How shall we answer the criticism that the Bible countenances slavery?
What is the penalty for man-stealing or selling someone into slavery? Death. Exod 21:16.
Why would an Israelite ever become enslaved? The Biblical system of justice is radically different from ours in America. It's based entirely on restitution, not on penitence. There was no prison system in Israel, no “penitentiary” where you would pay for your crime by sitting around thinking about it in a cage. There was no concept of a crime against the state. All crime is called what it is, sin. And all sin is against a person and/or against God. The whole system of Biblical justice is based on restoring, or paying back, and you could be bound by law to serve him as a “bondservant” for up to 6 years, Exod 22:2-12.
If you committed a capital crime, you could pay to redeem your life. There were some crimes in which no redemption was allowed. Num 35:31. But, in general, you were able to make restitution to your neighbor in the form of payment, and if you had no ability to pay, you would be ordered to work off your debt. Similarly, if you had run greatly debt and unable to pay, you would not file bankruptcy. You would work off what you owed.
But this forced restitution through bondservice was carefully regulated, Deut 15:12ff, Lev 25:39, Exod 21:26-27, and Deut 23:15, 'You shall not give back to his master the slave who has escaped from his master to you.
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“ Great Sermon! ” Thank you for an interesting sermon on this topic. I appreciated the contrast of biblical slavery with the American penitentiary system of today. May God bless and keep you as you continue in your ministry.
