The disciples of Christ, we now come together to study the Word of Christ and I would invite you to take your Bibles and turn to Deuteronomy. And also we supplied you a fairly detailed outline of the passage we're going to be studying today to help you follow along as we teach. Take that as well. We want to look at the remainder of chapter 15 beginning at verse 12 down through verse 23. And there are two sections here, the judgments, which is the English translation of the Hebrew word that refers to case laws, the judgments concerning Hebrew bond servants, and then statutes and judgments concerning the firstlings. I'd like to begin by reading our text for the first part, the judgments concerning Hebrew bond servants, beginning then with verse 12 of Deuteronomy chapter 15. And if thy brother, in Hebrew man or in Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years, then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty. Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock and out of thy floor. and out of thy winepress, of that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee, thou shalt give unto him. Thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee. Therefore I command thee this thing today. And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee, because he loveth thee, and thine house, because he is well with thee, Then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise. It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away free from thee. For he hath been worth a double hired servant to thee, in serving thee six years. And the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest. Now the statutes and judgments, that is the apodictic laws and the casuistic laws that are contained in these verses, continue the divine legislation on the needs of the poor and how the people of God are to respond to their needs and how they are to take practical steps to meet those needs. We saw in chapter 14 verses 28 to 29 that a portion of the third year tithe was to be set aside for the needs of the fatherless, the widow, and the stranger. Last week we saw in chapter 15 verses 1 through 11 that loans, interest free loans, were to be given to a poor brother to help him get back on his feet. and payment for those loans was not to be required during the Sabbath year which was a year of release from those loans. Now today we come to another text that deals with the needs of the poor and the steps to be taken to meet those needs. Here we see those who are forced to go into servitude due to debts or poverty. These individuals were to be set free after six years of service and then sent out with the means necessary to begin afresh. And also in this section we see the provision was made for those who desire to enter into a contract of perpetual servitude. Now these statutes and judgments indicate there are two kinds or two classes among the poor. As the Word of God would analyze and teach us concerning the poor. We talked about this last week. I wanna review this because we're now going to add a subcategory to the second class. First of all, we have those who have no means of adequately providing for themselves. These are like unto the widow with no husband or family to provide for her. They are like unto the orphan, and obviously include the orphan, who has no father or mother or other family to provide for them. They are helpless and in need. And also the stranger, who had no family or other means of provision. To these were to be given gifts, the charitable gifts of the people of God. Secondly, in the second class are the able-bodied men. who do have the means for adequately providing for themselves. And what we indicate by that is they are able to work. They're able to work and to produce and gain an income from their labors and from their work. Last week we talked about this kind of man. And we saw the man who has come on hard times due to circumstances beyond his control or perhaps in some respects that were within his control and he was not diligent. But here we have a man who comes on hard times and he faces some kind of temporary difficulty or setback in his financial circumstances. And what Deuteronomy 15, 1 through 11 is teaching that generally speaking this man needs an interest-free loan to help him get back on his feet. But our law today, our legislation today, deals with another kind of able-bodied man, different than the one we've just considered in verses 1 through 11, and therefore there's different provisions made for this individual. Here we have a man whose financial circumstances are well-nigh desperate, and they are not merely circumstantial. But more often elemental, and what I mean by that, they are based on his own essential nature, be it he is undisciplined, he's a sluggard, he will not work, or perhaps sinful behavior such as crime that has put him in a circumstance where he owes a great restitution for theft. And so this individual is someone whose circumstances are in this category, and I would call them desperate. A man in this situation cannot be helped by a mere loan, for his need is too great for that. Certainly he cannot be helped by a gift, because in each of those situations the help will only last for a time, for their problems are deeper and more set within their own character. A man in this circumstance, his only hope, and this is where I think the text is pointing us here, is to surrender his liberty and to submit to the judgment of the court and the discipline of a master. This is the person I think that is in view in Deuteronomy 15, 12 through 18. And so here the law of God is given to us to cover a circumstance such as this. The Bible speaks to every area of life. And here we're seeing it speaks to all the conditions that we're going to find among the poor. The poor in terms of the helpless, the widow and the orphan. The poor in terms of the able-bodied man who is facing a temporary difficulty and setback. But here we're looking at a man who is poor in a very elemental sense. He's a man whose situation has become desperate and no doubt due to some kind of difficulty, sin or problem on his part. And the Bible speaks to this circumstance as well and it gives to us the instruction we need. What we see in this law is a practical, merciful and restorative provision for this kind of individual. It is practical because it gives a real solution to a very real problem that faces certain individuals and the community in which they live. It is merciful in that it provides a way out to the man in such a desperate circumstance and a means to pay those to whom he owes his payments. It is also restorative because it provides the discipline, the training and the help that a man needs to make a new start in life. And this ancient law speaks to us today and may God help us to understand it within its original setting and give us wisdom on how we might apply it today to the problem of a man who is in the same financial desperation. So let us look now at the case law, the case of a Hebrew who is sold to a fellow Israelite as a bond servant. The case of a Hebrew who is sold to a fellow Israelite as a bond-servant. I want you to notice that I've chosen the term bond-servant deliberately instead of the word slave. If you will look at commentaries and discussions of this passage, it's usually some heading like the laws relating to the manuation or the freedom of a Hebrew slave. But I do not believe that the individual being spoken of here, the one sold to his fellow Israelite can be defined as a slave according to the meaning and usage of our English word slave. We're taking an English word and its connotations and the history of its usage and we're packing all of that in there and we're transferring this improperly to the Hebrew word that is used here and the circumstances of Israel. In English, the word slave means someone who is owned by another, and therefore absolutely subject to another human being, and divested of all freedom and personal rights. A slave, according to the English usage, is someone who is the property of another, mere human chattel, and bound to an absolute obedience. A slave is someone who is in bondage against their will through capture, purchase in a slave market, or through birth. Slavery, as such, is understood, generally so, and rightly so, as an evil institution. To designate the subject of our legislation this morning, or to designate this passage as laws concerning slavery, or the freedom of Hebrew slaves, is misleading, because the person in view here is not really a slave. But rather, I'm going to use the word here, bondservant. Here's the evidence. