And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:
Unlike the Ten Commandments spoken openly, this law was given privately to Moses to be communicated by him to the people. It was needed because minds blinded and debased by slavery were not prepared to fully appreciate the far-reaching principles of God's ten precepts. It belongs among the statutes, judgments, and specific additional precepts given through Moses to guard, illustrate, apply, and explain in detail the principles of the Ten Commandments, so that the obligations of the Decalogue might be more fully understood and enforced with practical instruction about duties between people.
In its immediate setting it is part of the law limiting a Hebrew servant's service to six years and requiring his release in the seventh year. It provides that a servant entitled to freedom may choose to remain a servant rather than go out free, because he loves his master, his wife, and his children. Although the law allowed that choice, refusal of freedom was treated as a mark of disgrace, encouraging liberty rather than a spirit of bondage.
The surrounding servant laws protect servants from cruelty and unjust treatment by requiring masters to respect servants' rights and treat them with tenderness and compassion. These laws show God's care for His people and for the poor and the exalted character of His requirements. They are to be studied and strictly obeyed because they guide people in their dealings with one another and guard against injustice, and this instruction is necessary for God's people in every age.
Unlike the Ten Commandments spoken openly, this law was given privately to Moses to be communicated by him to the people. It was needed because minds blinded and debased by slavery were not prepared to fully appreciate the far-reaching principles of God's ten precepts. It belongs among the statutes, judgments, and specific additional precepts given through Moses to guard, illustrate, apply, and explain in detail the principles of the Ten Commandments, so that the obligations of the Decalogue might be more fully understood and enforced with practical instruction about duties between people.
In its immediate setting it is part of the law limiting a Hebrew servant's service to six years and requiring his release in the seventh year. It provides that a servant entitled to freedom may choose to remain a servant rather than go out free, because he loves his master, his wife, and his children. Although the law allowed that choice, refusal of freedom was treated as a mark of disgrace, encouraging liberty rather than a spirit of bondage.
The surrounding servant laws protect servants from cruelty and unjust treatment by requiring masters to respect servants' rights and treat them with tenderness and compassion. These laws show God's care for His people and for the poor and the exalted character of His requirements. They are to be studied and strictly obeyed because they guide people in their dealings with one another and guard against injustice, and this instruction is necessary for God's people in every age.