THE CHRISTIAN SPIRIT IN INDUSTRY – Christian Puzzles & Answers

The Christian Spirit in Industry

Study Scripture: Deuteronomy 24:14-21: Ephesians 6: 5-9: 1 Timothy 6:17 – 19

Background Scripture: Deuteronomy 24

Lesson 12 May 16, 2026

Key Verse

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

1 Timothy 6: 12

INTRODUCTION

Key Verse

When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you are not to go back to get it; it shall belong to the stranger, the orphan, and to the widow, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 24:19

INTRODUCTION

The Lesson focuses on the nature of God and His excellences. It goes into much detail on the practical out-workings of Jesus’ second commandment to love one’s neighbour as ourselves. The command embraces the kind of relationship that God wants His covenant people to have with each other and as well as relationships with strangers and aliens; people that were not initially part of His covenant with the nation Israel.

We must make it clear that you are not to lean on your own understanding. That is the way that leads to the broad road which leads to death.

You might think that your way of looking at things makes sense but history has shown us that over the many thousands of years of human life men have not really improved personally. They have certainly produced many technological marvels but that is where their progress has stopped.

We know however that when we face the terrible failures of ancient and modern societies we pray that God will speed up His effort to bring things to a final conclusion and to put Satan and his demonic forces into the Lake of Fire.

Do not side with his rebellion and end up in that Lake of Fire with him. We also pray that God will reward His faithful servants and bring us His peace.

The Ten Commandments, the constitution of the nation Israel made clear that God wanted worship for Himself only and loyalty to Himself only.

God’s desire and will was that His people would love, care for, respect each other and show this kind of love to all, whether family, or aliens, or strangers. The concerns of a holy and righteous God are in view. He is concerned about matters of justice and wants people to be just and in a just society.

It is exciting to see that God is concerned about things like the happiness of people recently married, the protection of divorced women and for the poor that are put into humiliating situations. God wants people to have dignity. He is concerned about people and has given specific instructions about how His people should treat others who are in vulnerable positions. He tells us that we have obligations to certain people and goes further by interpreting these obligations as rights. Unlike other ancient social and legal codes which cared little for the poor, aged, women, strangers, orphans and aliens, the Lord God Almighty was concerned about matters of justice for all people.

In our Study Lesson the Apostle Paul will base his instruction on the Old Testament Scriptures and will give us specific practical instructions about what it means to live out our faith in certain areas of our lives.

So we first will have to begin by asking ourselves the question as to whether we believe that believers are in the family of God.

As a result of that position in the family of God and our position that we are the people of God because we have being rescued from sin we have to consider ourselves to be part of a special group and we have to consider therefore that we are to be united as a family.

The question that follows immediately is.what it would look like if we are to serve and walk alongside with one another.

Therefore how does this position affect our marriages in the sight of God, the relationships we have with our children, the relationship with our parents, the relationship with members in our community, how we treat our employers and our employees with which we have a contract. and our relationship with the strangers that come within our gates?

We must know if we are believers that we are in a battle as we seek to live out our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The people of Israel whom Moses addressed in the book of Deuteronomy also had the same issue for they had to understand that they were engaged in a battle as they sought to obey God. So let us note the requirements contained in the law of God which reflect God’s nature and personality.

Justice is a major theme in the Bible occurring over four-hundred times in the Old Testament. The Bible defines justice to indicate that laws, statutes and behavior should be equal and impartial regardless of family, tribe, economic or social stature; no one should be deprived of their ‘rights’.

The prophets in Israel constantly railed against the pervasive injustice by leaders and the citizenry.

God’s covenant with Israel (See Lesson 1 on Mark 12: 28-34 and James 2;14-17 which dealt with recognizing our Debt to others), served as the foundation for the law, to those individuals tasked with its administration.

This Lesson looks to the details of God’s law for Israel. These laws make up the bulk of Deuteronomy’s content and are a central theme of the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. The Hebrew word torah can mean “teaching” or “law,” specifically God’s laws for ancient Israel. These laws depicted how the Israelites were to live rightly with each other, with neighbouring peoples and with their God.

Today’s Text comes from Moses’ Second address in Deuteronomy, with detailed covenant stipulations that God required for His people (Deuteronomy 12:1–26:19).

Moses’ address began with a detailed description of proper worship of God (12:1–16:17) and continued with descriptions of proper justice in law (16:18–20; 17:8–13), regulations regarding the handling of violent acts (19:1–21:23) and issues of marriage (22:13–30), among other things, as God provided an ordered description of a new society.

As noted, for Israel, part of being God’s covenant people was the just and proper treatment of poor and otherwise marginalized individuals.