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew bondservant was the subject of various laws, and he was carefully protected by those laws from abuse or, importantly, perpetual bondage, which was the mark of a slave. Slaves had no such protections, historically speaking. Exodus 21, Leviticus 25 and here in Deuteronomy 15 we see important laws concerning the Hebrew bondservant. They were protected by law. Secondly, the Hebrew word used to designate this bondservant in our passage can refer in certain context to what we understand as a slave, but more often in the Old Testament is not used of those who are slaves. It is used for example of servants who are not in bondage but paid servants. It is used repeatedly of citizens who call themselves servants of a king, not slaves. It is used in the Bible of advisers and ministers to a king. His cabinet are called his servants, the same Hebrew word that is used here. And so the word has a broad sense and meaning. It has to be understood within its context. And I do not believe this context is teaching us that this man was a slave or this woman was a slave. Number three, biblical law makes a distinction between the status of Hebrew bond servants and non-Hebrew slaves. and more properly defines their status as hired servants. A very important text on this is Leviticus 25, 39 to 40. and listen carefully to this because this will also help us understand why the individual in our passage here has been sold. It is a text that is prior historically to the giving of Deuteronomy and it would be Moses teaching would be based on the understanding of the people already were aware of this law. It says, and if thy brother that dwelleth by thee be waxen poor and be sold unto thee. Thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bondservant, and the Hebrew would literally be a slave. You shall not compel him to serve as a slave, but as a hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee, and he shall serve thee unto the year of Jubilee. Just pause and mention there in Leviticus 25, this idea of a brother being sold who became poor is being spoken of in terms of the laws of the year of Jubilee. And so that's why it is speaking there of that. While in our passage, it's talking about a different frame of reference and that is a period of six years of service. But they're the same laws just being applied in different contexts. But the word that's used here in this law is, you will not compel him to serve as a slave. You should not consider him to be a slave. Here's the declaration of God Himself that the Hebrew bond servant is not a slave. Rather, you look on him as a hired servant. This refers, this word refers to someone who has paid wages for their labor, any hired worker, a day laborer who was hired. or someone who had a long-standing type of contract, just like today, some employee-employee relationship. He says, you shall look on him not as a slave, but as a hired servant. However, I'm not using the words hired servant in my message today, because you're to look on him as that. And he is in a little bit of a different class than a hired servant. because there is a form of bondage here that's being set forth. There is someone being sold to another even though they are not slaves. The concept perhaps might help us a little bit here is the idea of indentured servants. Though I don't think That's exactly the circumstance here, so I don't want to use that term either. Remember like indentured servants, early in our history, people would come from the old world. They did not have the means to get started. They would sign a contract, and they would become bound by that contract as servants to a master, often in a trade, but it could be in other types of just labor and work, where they would get training. They would also build up a certain amount of income, and then when they were set free, they were trained. and were able to start their own business. They were indentured though. They could not walk away whenever they chose. They were bound by law to that. And the similarity between the man we're talking about here and the indentured servant is close but not the same. Because the indentured servant was not necessarily someone who was poor by means of any of his own making and difficulty. And so the law that we're looking at here today is not about slavery. If the heading of your Bible says laws about slaves, I think they're wrong. I'm not talking about the text of your Bible, but the headings that are often added by editors. And it cannot be used as a text in support of the institution of slavery, which some have used it as such, saying the Bible here is justifying slavery. I do not believe that is proper. Rather than justifying slavery, it is a law that concerns the rescue of a poor man from absolute financial ruin and is providing the means of moving this man from financial bondage to personal freedom. That's not slavery. It's not the goal of slavery. But because of the situation, the means provided here in the wisdom of God is a period of bond service for the elimination of their debts, for the training they need in responsibility, and then for the provisions for getting a new start in life. It's a wonderful law, God's wisdom, even meeting the needs of someone in such desperate circumstances. Now the circumstances of the case are set forth in verse 12. Notice that this is a case law. it sets forth a particular case and then it gives what should be done in that case notice verse 12 and if thy brother and then it says the end of the verse if thy brother is a Hebrew, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman be sold unto thee and serve thee six years then in the seventh year thou shall set him free this is the law if he sold to you that's a circumstance then in or on the seventh year, you are to set him free, an if and then type of structure. Let's look at the words more carefully. It says, if a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, but specifically he starts out by calling this Hebrew man or woman, thy brother. So clearly this is a fellow Israelite that we're talking about. The case law involves members of the community of the covenant people of God, where one member of the covenant community is selling himself to another member of the covenant community, fellow Israelites. The word Hebrew is actually an adjective describing someone and it comes from the word Eber that is used in Genesis chapter 11 verses 15 to 16 of one of the descendants of Shem and an ancestor of Abraham. And so the Hebrews were the descendants of Eber, the Eberites or the Hebrews. Now, if your brother, a Hebrew like you, is sold unto you, Now I want you to recall we just read in Leviticus 25, 39, to understand why they would have to be sold. And they were sold, as it said there, because they be waxen poor. Because they be waxen poor, that's why they're sold. Either the man sold himself voluntarily, or he was ordered to be sold by the court. the civil ruler, the civil magistrate, to satisfy the debts that he owed to others, or to make restitution for crime. In the Bible, if you stole from someone, you had to make a twofold restitution, in some cases even more than that. If you were irresponsible and you allowed your fire to get away from you and burned your neighbor's field, you need