The Hebrews know very well that slavery is not just an awful way to eke out a living, it is a kind of murder to the human soul. So the God who says, "no murder" now sets out a sort of labour code for domestic servants.
Although the word "slave" has a very negative connotation in our culture, it is unfortunately a reality in cultures past for those who fall on economic hard times, where one becomes a slave when they or their parents "sell" them into service of others as a last resort to their predicaments.
But whereas slavery is often a degrading and permanent state until one can be "ransomed", for Israel, God sets boundary for slavery.
First, slaves must not be slaves forever. God limits slavery to seven years - that is, someone who finds himself in slavery is able to earn his freedom back in seven years. Secondly, slaves who start a family while in the employ of their master has the option to become part of the family. In the case of a concubine (a "handmaid"), she must be returned to her parents if she does not please her master (and not be sold off to a foreign owner), or be treated like a daughter or a wife depending on whom she "served".
This is likely the most humane idea of slavery in its time. And it's borne from a God who rescued his people from slavery and does not ever want to see his people back under oppression again. Because no one should ever have to sell their soul just to make a living.
Write
Think about your faith story: how have you experienced bad bosses, and the demoralizing impact of oppressive work places?
Presently, in what ways is your employer affirming? In what ways your employer erodes your soul?
Who do you know feels like a slave? Where in the world does slavery still happen?
Pray
What
is God saying to you today? What's Good News to you?
Talk to God about your experience of employment. Thank God for the way he created work as a way to imitate him in expressing, creating, contributing and blessing.
Pray about your present struggle with your work. Ask God for the help you need, the reassureance of his presence, and the courage to be an agent for dignity and respect.
Pray for your friend who feels like a slave, and people you read about who are in slavery. Pray for the wisdom and opportunity to help others find freedom.
Pray for an experience of God's love, grace and mercy in the way he protects your soul from degrading work, and the way he uses you to be an agent of respect and dignity in the world.