Previously, Moses reminded the Israelites that the poor would always be part of the population (Deuteronomy 15:11; John 12:18). As a result, Moses commanded an openhanded policy toward these individuals, requiring generous giving without resentment (Deuteronomy 15:10). Today’s Scripture expands on this theme.

The Text focuses firstly on economic justice, the protection of various groups and then it deals with the motivation for justice, which is a reminder of our history and how God dealt kindly with us.

But as we consider the implications of our position in the family of God in all this let us remember the exhortations of the Apostle Paul in verses 10-13 of the Ephesians 6 section of our Study:

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the Devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, and against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the days of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand”.

Let us never forget that there have been terrible failures in society and our nations have been made to suffer becauseof the quarrels and divisions that exist between peoples, between wives and husbands, parents and children, relatives, and between labour and capital and labour, or to put it another way between labour and management. These divisions have led to the weakening of and the destruction of nations. It is something that we should pay close attention to these critically important matters which have led to historic divisions among peoples.

Note that the Apostle Paul as he gives us the principles we have to bear in mind tells us that these relationships involve activity and it also involves an attitude in which that activity is to be performed.

In fact everyone should be aware of the fundamental principles at work that keeps the entire relationship from degenerating into tyranny.

So in our Study we have the principles which will resolve the great conflicts that tear our nations apart from time to time, and we can avoid this tearing apart if we simply observe what the Apostle Paul is teaching us.

THE TEXT

Deuteronomy 24: 14 – 21

10 -11. We are all acutely aware that there are and always will be some in the society that find it necessary to borrow money in order to survive. The laws in view here deal with subsistence loans; loans which are necessary to provide the basic needs of life.

God gave instructions that the dignity and privacy of the one borrowing must be protected.

Collateral or a pledge had to be provided however when the loan was made.

The pledge signified that the borrower intended to repay the loan; if the borrower did not repay the loan, the lender could keep the collateral. It was necessary that lenders be given commands about how they should treat the collateral.

Verse 6 states that when a person in Israel borrowed money there were limitations on what could be taken as collateral. One writer tells us of one such command:

“Ancient Israelite homes had small mills to prepare flour for making bread. This smaller upper stone was used to rub grains over the surface of the larger lower stone, which remain stationary. The taking of either millstone would render the mill useless. Taking such millstones as collateral would be like taking life itself in the sense that the millstones were a means for survival”.

Moses described a situation in which a brother—a fellow Israelite—needed a loan. Elsewhere, the law forbade Israelites from charging interest on loans made to other Israelites (Ex. 22:25; Deut. 23:19–20).

However, lenders were allowed to receive collateral, or a pledge, as security for a loan. Even then, certain restrictions remained for what lenders could take as a pledge. A person’s means of livelihood could not be taken as a pledge (Deuteronomy 24:6; c Job 24:3), as was taking a widow’s clothing (Deuteronomy 24:17).

To maintain the borrower’s dignity, the lender was not permitted to enter the borrower’s house. Instead, the lender was required to stay outside (abroad) the borrower’s dwelling, allowing the borrower to bring out the pledge himself. In this situation, the borrower controlled what was offered as a pledge, with dignity and respect maintained.

As Old Testament history unfolded, the dangers of putting up security, or collateral, came to be recognized (Proverbs 17:18; 20:16; 22:26; 27:13).

Note that God was not prohibiting that a pledge could be taken for a loan but the entire transaction had to be done in such a way that the dignity of the borrower was respected. In any case it was humiliating for lenders to be allowed to go into another man’s house and act as if they were the master and Lord in the man’ house.

12 – 13. God recognized in His law that a very poor person might only have an outer garment to offer as security for a loan.

Exodus 22: 26-27 makes it plain about how a loan to the very poor should be handled. The cloak could be given as security for the loan but the cloak or outer garment could not be kept overnight by the lender. This was so, because the poor person used the outer garment or cloak as a protection from the cold night air. The garment, which was most likely the long kind of blanket generally about six yards in length and five to six feet broad that some modern Arabs use currently to carry food and wrap themselves in the day and sleep in at night as a substitute for a bed, had to be returned for the debtor’s own use and the lender was not to use the garment for his own use. The garment or cloak could stay with the lender during the day but it had to be with the borrower during the night.

One writer notes the reason for this serious stipulation from God: “Israel has long, hot, and dry summers. A hot and dry wind blows in the summer from the southern desert region. The average temperatures are in the range of 22.2 C (72 F) to 37.8 C (100 F) in the summer. Temperatures occasionally run in the extremely high range of 44.4 C (111.9 F) in the Negev desert in the South. The winters was mild in the central and southern regions and cold along the Mediterranean coast. The cold season is wet in the north and west but brings little rainfall in the South. The average temperatures are between 6.1 C (43 F) to 22.8 C (73 f) in the winter, but the daily sunshine last from six hours to eight hours. Night temperatures occasionally drop below freezing in the desert. Mountainous regions are cold and windy, with at least one snowfall event each year at altitudes over seven hundred and fifty meters. The altitude, latitude, and proximity to the ocean affect the weather. Spring and autumn are short, mild, and mostly dry.”