to make restitution for that. And someone in a difficult financial situation, when he would be put in a circumstance of restitution, it was impossible for him to pay that restitution, we say, well, too bad, you don't get the restitution. No, the court would order him to be sold into a circumstance as we see here so that he through his labor in that place could repay the loan or make the restitution or pay his debts. And so the man's poverty is acute. A loan won't help him, a gift is not going to solve the problem and so he's ordered to sell himself or in some circumstance of a private debt, he could offer himself by his own will to be sold. In other words, he's reduced to his final asset, nothing else left. What is his final asset? His labor, his labor. And so he's selling his labor basically. The sale does not need to be to the creditor, though it may be, but often it was not. If sold to the creditor, his debt would have been paid off through his labor. If sold to someone else, the price paid would be given to the creditor. So he sold and someone else would purchase him to be a bond servant. The price paid to purchase him would go to the people or to the person to whom he owed Now note the buying and selling here does not take place in a slave market. This is not man-stealing like the evil of slavery was, where people were stolen, which was a capital crime by the way, kidnapping or man-stealing is a capital crime in the Bible, which shows scripture undermines the whole slavery system right there. There's no slave market here. This was a matter that was arranged and certified by the court Or as I said, it could have been a privately arranged matter. The buying of a Hebrew servant, of a Hebrew under these conditions, needs to be seen as an act of charity, which slavery was not. And an investment in the future, not only of the person that you're purchasing, but the community itself. It also says that a woman could be sold. And Etzayim, the Jewish commentary on this text says that she could have been sold because of insolvency of debts, either her own or that of her husband or of her father. Now it says, if you do buy them and they serve you for six years, then you should do this. But let's look at the phrase of this case. You purchase them and they serve you for six years. That is, they would be in a position of bond servants. It would be a master-servant relationship under law, protected by law, and guided by the Word of God. They would be in a position as bond servants, not slaves, and their labor would be calculated as the payment for their debts. Now, in the particular case we're looking at, they served a full six years. But you know, in many cases, the service may not have had to been that long. Perhaps one year of service would have satisfied the needs of their creditors or the restitution. Perhaps two years, three or four. But what this case is saying, if the circumstance is this desperate that they have to work a full six years, they shall not have to work, though, any longer than that. Here a limit is put upon this. indicating that perhaps even the debts, if the debts were bad enough, were not paid within that period of time and still there was a deliverance here, there was mercy in this law. But in this case they served a full six years and what should be done now in the case like this? It says in verse 12, the last part of the verse, in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee." Now the seventh year here is not the Sabbath year, but the seventh year from the time they were sold. The period of servitude was not affected by the seven-year cycle of the Sabbath year, though the year of Jubilee did affect it when everyone was set free, no matter what the circumstances. However, it is clear though in this period of six years of maximum labor and the seventh being set free, we see the pattern. This was established at creation week. That is reflected in six days of labor and one day of rest. That is reflected in six years of working the land and one year of giving the land rest. Here we see someone put into this bond service for six years, but at the end of those six years, they come to a season of rest and freedom. And so there's a limit on this bond service, which again is not the nature of slavery. He says in the seventh year you will let him go free. Let him go free. This is not perpetual bondage. Now it would seem though in most circumstances all debts would be able to be paid off within a period of six years. I would just try to put a little modern day figures together here. And if we take on the lower range of things, $12 an hour is the average wage for a worker today. In six years at 50 hours a week, they would earn $187,200. So that's pretty good. So most debts could be satisfied within that circumstance of six years. The six years of labor were though the limits of their liability. At the end of six years, they were not only set free from bondage, they went out free from their debt. They had done their work and no more was required of them and God in His mercy limited this bondage. But not only that, in this case, not only should they be set free, look, they're to be provisioned as they go out. And it says, and when you let him go free, that is when the same time that you set him free, you don't send him away empty. This is a strong command. Don't do this. Rather, you shall provide for him, you shall furnish for him those things which he needs. And we see that the things that they are to be given come from the very basis of the labor of an agricultural community. You will give to them out of your flock, from your herds, sheep, goats, cattle. Out of the floor, that would be where the grain was stored, the various types of grain. Out of your wine press or out of your press, which would be the wine and the oil, you are to send them out not empty, but to be generously provided for as they begin a new life. To send them out empty would be a recipe for failure. Remember, the whole purpose of this law is restoration. The six years of labor under a master would have taught this man discipline. It's like a reform school. and they were under discipline in the orders of another. They did not have the free time to make their own decisions about how they're gonna use their time. So six years of order, discipline, and responsibility, and punishment if they did not fulfill it. They were disciplined and trained by the master to be productive, diligent, hardworking men. And having learned that, even beyond that, they go out now with a good store so they can begin their life anew without giving them these provisions. We would have a recipe for failure, perhaps, and a return to debt and servitude. But the goal of this law is to give a man a new start. Now, some of these things may appear difficult for the Israelite. Even the buying of a man and taking him in, which I said in some cases can be an act of charity. It might not be too good of a worker when you take him in. There's going to be training to do. The reason he's coming to you is somehow he's been irresponsible. Either he's been a thief or perhaps he's been a slugger. And so it's not necessarily something that you want to take on. And then after he serves you six years you send him out by the law of God with all these provisions and it seems a little bit hard to some and so the Israelites might not want to open their household and their farm, their business to such an individual. And so here we have divine inducements and promises to motivate Israelites to obey this law. First of all in verse 15, Yahweh's redemption of Israel from bondage. This should be their model for the treatment of a Hebrew bond servant. verse 15 that is stated, ìYou will remember that you were a bondman in the land of Egypt and the Lord thy God redeemed thee, therefore I command thee this thing today.