What is a Bondservant?

A Bondservant

When I first began thinking about creating this website, I began praying for guidance. For the last month a single topic has been permeating my heart: being a servant – in particular, a bondservant. From this topic, the vision for this entire site came forth. And so, this first article is about this topic: on being a Bondservant.

I always like to start with the basics and the most basic I can get to is the individual word. Bondservant is a compound word, so let’s break it up…

Question: What is a servant?

• a person who serves
• a person who is paid to serve

Question: What is a bond?

• something that binds
• a covenant
• something used to tie together – rope or chains
• a uniting element or force
• glue

From these words we start getting a clue of what a bondservant is. The next step is to see what words are used in the Bible for this word or are the closest to it: Hebrew in the Old Testament(OT) and Greek in the New Testament(NT).

bondservant or servant:
- In Hebrew – used in the OT
- ebed (eh’-bed)
- a servant – translated bondman, bondservant or servant
- found 791 times in as servant(s), bondman(men), manservant(s) in the OT

- In Greek – used in the NT
- doulos (doo’-los)
- a slave (literally/figuratively, involuntarily/voluntarily)
- translated bondman or servant
- found 121 times as servant(s), bondman(men)

The idea of a voluntary servant is more of a Jewish concept as we will see later on, so the Greek is less precise in definition. This is why in the King James Version (KJV) usually translates to the word of ’servant’.

Now that I’ve defined some words, I wonder:

Question: What is different between a servant – and a slave?

• a servant is paid for their work
• a slave is not paid – they are purchased.

Slavery and servanthood were a big part of the Jewish life. It all starts back early in the lives of the Jews…

Years after Joseph’s family moves from Canaan to Egypt to wait out the famine that would hit the land, a new Pharaoh came into power. This Pharaoh did not remember the work which Joseph did in preparing Egypt for the coming famine. The children of Israel were enslaved. God rises up Moses to set them free. Once freed, ,they flee Egypt and go to Mt. Sinai.

Once at Mt. Sinai, Moses goes up onto the mount to talk with God. Moses goes down to talk with the people and gives them the 10 Commandments of God. When Moses is done, the people ask Moses to speak to them instead of God speaking to them because they feared God:

Exodus 20:18-19 MKJV
And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. And when the people saw, they trembled, and stood afar off. (19) And they said to Moses, You speak with us, and we will hear. But let not God speak with us, lest we die.

- Deuteronomy talks about what God thinks about their response…

Deuteronomy 5:27-29 ESV
Go near and hear all that the LORD our God will say and speak to us all that the LORD our God will speak to you, and we will hear and do it.’ “And the LORD heard your words, when you spoke to me. And the LORD said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. Oh that they had such a mind as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!

- the Jews say they will listen to Moses & obey if he would talk to them for God
- God knows their hearts and tells them what He hopes for them – for us

- So, after all their effort to escape the slavery of Egypt, God has Moses tell the Israelites about His laws:

Exodus 21:1-6 ESV
“Now these are the rules that you shall set before them. When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out alone. But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.

- God knew what the Israelites would need and do in the future.
- The Israelites would have servants, but God wanted to make sure that they did not treat their fellow Israelites like the Egyptians or other Gentiles:

Leviticus 25:38-46 ESV
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God. “If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave: he shall be with you as a hired servant and as a sojourner. He shall serve with you until the year of the jubilee. Then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and go back to his own clan and return to the possession of his fathers. For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. You shall not rule over him ruthlessly but shall fear your God. As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you. You may also buy from among the strangers who sojourn with you and their clans that are with you, who have been born in your land, and they may be your property. You may bequeath them to your sons after you to inherit as a possession forever. You may make slaves of them, but over your brothers the people of Israel you shall not rule, one over another ruthlessly.

- In verse 39, ‘brother’ refers to fellow Israelites, not just biological siblings. So, Israelites were not to treat fellow Israelites like slave. God claims the Israelites as His own (v. 42-43).

- Back to Exodus 21:6 – So if a fellow Israelite becomes your servant, then they shall serve 6 years and go free the 7th year with no debt owed to you. Pretty good deal really.

Exodus 21:5-6 ESV
But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.

5:
- But if – There can be another choice…
- this is the desire – The will – of the servant…
- plainly say – To show desire to do something…
- ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children’
- to have love for someone – affection for
- ‘I will not go out free’
- This is the decision – the choice – of the servant to remain as a servant.
6:
- then his master
- The master must also desire this servant to stay…
- bring him to the elders
- These are witnesses to the decision and agreement between the servant and master.

Why become a bondservant? Why go to the elders?
- This was a contract – a covenant – between the servant and the master.
- The contract said that the master would take care of the servant – shelter, food, clothing – everything.
- This was a big deal.

- bring him to the door…. his master shall bore his ear through with an awl
- This was the signature on the covenant for the servant.
- The Hebrews viewed the ear not only as the means of hearing but also symbolically linked the ear to obedience.
- The servant was literally and figuratively becoming part of the master’s house and household.
- The servant was saying that they were not only a part of the household of the master, but figuratively they had an open ear open to the master’s call.
- In some ways, this was an adoption of the servant by the master.

- he shall serve him for ever
- Some commentators say until the jubilee (every 50 years).
- Or you can easily take this to be literally forever.

- This event and ceremony was a big deal to the Jewish people.

- Man is pretty selfish… Usually we will not want to do something unless there is some benefit to us.

Question: What were the benefits for the master to have a bondservant?
- You get a trustworthy servant – the servant’s welfare is directly tied to how well the master does.

Question: What were the benefits for the servant to become a bondservant?
- You don’t worry as much. Your master takes care of you.
- You don’t have to try to make a living. You just obey.

Question: What was the trade-off for being a bondservant?
- You give up your freedom to do what ever you want.
- You give up your will:
- One key for being a servant was obedience.
- the servant did the will of the master

- So, was being a bondservant a big deal?

- It was for Paul:

Romans 1:1 NKJV
Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God

- KJV uses ’servant’

Galatians 1:10 NKJV
For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Colossians 4:12 NKJV
Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

Titus 1:1 NKJV
Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness,…

- It was for Peter

2 Peter 2:1 NKJV
Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:…

- It was for James

James 1:1 NKJV
James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.

So, why is this so important?

- To be a servant was to minister to them – to be a minister.
- Jesus talked about it

Matthew 20:20-28 ESV
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And He said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to Him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

26 – ESV : servant=minister :KJV
27 – ESV : slave == bondservant/doulos

- Jesus demonstrated it

John 13:12-14 ESV
When He had washed their feet and put on His outer garments and resumed His place, He said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

- Jesus commanded it

John 13:15 ESV
For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

- Jesus was a servant to His Father

Luke 22:39-43 ESV
And He came out and went, as was His custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him. And when He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven, strengthening Him.

So, I have to ask myself:
Am I a servant?
Am I a servant of my fellow Christians?
Am I a bondservant of Christ?
Am I prepared to say, “I’ll do whatever where-ever whenever you want me to, Lord”?
Am I prepared to hand over my will to the Lord and let Him take care of me?
Am I prepared to obey my Lord? It’s all in the Bible…
Am I willing to trust the Lord?

Will you?