Records in the Talmud show complaints about garments being seized by a creditor, so we know that this was an important matter for the poor.

Many times, the people behaved totally contrary to this rule and the prophet Amos along with others condemned the nation for this and other infractions.

In Amos 2, judgment on Israel was proclaimed using a phrase denoting the certainty of judgment:

“Thus says the Lord: For 3 transgressions of Israel and for 4 I will not turn away the punishment.

Because they sell the righteous for silver. And the poor for a pair of sandals. They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, and pervert the way of the humble.

A man and his father go in to the same girl, to defile My holy name”.

“They lie down by every altar in clothes taken in pledge;

and drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their God”.

Note that the prophet is saying that the practice of breaking a pledge and disrespecting the poor and marginalized people are listed right beside other serious abominations and defilements. So we must not think that this matter of the pledge is something that is not important to God.

We must understand that acting contrary to the stipulations of God in ways that might seem trivial to us is not trivial to God.

Yes God promised that the generally wealthy lenders would be blessed if they followed the instructions concerning lending to the poor and needy. The borrower would be inclined to speak words of blessing and implore divine favor on the lenders so that the lenders would have a good business or circumstances in the future. Obedience to this command would be considered a just deed by the Lord God and God would commend the lenders as righteous. Note however one scholar tells us about this word: “Righteousness is the state of doing what is required according to a standard, in this case God’s standard of dealing kindly and equitably with a debtor”.

We should behave in this way to the poor and needy because we ourselves are debtors to God the Father. God has dealt kindly with us. He has redeemed us by His Son who came and died and paid the ransom price for our sin debt. Jesus shed His precious blood to pay our debt. We should be most grateful to God for we were poor and needy.

We should also note that taking pledges or collateral from a widow was strictly forbidden in Exodus.

14-15. “You shall not exploit a hired worker who is poor and needy, ….. You shall give him his wages on his day [i]before the sun sets….

The command is clear and strict. There must be no oppression of a hired servant. They were not to take advantage of the poor and destitute laborers whether they were Israelites or foreigners. Payment of wages to workers must be paid in a timely fashion and it should be adequate to those on the lower side of the economic scale.

The concern for justice among the poor and needy extended to hired hands. After their experience of slavery in Egypt, Israelites were not permitted to be sold as slaves (Leviticus 25:42). However, an Israelite would who experienced economic difficulty to the point of losing everything might serve other Israelites as a hired servant, or “sojourner” (25:35), with the expectation of eventually receiving freedom (25:40 Exodus 21:2; Deuteronomy 15:12). The status of such a person is sometimes known as indentured servant.

Prescriptions to protect hired hands were enacted to maintain the economic livelihood, dignity, and ability of impoverished individuals, brethren or not, to continue to live among the people of God (Leviticus 25:35–36).

Most requirements also extended to strangers that are in thy land, foreigners living among God’s covenant people; qualifying this with “most” admits the exception found in Leviticus 25:44–46. Without just treatment, these workers could become further marginalized.

God’s people, however, were not to mistreat these individuals. Even in (or especially in) hiring and working practices, God’s people were to practice justice. The most obvious way to do so was through the timely deliverance of wages.

Workers were paid for their labors at the end of an agreed time of work. However, the hired worker who was poor was to receive their agreed upon wages at the end of each day, before the sun go down. This worker, perhaps living a hand-to-mouth existence, depended on such timely pay to provide for daily necessities (Leviticus 19:13; Matthew 20:8).

If workers were treated unjustly, it would be within their power to cry out unto the Lord for help and justice (Exodus 22:22–23; James 5:4). As failing to return a poor person’s pledge at the end of the day would be considered unrighteous (vs.13), withholding pay from a poor person at the end of the day would be considered a sin.

Centuries later, the prophet Malachi warned Israel that God would “come near to you in judgment … against those who oppress the hireling in his wages” (Malachi 3:5). God would deal decisively and swiftly with those who did not show justice to their workers.

16.“Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin alone.

This injunction is dealt with at length by the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31:29-30 and in

2 Kings 14:6.

The principle described here stands in contrast to other law codes of the ancient world. The Babylonian law code of Hammurabi prescribed that if a builder built a house that collapsed, causing the death of the homeowner’s son, the builder’s son was to be put to death.

In contrast, Hebrew law required certain parameters to allow for just treatment of innocent family members who were vulnerable to harm because of the actions of a relative. The given stipulation would prevent a potentially endless chain of revenge.