î They must always remember their bondage. or later on the bondage of their fathers in Egypt and how the Lord came down and set them free. And as they were set free, so you must set free your fellow Israelite after six years, though his sin, perhaps crime has brought him into bondage, you're going to give him deliverance, even as God has given deliverance to you, though you didn't deserve it either. But furthermore, you should remember when you left Egypt, the Lord provided for you. In fact, he said, go to your Egyptian neighbors and ask of this. And we're told that when they went, the Egyptians were so happy and desirous to get them out of the land, they gave them all kinds of jewels and riches. And in fact, in Texas, they plundered the Egyptians. They didn't go out of Egypt empty-handed. Neither should this servant go out empty-handed. God in his grace liberally provided for you when you left Egypt. And so that's the model. Secondly, you should consider the value of this bondman's service. It shall not seem hard to you, this is verse 18, jumping down, to send him away free, free from you. That is, he's no longer your servant. And that would particularly be difficult if you came as untrained, undisciplined, lazy type of fellow and in six years you have him as a hardworking, diligent, productive man and he's now really you're getting the payback, but it's time to set him free. You need to set him free. It might seem hard, but send him away, send him away. And then he says, for you have been worth a double hired servant. There's the word hired servant that I spoke of that was given in Leviticus about how you're to look on them as a hired servant. So here this law itself mirrors and echoes that idea. He's been like to you a hired servant. He's not a slave, but he has been double that. You see the worth, the service of a bondman is worth more than that of a day laborer who has set hours because the bond servant is responsible to his master at all times and can be called upon due to the nature of their relationship to work at any hour and for as many hours as needed. And so what is basically the Lord is saying, if you properly calculate his labor, it would be approximately double worth to you as that of a hired day laborer. because He was with you all the time. And then further there's this promise of blessing for obedience. And the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest. Now I want you to know with me, we've looked at three laws about caring for the poor. And look at this promise that's given after each one. Chapter 14, the third year tithe. And the Levite, verse 29, because he hath no inheritance with thee, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow which are within thy gates shall come, and shall eat, and be satisfied that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest. See that? Then look at chapter 15 and verse 10 after the idea of giving a loan to a poor brother. thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him, because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto." Now look at this one, and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest, all the same basically. They all come after each one of these separate laws in dealing with the poor, which is further proof that this idea of the sale of the Hebrew men and women was in the context of caring for the poor. And this was a desperate situation that required desperate means, servitude for six years. And it would be hard to obey that law and help someone in that kind of a circumstance. Of course, not everyone would be in a position to do that, but those who were should not turn away from it. This man has a need and you are to be a fellow member of the covenant community who's going to help him meet that need. You're going to go and buy him and you're going to be his master and you're going to train him and then you're going to send him out with a well-provisioned circumstance that he can begin afresh. And here he promises to bless them. So all three of those laws on caring for the poor are giving them promises, which again show the unity of this section and they're all dealing with that kind of a problem. But verses 16 to 17 give us another case, the case of a Hebrew bond servant who desires to remain in the service of his master. Again, this is a case law. It says in verse 16, it shall be if he say unto you, That is this bondman, perhaps also the bondwoman, if he say unto you, the time has come for him to be set free, either in an earlier period or at the end of the six years, depending on how long he needed to serve, and that time comes and you're going to say, it's time for you to go free, but he says to you, I don't want to go. If this case develops, here's what you should do. If he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee. And then the reasons why he won't go away from you are given in the third person. He could have said it in the first person. The person could have said, because I love you and your house, because I am well with you. I'm doing well with you. I don't want to leave. But he puts it in the third person here, because he loves you and your house. It's a powerful word, love. It means to delight in. It carries a sense of personal affection. He loves you. He desires to be with you. He desires to do good to you and your household. He wants to serve you, not only you but your house, all those who are in your family. He loves your household. He wants to stay. God has knit His heart to yours and your house because He is well with you. This means because it is good to Him from you. That sounds very awkward but that's a literal rendering of that. Because good is to Him from you. This means in some way you have treated Him very well. and his life has been good with you, and he delights in you, and he wants to stay. What should you do? The answer is given. Then, verse 17, you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be a servant forever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise. Now this ceremony is filled with symbolism. The door of the house was symbolic of the whole household. We saw that earlier in Deuteronomy about writing the law of God on the door of your house, indicating that everything that happens within that home is to be under the authority of God's word. And so the door of the house is symbolic of the household. So he's brought to that door. He loves your household. He wants to serve that household. It also is symbolic of the master's authority over that household. He's the head of that household. The ear is the symbol of obedience. For in the Hebrew perspective, to hear something is to obey it. It doesn't just mean to catch the auditory sounds. We talk to our children and say, did you hear me? We don't mean did the words come through your ears. but did you do what I said? So we have the same kind of concept at least in some context. And so to hear is to obey and the ear is the symbol of obedience. And therefore his ear is joined to that doorpost in the sense that he is now committing himself to hear everything his master says and to obey it faithfully. And so the boring of the ear with this all which would by the way be a painful procedure The Hebrew bond servant willingly gives up his liberty for a life, his liberty for life in exchange for the privilege and security of being a good servant to a good master. And after the ceremony is done, it says, He will be your servant forever. The word forever, Hebrew word forever, does not mean eternal. In some context, it does. But that's not what the word means. Our word forever means unending. But the word that's used here, olam, does not mean forever. It does not mean eternal, though it can in a particular context. Rather, it refers to time in a hidden sense. It can be hidden in the sense that you don't know the beginning of it, and you don't know the end of it. That's how they looked at it, the Hebrew mind. It was hidden time because you don't know when the end will be. You don't know what the future is. And therefore, it referred to time in an uncertain and undefined sense that only the future