A recent reading in Exodus brought to mind a memory of the very day our first granddaughter went to get her ears pierced. She was so proud of herself sporting the little studs and announced with delight, “I didn’t even cry!”
Exodus 21 gives directions regarding the possession of servants. In buying a Hebrew servant, the servant could serve no more than six years. He was to be set free in the seventh year. If he came single, he was to leave single. If he came married, he left with his wife.
However, if the master gave him a wife during the years of service, then only the man is set free. The wife and children would remain with the master. At that point, the man could say that he loved his wife and children, and did not want to be set free.
Special instructions were given for these circumstances:
“But the slave may declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.’
If
he does this, his master must present him before God.
Then his master
must take him to the door or doorpost and publicly pierce his ear with
an awl.
After that, the slave will serve his master for life.”
(Exodus 21:5-6, NLT)
“The process probably went something like this: boss and servant went to the tabernacle (later the temple) and swore before the priests (who served as witnesses) while at the same times understanding that they were, far more importantly, swearing before God (who served as the ultimate witness to any oath) that they both wanted to enter into a permanent employment arrangement. Then the boss bore a hole in the servant’s ear, probably in the earlobe, which became a visible sign of permanent commitment to service. This prevented a servant from sneaking away from his boss, relocating elsewhere, and entering into a service contract with someone else. It also provided a permanent reminder to a boss that he had an obligation to employ the servant for life and could not renege on that obligation.”
(The New American Commentary, Exodus Volume 2, page 481)
It was a mutual commitment. They both benefited from this arrangement.
For. The. Rest. Of. Their. Lives.
While we surely get our ears pierced for beauty and the joy of wearing earrings, this has so struck me. Deeply.
In Scripture, we read these words spoken by Christ Himself,
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:15 NASB)
Upon hearing the words of Christ, we are to live committed to Him. It’s a mutual life of commitment – Jesus committed to us and we, committed to Him.
When our granddaughter was born, the doctors thought that she may not have hearing. I can well remember going with my daughter, in those first weeks of life, to have her hearing tested. We prayed and anointed her little ears with oil before getting out of the car that morning. The hearing test proved the doctors were not right and she in fact, had hearing.
Ear piercing has become a permanent reminder.
May we be His for the rest of our lives!
Reading these Scriptures makes me wonder: How is our hearing? Are we living a life of servanthood and mutual commitment to Jesus?
Photo by Carmen Alarcón on Unsplash
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