Treacherous Treatment of Slaves

86% of teens claim that they are Christian (34% are born again) and 3 out of 5 say they believe the Bible is totally accurate in all it teaches. Yet many embrace views inconsistent with the Bible. A new Barna survey finds 2/3 stated Satan is not a living being; merely a symbol … More

Inconsistency

God gave Jeremiah a message for King Zedekiah (vv. 1-3). This message was that Zedekiah’s rebellion against Babylon would not succeed. God had already determined to hand the city over to the Babylonians, who would burn it down. In the midst of judgment God did offer a promise of peace. Because of his rebellion Zedekiah could have been executed by Nebuchadnezzar, but God promised that he would not die by the sword. He would die peacefully (vv. 4-5). Jeremiah delivered this message to King Zedekiah as the army of Babylon relentlessly continued its attack against Jerusalem (vv. 6-7).

At this point Jeremiah exposed a practice which was the enslavement of Israelites by their own people (vv. 8-11). This violated God’s Law (Ex. 21:2-11; Deut. 15:12-18). Everyone was to free his Hebrew slaves in accordance with God’s Law. The slaves’ freedom, however, was short-lived. All those who released their slaves changed their minds and enslaved them again. God rebuked the people for their inconsistency by reminding them of the covenant He had made with their forefathers when He freed them from their slavery in Egypt (vv. 12-16).

By revoking their covenant the people had not proclaimed freedom for those Israelites who were wrongfully enslaved (vv. 17-20). The remarkable phrase in this passage is, “you profaned my name.” This was a serious charge to any Jew. The Hebrew word translated profane, means “wound,” “pierce,” or “deface.” God’s charge is, “You have defaced me.” It is an act of blasphemy against God to treat another person as somewhat less than a person. That is what God holds a nation to account for. Zedekiah and his officials should have been models of godly leadership, but they were as vacillating as the people (vv. 21-22).

Application

I always want to have a consistent walk with the Lord and never go back on my promises.

Jeremiah 34:1-22 (English Standard Version)


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