the door with Jesus. He marked my life that night. I was His because of my debt at first. But, then I became His because of love-His love for my and my love for Him.
- " Oct 27, Sunday...got up and went to Sunday School and when the invitation was given at church, around 12 o'clock like every other Sunday in my 18 years of life, I stepped out and told everyone at the church that morning that I had surrendered to God and that I was going to be a preacher. That afternoon I drove back to Denton in my 1951 Chevy and walked into Quad II, Room 223, and told all the guys that I was going to be a preacher.
In some ways it cost me everything to go to the door (my plans, my ideas, my friends .. It was all about me).
And in every way, it has given me everything (my joy, my work, my wife, my family, my friends...it is now all about Jesus Christ).
If Jesus was willing to go to the cross for us, we should be willing to go to the door for Him.
Anything short of absolute surrender is disobedience and rebellion.
This is about Lordship....the fullness of the Holy Spirit...personal revival.
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