would reveal. It could refer in certain context to a very long time, to constancy of time or all coming time. Again, context determines the reference points. And the reference points here would be the whole life of the servant from that time forward. all the days of his life, all the remaining time that he has, which would then probably indicate that if the master died before him he would continue to serve that household because he loves the whole household and the son who would be in the father's stead would become his master. Now as we look at these case laws this morning they may seem difficult for us to apply in our contemporary setting and I think in some respects they are. They do speak about a culture and a setting that is far different from ours. That which ancient Israel had in its time under Moses, 1500, 1400 B.C. is a little bit different than today. But as I've tried to stress throughout our studies on Deuteronomy, there are truths and principles and there is a theology that informs this text. And it's our duty to seek to discern it and to apply it to our situation for those things that were written before time are written for our learning. God would instruct us further on how to care for the poor, how to care for this kind of poor. How we translate that into our circumstance may take a lot more thought than I've been able to give to it. But let's remember the context here is a means for helping a poor man in this kind of abject hopeless poverty. And the hopelessness is because of the nature of it here I think points to some kind of sin or irresponsibility on his part, even that of crime. But this man's circumstances are desperate. As I said in the beginning of the message, they're elemental in nature, not just circumstantial. This man cannot be helped by alone. That will not solve his problem. Not even a gift will take care of this man. You give him the gift, the gift is used up. You give him a loan, the loan is used up, and he's at the same status in life because he's got an elemental problem about his own character. In fact, in some of these situations, as I said, the labor of six years with the basic calculation I gave was $180,000 in today's dollars, and that's a lot of money. Someone who's in that kind of financial desperation, there's problems. He's gotten there. The only hope for a man like this is that he has to be brought to see he must surrender his liberty. He must submit to the judgment of a church court, a civil court, perhaps to authority in a family, and he must bring himself under the discipline of a master. Someone must take control of his life, and he must surrender his liberty to that individual. As I said, this person in Deuteronomy 15, 12 to 18 is someone with great needs and the law of God is providing for him in a practical, merciful, and restorative way. It's giving a solution to his problem. Radical one, yes, but a solution nonetheless. It is merciful because it provides a man with a way out when there may have seemed to be none. and it is restorative because it provides the discipline and training he needs to go forward. Isn't the law of God good and wise? Men don't think about these things. Men are self-centered and would not have come up with such a thing. They would have just been slavery period, perpetual. You're finished, buddy. You're going to be a slave the rest of your life. The law of God provides mercy and deliverance and we see that here. And so someone today, we have to use wisdom to categorize a man who is in that kind of circumstance. And the church might have to deal with men who are like that, who might be in their midst. And the answer is they need to be brought into some kind of bond service. How that would look today, we need to think about. We are not talking about slavery anywhere here. Nobody is slaves, nobody is being sold into slavery. We are looking at some kind of bond service so a man could pay his debts and rebuild his life. If the debt was private, as I said, he and the creditor, perhaps, can work out a suitable arrangement that would bring across the general equity of this law so that the man could pay his debts and be trained and disciplined and become a new man. If it's a circumstance where a man is not willing to do this, then the civil courts need to step in and order such an arrangement. The civil magistrate needs to take control of the situation and the man so that his creditors can be satisfied. Those to whom he owes restitution, if it was crime, need to be paid. I think back in the past there was a system, and I'm not real familiar with it, but from what I understand of it, the so-called debtor's prisons that were used in England seemed to me to be a very foolish and unbiblical thing. For the man was put into prison and just sat there because he couldn't pay his debts, which is directly contrary to this case law. They were right in the sense they were put into some kind of bondage, but they were supposedly put into bondage of labor and work. Our modern bankruptcy laws are an attempt to deal with the problems of this magnitude where someone completely fails in their financial circumstances, become greatly indebted and they cannot meet their debts. And our modern bankruptcy laws, which simply means the bank broke, it ruptured, your bank account just ruptured and everything is gone and you can't pay your bills. But I believe the modern bankruptcy laws, though often well intentioned, fall way short of the righteousness and the restorative nature of this law that we are looking at here today. And they do need to be reformed to ensure accountability of the man and a means to rebuild his life. Is there a possibility that we have all kinds of ministries out there where we have rescue missions, perhaps a rescue mission like this? to rescue men from desperate financial circumstances, not from drugs or alcohol, but just desperate circumstances, where they could come and live, room and board provided, but they would be under some sort of a master in a system where they would be required to report and to work, and their wages therefore then used to pay their debts. Perhaps it could be someone who would be able to give them work on the premises of a big business or corporation, could establish something to this effect. Perhaps it could be done in a much smaller scale. But all the labor and the wages of these individuals would be under the control of those over them and would be used to pay their debts while they also would be trained in responsibility, handling of money, and proper work habits and order and discipline and those type of things. And of course, if we're going to apply this law, the time would be limited to six years. So much more I'd like to say about this law, but my time's running out. But even there could be a situation where an individual or even a family could take on this on an individual basis, someone that they know, perhaps a family member or friend. They could actually bring into their lives as an indentured or a bond servant in the sense of what we're looking at here. where that individual would voluntarily sell themselves, not literally, but give up their liberty and be brought under the training and discipline of a godly home. Their wages and the work would be then used to pay debts. Perhaps the individual or family could take their money and pay the debt for them and then get labor from that person. Again, I don't know how this would work out. Everything here would have to be individualized. But there are ways this law can be applied today. And that's why we need to meditate on the law of God day and night. To take these cases and say, how Lord do we take this today in a situation like this and make it a reality for the deliverance of people in such desperate situations? May God give us wisdom to do that. There's another thing that we're reminded by this law is that debts and irresponsible living where someone was not able to provide for his own needs anymore because of it. Someone who