“If the slave declares . . . ‘I do not want to leave as a free man,’ his master . . . will pierce his ear with an awl, and he will serve his master for life.” —Exodus 21:5–6
Nowhere in Scripture or historical records do we find an instance where a servant made the choice referred to in Exodus 21. So why did God even suggest this scenario? I believe this Old Testament picture was intended to point us to Christ.
In obedience to His Father’s will and out of love for Him, Jesus offered Himself as a bondslave so He could deliver those who were in bondage to sin (Heb. 2:10–18).
Through His example, we see what no one before Him had ever chosen to do—to willingly bear the marks of His submission, becoming the bondslave who symbolically fulfilled the literal exchange described in Old Testament law.
Following in the steps of their Master, the apostles and New Testament writers saw themselves as bondslaves of Jesus Christ, choosing to give their lives in His service. Will we choose to be so marked as willing slaves of Christ?
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The Quiet Place: Daily Devotional Readings ©2012 Nancy Leigh DeMoss
Scripture taken from The CSB
Make it Personal
How can you acknowledge to the Lord Jesus that you have made the choice to be His devoted slave . . . forever?