The History of Slavery

   Today, there are quite a few people complaining about America being a former slave country. As I listen to what these people say, their argument sounds plausible, at least in the beginning. But their argument does not take into consideration the whole part of History. When did slavery begin? Is it specific to America? Why was there slavery in America, when America was known as the 'Land of the Free'?

   In a Nutshell, slavery began not too long after the fall of the human race. Wherever there was conquest, slavery came as a result.

  Although the sins that brought about the wrath of God, which caused Him to send a world-wide flood to destroy the world, are not named, there is little doubt that people who lived at that time were owning slaves in some kind of format.

 Throughout Bible History, you can see nations at war with one another, and slavery was installed in many societies. In the Bible, God actually talks about slavery, but it is a different kind of slavery than the ones we are familiar with. It would be similar to what could happen if we took homeless people into our homes and gave them jobs to work for. Basically, slavery in the Old Testament, was used to prevent a person from having to live on the streets. In a sense, it was a type of protection, although it would definitely never be one's first choice of remedy for being out of work. Also, there was what was called, a 'Day of Jubilee' where the slaves that chose to leave, could leave the families they served. God has specific rules for how slaves were to be treated in the early days of Israel.

   American History was very cruel, at least for many. I will say here though, that there were people who did own slaves and who treated their slaves like family. People by nature are cruel, and given a situation where they can oppress another, they will take advantage of that. I have seen people torture animals. Why would they do that? It is a form of bullying and also a form of control. People feel strong when they can overpower something or someone else. But what does the Bible say about this?

 There is a verse that says  A righteous care for the needs of his animals but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel (Proverbs 12:10 NIV).

     I remember reading a book on Johnny Appleseed, the guy who planted appleseeds everywhere hoping to grow a bunch of apple trees, and in this book, it gave a story of a cruel slave owner, whose slave ran away and was in danger of being caught and penalized. I think the slave owner found the slave and cut his tongue out. What a cruel person that was. That shows us how evil people can be, left without God's mercy on them. We could be in the same boat if we are left to ourselves as well.

   There are different forms of slavery. Slavery can be as basic as a parent overpowering their child. It could be a man holding his wife hostage. We are aware of the sex slave trade where women are brought in and cannot escape. They will be abused by men, primarily, as sex objects. There are cults who hold their members hostage by not allowing them to leave the group. Islamic women have very little rights. Even kidnapping is a form of slavery, if the victim is not killed, but held in hostage.

   Whatever the format for slavery was, slavery has been in operation for thousands of years. It is not an early American invention as some would like for you to believe. It takes places because sinful people take power and use it over other people who will be subject to them.

  During the Middle Ages, slavery was going strong throughout Europe. That is part of the reason why early Americans had slaves. They were brought over here with their owners. There were also indentured slaves, which were a little different. They were a step above the average slave because they were more or less hired to work for the family who owned them.

  Today in America, we don't have black people sweeping our floors and cleaning cotton bales, but, we still have people who bully others around. Bullying is big in public and private schools, and probably always will be as long as we have children who are troubled and are using control to try to make their world work for them. Bullying also takes place in the work place, many times. The heart of bullying is arrogance. Everyone wants control. Some people want it so much, that they will hurt other people in order to get it.

   Bullies come in many shapes and sizes. They have various methods too. Some use bribery to get what they want. Most use threats. What does God say about this?

   Throughout God's word, we are told to love one another. We are told to support those who are weak. We are told to stand in the gap for those who can't speak. We are told to be kind and to honor others above ourselves. God never instructs anyone to bully people around. We will give account of our lives before God, and bullying, even in a small degree is not acceptable to Him.

   But did you know that we are all slaves? The Bible says that whoever sins is a slave to sin. The Bible also offers deliverance and salvation through God's Son, Jesus Christ. By default, because we are all sinners, we are all slaves to sin. But Jesus said, "Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.  So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:34, 35 ESV

      So there it is. We are either slaves to sin, or slaves to God. When the devil hijacked the human race, we became subject to him instead of God. See also The Day The Devil Hijacked Planet Earth .

For more information on the Gospel, please go to http://thegospelconversation.blogspot.com

For those interested, here is a link to an article on the History of slavery: Historyworld.net - History of Slavery

The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.