had to look to others to supply their needs does lead to servitude to one degree or another. This is the ultimate level to which it can go. You become a bond servant. But if we're not responsible with our money, if we're contracting debt right and left, we may find ourselves in a situation similar to this, where we might lose everything. Proverbs 22.7 still applies, the borrower is servant to the lender. Furthermore, there's also a case law here about perpetual voluntary servitude. I'm not sure how you would apply that today. Perhaps like that ministry or that business that I envisioned above, they could voluntarily remain as long as they desire under those kind of conditions. where they are under a master. Because after six years they might say, I'm still not ready. So they voluntarily remain. But there's also a spiritual application here that I think can be applied at least as an illustration of Christ and His service to His Father and of our service to Christ. You know the servant of the Lord passages in the book of Isaiah? That long ago we studied them together here. the servant of Yahweh. The same word that's used here for servant. The Lord Jesus took that title upon Himself. He was a bondservant of His Father, of His God, Jesus. But we are the servants of Jesus Christ as well. And you know, you can just see it at least illustratively here. We come to Christ to set us free, verse 15. We were bonded in the land of Egypt. He's redeemed us. But then we can look at this in this way. We say to the Lord Jesus, I will not go away from thee. I love you. I love your house. I love your people. I love your church. It is well with me now that I've come to know thee. I will serve thee the rest of my life. My ear is open to your word. Figuratively speaking, take your all and thrust it through my ear to the doorposts of thine house, and I will be your servant. I will be your maidservant the rest of my days. It's a wonderful thing to meditate on. It's what we're called to do in Jesus Christ. Which leads us to this final law that I'd like to look at today. And I want to show you how this law brings everything together, all the laws we've looked at in the poor. This is the law concerning firstlings, let me read it. All the firstling males that come of thy herd and of thy flock thou shalt sanctify unto the Lord thy God. Thou shalt do no work with the firstling of thy bullock, nor shear the firstling of thy sheep. Thou shalt eat it before the Lord thy God year by year in the place where the Lord shall choose thou and thine household. And if there be any blemish therein, or if it be lame, or blind, and have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the Lord thy God. Thou shalt eat it within thy gates. The clean and the unclean person shall eat it alike as the roebuck in the heart. Only thou shalt not eat the blood thereof. Thou shalt pour it upon the ground. The law of the firstborn was first given in Exodus 13, 11 to 16 in connection with the exodus from Egypt. The law of the firstborn was to be a memorial of the deliverance from Egypt to the death of the firstborn of all of Egypt and the lamb that died in the place of the firstborn sons of the Israelites. This law here does not speak of the redemption of the firstborn son, but only speaks to the dedication and sacrifice of the firstborn of the flock and herd. That's because the firstborn son law was changed later and instead of all the firstborn of Israel, the Lord said, instead of that I'm taking the whole tribe of Levi from me and they will be in the place of the firstborn. So here we're talking only about the flock and the herd. This legislation is carrying on also the teaching about the central sanctuary that we've been studying in Deuteronomy 12. And this law will be so important as Israel moves across the Jordan into Canaan and they conquer the land and instead of traveling with the tabernacle and everybody around it, there will be a central location and now Israel will need to begin to travel there. And so this legislation is telling them when you get into the land of Canaan, the law of the central sanctuary also applies to the sacrifices and offerings of the firstlings. This also text provides a transition to the laws regarding the three annual feasts of Israel that we are going to study in chapter 16. It is at these feasts that the firstlings would have been offered and eaten before the Lord. Now what is the law of the firstlings of the flock? Three parts of this law are identified here. They are sanctified to Yahweh, They cannot be put to common use and they are to be offered and eaten before Yahweh at the central sanctuary. It says there to be sanctified to the Lord. Something that is sanctified in the biblical sense means it's been set apart to God and to His use and His appointed purposes. It means that it's not yours to use as you would. and this is explained then in the next phrase, they are sanctified to the Lord and you shall not do any work with them or shear the sheep for wool. These are two examples that the firstlings are not to be used by man in the common ordinary way and they are not to be because they are holy to the Lord and they have been consecrated to Him and they belong to Him and He says you cannot use them for your own purposes. They are to be offered rather to the Lord, and there to be eaten as a sacrificial meal at the central sanctuary. Two things are said in verse 20 about the firstlings. They are to be killed and eaten as part of a sacrificial meal before the Lord in recognition of His sovereignty over you and a reminder of His ownership of everything you have. Now how does the law of the firstborn teach that or the firstling teach that? because these firstlings are a reminder of their deliverance from Egypt through the death of all the firstborn of Egypt and by redeeming them Yahweh claimed Israel as His own, they belong to Him and this reminds them of that, we were slaves in Egypt, He bought us for Himself and set us free and brought us into His service which is the kind of service being envisioned in the previous law, where Israel should say in serving Yahweh that they love Him. He's a good master. He's been well with us ever since you took us into your service. Secondly, it teaches the sovereignty of the Lord and that they are to be offered to God sometime during the first year of life. That's the meaning of the phrase year to year. That's something like annually. The time when these firstlings were brought were normally one of the three great feasts of Israel. Now there's also then a case of a blemished firstling of the flock. In other words, this case law is introduced for further instruction on this statute. What do we do if the firstling is deformed or sickly, especially in view of your law in Leviticus 19 and 22 that said you cannot offer a blemished animal to the Lord. You cannot do that. says, There shall be no blemish therein, blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed. You shall not offer these unto the Lord, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar of God. If you look over in Deuteronomy 17.1, that law from Leviticus is repeated in a briefer form. Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the Lord thy God any bullock or sheep wherein is blemish, or any ill-favoredness, for that is an abomination to the Lord thy God. And so they can't be sacrificed to Yahweh, verse 21. They're unworthy to be offered to Him. He will only accept the best. Then, verse 22, they're to be eaten as common food within your gates. In other words, what's to be done with them? If we can't bring the firstlings to God and offer them in sacrifice, what are we supposed to do with them? Just use them regularly? No, not to do that, but you are able to kill them and eat them as part of your regular diet. They are not acceptable as sacrifices, but you may eat them as food. Also, verse 23 reminds them that their blood is not to be eaten. We talked about that quite extensively earlier in Deuteronomy 12, and I am not going to comment on that any further right now. How do we apply this law? Well, the theology of the text here is based on the fact that God is the Creator and Redeemer of mankind. The Jewish commentary, Eitz Haim, states concerning this, the first issue of all living things is considered holy, reserved for the Lord. Only after these are given to God, thereby acknowledging Him as the source and owner of life, are the remainder of the crop and the subsequent offspring of animals desacralized and freed for human use. The firstborn of Egypt and the Passover lamb in the place of Israel's firstborn were the price of Israel's redemption. God is the owner of life and He makes that known by declaring the first life that comes from the womb or the first life that comes in the term of fruit from the crops or His because He gave them. It's a recognition of God's ownership and that He is the creator and provider. And so the firstling always is teaching Israel that, and we'll see this in the feasts that come up, that these feasts were designed to remind Israel that God had provided them with the fruits of the land. But also that the firstlings remind them of redemption, redemption. For the whole law of the firstling was established in connection with a memorial to the deliverance from Egypt, to the death of the firstborn of Egypt and the substitute of the lamb for the firstborn of Israel. Although we are no longer under the ceremonial law of the firstborn, which is a ceremonial law. The theology of this text applies to us in Christ who is the fulfillment of it. Listen to these words from Colossians 1, 14 to 18. Listen for the words redemption, listen for the words creation, and listen for the words firstborn. in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. For by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created by Him and for Him, and He is before all things and by him all things consist. And he is head of the body of the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence." There is a wonderful typology in the law of the firstlings. They point to Christ. Christ was the firstborn of Mary and Joseph and was consecrated to God from his mother's womb. Jesus Christ came into this world to do no common work. He came to save men from their sins. Jesus Christ was offered to God at the time and the place that God chose, even as these were to be offered in the time and place where God chose. Jesus Christ was qualified to be offered to God because in Him there was no spot or blemish. He was sinless. It says in Hebrews 9.14, How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, Without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. 1 Peter 1, 18 and 19. For as much as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. And you know the Lord's Supper. is a fulfillment, and I pointed this out in chapter 12, but it's a further fulfillment of this sacrificial meal where we gather together to feast on the body and the blood of the firstborn of all creation, the firstborn of the dead who brought us redemption. And we do it at the place God chose. This law also reminds us that everything we have belongs to God and that we must give Him our first and our best. We usually get that backwards. This law then brings to a conclusion the section that began in chapter 14 and verse 21 on the tithe. So 14 through 21 through 15 through 23 need to be seen together. Here's how. Our tithe belongs to the Lord and we're to give it to Him at the place and for the purpose He appoints. Secondly, our financial resources belong to the Lord, and we are to use them to help our poor brethren. Thirdly, our firstlings belong to the Lord, and we are to offer them in worship to Him. This is why these laws are in a section of the covenant law dealing with applications of the first four commandments. Why do we have laws about the poor here? Because the Bible says, he that gives to the poor gives to the Lord. It's an act of worship to God. His concern is with the fatherless and the widow. And he provides means to help the poor brother and the complete destitute man. And so this section teaches us, as the other laws do in this circumstance, that we worship God with our money. And how we use it indicates whether we really believe the first commandment. That we have no other God but Yahweh. We have no other God but the Lord. And that our money belongs to Him. Our financial resources belong to Him. And they are on His altar. And we will use them as He commands. And if we will not use our money, our finances, our material resources to worship God, then we are phonies. Because we have, like Jesus said, given our allegiance to mammon. And you can't have one or the other. You can't serve them both. And so these laws dealing with tithe, helping the poor, and the firstlings teach us that everything we have belongs to God. And in our worship of God, they are at His disposal to be used as He commands. That's what it means to worship God. It's not just singing songs and saying prayers, but using what God has given you. And in this context, the financial, material resources, God, they're yours. Take them. Show me how I might use them for thy glory, because they belong to you. You're my God. Let us pray. Father, thank you for thy word, thy good word, oh, so much here. We thank you for the practicality of the law of God and to see how you've designed a means to help men and in some situations women who are in such desperate circumstances. They don't even know how to live. They can't even tie their shoes financially. You've provided a means there in the law to bring that person out of their financial bondage through a season of training, discipline, and bond service. Your law is good. You understand why David said, oh, how I love thy law. It is my meditation all the day. May we have that same spirit. May we learn how to apply the principles of the laws we've looked at today in our lives. But we won't even get to that unless we will do the first and think on them and pray over them. Spirit of God, speak to us here, we pray. And help us, Lord, to be like the servant. He said, I don't want to leave you, Lord Jesus. You're a good master. I love you. I love your house. I love your family. I love your people. Here's my year. Bore it. I'm yours. In Jesus' name, amen. Okay. Now we will open up for interaction. A wide opportunity for our men. If they want to make comments or ask questions on this text today. Mark and then Gary. I actually snuck the microphone before them. Okay. I had the wonderful opportunity to work at Water Street Ministries here locally. So you get to see where alcohol has affected a lot of the men that come in. and women and they are at the bottom. But what I like about the program there as well is when they're there, they're there washing dishes, taking out the trash, they're doing things with that. And there's various programs and some of the alcohol has affected them mentally where they're not physically able to work in that aspect because there's mental issues going on. But, you know, I'm working with them one-on-one. One particular couple weeks I was working with a gentleman who had just gotten out of jail for 20 years, was in jail with that. You know, they are at a low point. He was in there, we were working side-by-side in the kitchen serving the other men there. And, you know, so something I appreciated there is that they are teaching the men that they need to work as well, you know, not just, yes, they're at hard times, but they're there training them so they can go back in to get their lives turned around. I think that the rescue mission ministries that I've been familiar with are doing exactly the type of things this law is speaking about. In my one application, I mentioned separate from rescue missions. I thought of perhaps even a ministry that wouldn't be dealing with that kind of a thing, where people are being rescued from drugs and alcohol. But in