Why does the Bible Support Slavery?

Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright Hebrews 12:15-16 (KJV)

Taken out of context anyone can read anything into the Bible. Haters of God do this all the time, and even those wolves that hide among the brethren in secret.(bad pastors) I'm on my break at work,  so I must respond clearly and quickly. Lets began with slavery,  how the bible uses the word slavery may have remarkably different meanings and intents.

1.   In one instant slave mean indentured servant.This is not as we perceive slavery today where people are beaten and the actual property of another person. That is a completely new European concept of slave.   But for the Jews slaves were part of a successful and functioning society. Many slaves had homes, and property of their own. And as slaves they did not remain slaves for all their life. At most they were slaves for only 7 years, and those who were fortunate remained slaves even less if they became slave near the year of Jubilee. (Ask your pastor to teach you about jubilee) The law of Moses in fact served to regulate the care of slaves by their Hebrews masters, i.e. Ex 21:20 and Ex 21:26, Lev 25:40. Consequently, Israel never captured and sold humans as did the Phoenicians and Philistines.  Children of slaves could even inherit the wealth of the slave master.  Consider Abraham's words when he had no son of his own. ( Genesis 15:2 ) This nothing like the slaves that you and I have come to  think of.

2.    Secondly, the word slave is used as a person to who is in subjection to someone or something. (I.E  He is a slave to his drug additions) We who are in Christ should be a slave to the will of Christ. But you know from your walk with Christ that whom the Son set free (from our sexual perversions, or drugs or financial circumstances) is free indeed John 8:36

o   Now addressing slavery from the position of a just God. Ask yourself this "If God wrote about Himself and His Son today through the hands of prophets do you think He would say that there were no gang rapes, child molestation, weapons of mass destruction, or black on black crime?"  Would God leave that part out when He describe the world?  

Wouldn’t leaving them out be untruthful?  Fact is all these things exist,  All these things were real. And none of these things are condoned by God. If we who are Christian believe that the Bible support slavery then we are not reading the Bible correctly. The Bible teaches that man is corrupt in all ways (Totally Deprived)  but somehow those that would convince you that God supports slavery is trying to make you think that because the Bible speaks of slavery, that God somehow condones slavery.  Your elderly grandmother watches the news and hear of rape and murder every day. she may call her friends up to tell them the latest atrocity reported on ABC News but that does not mean your grandmother is for murder or rape. . 

Like-wise just because slavery is in the Bible does not mean God tolerates slavery, have you not read vengeance is mine says the LORD? (Isa 63:4, Rom 12:19)   What the Bible teaches is that the fullness of God's word is of paramount concern for both the free and the slave. New Testament texts, such as Colossians 4:1, Galatians 3:28, and the Book of Philemon, make the case for the inherent spiritual worth of slaves, which effectively laid a base for deep down authentic change in social practice, over time. God's way is often to work from within, dealing primarily with the spiritual component.

3.    Lastly we must learn to read scripture not with the mind of this world but with Godly wisdom. If we truly desire to understand the word of God we must rightly seek it in prayer James 1:5 Because they read the Bible with worldly knowledge the way of God seems foolish to men 1Corinthians 1:25 Consider this Abraham, Jacob, Esau and King David, and King Solomon all had multiple wives. Now at first glance it would appear that the Bible condones many wives, but does it?  

o   Well because of two wives, Abraham had distension in his house, and the descendants of one son are to this day at war with the descendants of the other.
Genesis 16:4-6 And Please don't forget that Hagar was his wife's slave.

o   Jacob had four wives,(two of which were slaves [concubines]) and that led to the attempted murder of his favorite son,  and fighting among his wives Genesis 30:1-2, Genesis 37:18-30 And the eventual separation of a nation at odd with itself. 

o   King David had many wives, and even though  he was the apple of God’s eye, and with all the good he had in possessions, these  things could not satiate his appetite for  flesh. So he Killed Uriah and stole his wife.  God cursed him which was proof that God does not condone evil.  2 Samuel 12:9-10

o   King Solomon though he was the riches and wisest man on earth he fell to the perversion of his many wives.1 Kings 11:3

o   In Hebrews 12:15-16 we learn more about Esau then in all the Bible, We find that he was an adulterer, sexual immorality  was his problem.  The fact that he had two wives made life of his parents bitter the Bible says.Genesis 26:34-35

The reason the Bible is so clear about slavery is because slavery did exist in the Bible. But so did rape and murder, and so does evil today.  If the Bible did not address the fact that there was slavery, then the Bible would be giving us only half truths. So the Bible speaks of slavery because slavery existed, not because God condoned it, the Bible speaks of polygamy because it existed not because God condoned it. It speaks of beating and parent killing their children,because these things existed, not because God condones it.

But here is the really scary part. These things still exist and most people questioning the Bible are doing nothing to stop any of these things. I'm not fooled and neither should you be those that  question the Bible do so because the Bible brings to light their own, your own, and my own sin.

And in the end what matters is not what happened 3000 years ago, what matters is where you will spend eternity.

Your Brother in Christ
T.Charves FireSpeaks