February 14, 2011 – Sirach 33

I wonder if we sometimes see the talk about slavery in the Bible and automatically shut down our brain because we think that this is something old and non-existent and therefore we don’t have to worry about it.  It is a bit confusing, because we are raised with the pictures of slavery in the south, to read about slavery here.  There are two very distinct sections.  26-29 instructs a person to deal with a slave rather harshly.  Keep them at work all the time because if you don’t they will think of freedom.  If they become unruly, put chains on them.  But then in 30-33 we see that you are to treat slaves as you would yourself.  One thing that jumps out at you is that slaves are human beings (v. 30).  There was a lot argued back in the early part of our country saying that slaves were not human.  I guess if the majority of the country had been using a Catholic Bible with the book of Sirach in it they would have seen that God says slaves are human.

If you gloss over this by thinking that slavery is something ancient I think you miss a lesson.  Not only was slavery very widely used back then and not only is this instruction a more humane way of treating slaves then we see from our history books, but what does this teach us about being a slave for Christ. 

James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ James 1:1

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus Romans 1:1

We are called to be constantly doing God’s work and when we are idle we will long to be free of God, to seek material things, to become worldly.  And if we are like that, we will have chains thrown upon us, not as punishment, but to keep us focused on working for God.  We are called to be slaves for God.   

On the flip side, if we are slaves to sin, we will be constantly obsessed with it, it will be on our mind all the time, taking up all our thoughts.  If we try to venture out to see what may be beyond that sin, it will wrap its chains around you and drag you back.  Ask anyone with an addiction how it feels to be a slave to that addiction. 

God can help us break those chains so that we can become His slaves.  Hopefully this is a new way to look at slavery and when we read about it, it does not seem so foreign or ancient but a teaching tool.