another setting, what I see in the rescue missions is they're applying these principles. These people are down at the very basis, and they bring them into discipline, and they're under rules. And the master of the house is the man in charge of the ministry, and they're trying to teach them how to work. And so they go forward. You know the old saying, give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, you feed him for a life. And that's what they're trying to do. And it's an excellent thing. And I think it's worthy of our prayers and support. Not all of us can do these things. Not all of us have the gifts and callings or circumstances to do that kind of work. And I thank God for those who do. And we ought to see that as a very valid investment in helping the poor. Because most of those people are destitute financially and bankrupt and debts and fines prison and their crimes. So it's a great investment. Appreciate your word on that and your work there. And I would encourage you all individually to pray and consider the possibility of supporting a work like the rescue mission there in Lancaster. And there's ones in Reading and Lebanon, York, all over the place. And I think that the essential principles within a specific context are being applied here. I'm very encouraged by that. Yes, Mark. As you're going through this, I was thinking about what are the duties and responsibilities of not only the master, but also the bondservant. Nelson was talking about teaching. So as a master, one of your duties is, of course, to love them. That's a big, broad statement. teaching and admonishing is one. Yes. I would use the word mentoring, that's kind of a modern term, but mentoring spiritually but also practically to teach them the discipline both in spiritual life and in their practical life. And then as a bond servant, your duty first is to have listening ears, as you mentioned. They are to learn to be accountable and to be thankful, be grateful. And the outcome I think what's in view, what's the end in view? And the end in view, I'm actually going to refer to Ezra's prayer in Ezra 9. Verse 15 of the passage he talked about, he talked about reminding them of the bondage in Egypt. And Ezra's prayer does something very similar. But I think he makes some points about what our end is in view in this situation. So in the modern day, because we don't quite have this situation, but there may be somebody who We want to help. They're in financial difficulties. But they're in that way because of some foolishness or whatever. It's our responsibility then to teach and admonish them, train them in financial discipline. But what's the end in view? Let me just read verse 9 of Ezra. It says, For we were bondmen, Yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia." And here are the several, what's in view. One, to give us a reviving. I see that as like begin a new relationship with God. To set up the house of our God, and I see that as edifying, building it up. To repair the desolations thereof, and I see that as replacing desolations with plenty or beauty. And then the last one is to give us a wall in Judah and Jerusalem. So I think the end in view in the last one is to establish a worshipful household. And I think I see that as kind of the target. When you're in a situation and try to help somebody, they're gonna be very grateful, and you have to turn that gratefulness not to you, but to God. God is the one who made this happen, and I think you should always have that view. You want them to become a household that's worshipful to God. Excellent. You know, as we are helping people, and you just mentioned the struggle of maybe trying to apply these. We've got to remember we're dealing with case laws here, so these are cases. So they're not saying this only applies when a man is sold to you. The same principles could apply in a lesser circumstance, in a different case, where he doesn't need to be sold, but he needs someone who's going to take charge. And we, I think, talked a little bit about this last week, but let's say we can combine the case laws and the circumstances of chapter, of the first part about loans and this one. You may decide you're going to give somebody a loan, but you say, you give me your checkbook. I'm going to take charge of this. We're going to sit down. I'm going to teach you financial principles. You're going to work with that person as a condition. You say, I will help you, but you will surrender liberty in this area, or I will not help you. If you're not willing to surrender your liberty and come under my tutorship, my mentorship, I'm not going to be able to help you. So we could combine from the less severe situations to the someone just needs a little loan to get by to maybe somebody sort of in the middle there who needs sort of a little bit of both. He needs a loan but he also needs a master as it were and would take control of his life and he willingly submit to the discipline and the teaching of that man. And of course if people won't willingly submit to those things, the person might wind up where he has to submit because of court order. So it's better to submit now when you realize your life's out of control and take the help and discipline you need. Gary. Yeah, you mentioned in your sermon about the unbiblical nature of debtor's prison, which was the case, it was the common practice to throw men who couldn't pay their debts into prison in the 16th and 17th centuries in Europe. And there was a godly English parliamentarian who solved the injustice of this and protested it, made it his life work to change that particular system of injustice. And his name was James Oglethorpe. And he proposed that a more biblical form of dealing with debts would be to create a colony, a debtors colony in the New World where men could be given the choice to either go to prison in England, as was the case, or go to the new world and work to pay off their debt in this debtor's colony. If they went to prison, obviously they were at the mercy of relatives and friends to pay the money to get them out. But more biblically, I believe, was to go to the new world and work to pay the debt. And so, just a little history lesson here, the colony of Georgia was born as the result of Oglethorpe's work in that area. And I think it was biblical reformation. Amen. And many of the men that came to Georgia paid their debts and they didn't want to return. So they paid, they worked and paid to get their wives and families over. And so the colony of Georgia is a great testimony and an application of this particular law. Amen. So that was one thing I wanted to say. And then I also wanted to say that As far as a current day application, I've seen this work. I have a very good friend who had started a business. He took out a loan from his uncle and the business failed. He could not repay his uncle. And he worked. for that uncle, his uncle had a business also, a furniture store. My friend worked for that uncle for many, many years on Saturdays. He had his regular job, but then on Saturdays he worked for his uncle to pay off that debt. And that is paid today. And so there was a current day application of this law. Amen. Amen, Gary. There was a man, Mr. Oglethorpe, who meditated all day and night and said, this is not right. He went to the scriptures and came up with a powerful application. Because case laws allow for all kinds of applications. We need people today to have that kind of vision if we're going to have reformation. There's many different works that God calls people to. And He's going to call and He does call some men to this kind of work. To rescue the financially incompetent or whatever you want to call them. And to get them back on their feet. What a tremendous work. And so Oglethorpe in his day, who's the Oglethorpes for today? Did I see another hand? No I didn't, okay. All right, thank you men for those comments and applications and illustrations which were so appropriate. We'll close now.