However, this principle does not contradict what is found elsewhere regarding God’s “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me” (Deuteronomy 5:9). While each person will surely experience the consequences of their sin, the repercussions of those sins are often experienced by others. We may think of a parent today who is justly sent to prison for a crime, with side effects of their family suffering destabilization in their relationships and finances.

17.“You shall not pervert the justice [k]due a stranger or [l]an orphan, nor seize a widow’s garment as a pledge.

This strong warning was that one should not pervert justice for orphans, widows, resident foreigners or strangers were to be protected. The word perverted basically means “stretched out”, spread out or “turned” and Israel was warned not to turn aside from doing what was just and right. Justice involves the rights of people. Leviticus 19:33-34 had previously made this quite clear.

As part of this law the widow had the right of not having her garment taken away as collateral to get a loan. This was a confirmation of Exodus 23:9 and 22: 26-27. Widows needed special protection for when a husband died the widow lost economic and social protection and security. When Israel was semi-nomadic the tribal and family ties were strong but when they came to live in the land, Moses expected that some of that strong tribal and family protection to widows would disappear. Some scholars note: “The Israelite widow had no rights of succession on the inheritance of her late husband. On the heirs of a dead man (in sequence son(s), daughter(s), brothers, fathers’ brothers, nearest relatives) the widow is not mentioned”. (Numbers 27:8-11).

The family should have cared for the widow but the widow was often forced to live under the charity of others according to Job 31:16. The widow was often unable to pay back her debts at the prescribed time and she feared that a creditor would come in and take away her children, even her baby (Job 24:9) using them as his own slaves. God therefore restricted the kind of collateral widows would be forced to offer for help.

Isaiah 10:1-3 denunciation of what was happening in Israel:

“Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees. Who write misfortune, which they have prescribed

To rob the needy of justice. And to take what is right from the poor of My people,

That widows may be their prey. And that they may rob the fatherless. What will you do in the day of punishment, And in the desolation which will, from afar? To Whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your glory?”

18. But you are to remember that you were a slave in Egypt, …. Israel was to remember that instead of perverting justice they should be the ones who should be always ready to give justice. They were not to lose memory of the fact that they were oppressed and impoverished and treated badly in Egypt. They were not to suppress the memories of the bad times that they had had in Egypt. This would make them fairer and just to their brethren and to aliens and strangers. They should care for fellow citizens and for people that were not as fortunate as they were. They were most fortunate having been redeemed by God out of Egypt.

We too should remember that we have been redeemed and so we should be more compassionate in our dealings with others who are in some kind of bondage.

19. When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you are not to go back to get it; …. as a result of God’s gracious redemption farmers should remember the poor and when they reaped a harvest and accidentally dropped a sheaf, they should not return to pick it up. They should not simply consider maximizing their profit but to remember that the poor would come and gather it for

their own needs.

This rules about “gleaning were established to remind Israel that the land belonged to God and that they were simply stewards. They should not be concerned only about money but should be concerned about poverty being experienced by others as well as the dignity of the poor.

In this practice of “gleaning’ there were all kinds of rules that governed the behavior of the poor. But it was important to know the stress on strangers, the fatherless and widows. They had to be given the opportunity to survive and when the better off followed the rules that God established, the Lord their God would bless them in all the work of their hands. They would be successful farmers, successful investors and successful creditors.

We too should remember whenever we have achieved anything that is good for us that it is simply so because we have been redeemed by God. We should remember what we were like and what we would be like without the redemption of God.

Whether we live a life during which we are merely surviving or we are living a life in which we might have achieved a lot, we should remember that Jesus was born in a cattle stall after giving up the glory in heaven. His parents Mary and Joseph were poor and offered two pigeons when he was circumcised, the offering that was established for the poorest citizens. He lived as a poor man and He told us that He had nowhere to lay His head. He died as a poor man and was buried in someone else’s tomb so that we would be made rich.

The phrase that the Lord thy God may bless thee occurs three times in the book of Deuteronomy: here and in 14:29 and 23:20. In all three cases, God’s blessing is contingent on meeting the needs of others. The Lord will bless those who honor His laws and treat the marginalized with respect and compassion (Proverbs 19:17).

20. When you beat the olives off your olive tree, you are not to search through the branches [o]again; that shall be left for the stranger, the [p]orphan, and for the widow.

21 “When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you are not to [q]go over it again; that shall be left for the stranger, the [r]orphan, and the widow.

We are now told more about God’s welfare program established in Israel. Notice that that program was established because of God’s concern and because of the love that God had required for the neighbor.

Grape and olive crops were often planted together using a method called polyculture, the practice of growing several crops side by side, which was made popular in the Mediterranean region. Each crop contributed to the health and well-being of the other.

Harvesting olives required that a harvester beat the boughs of an olive tree with a long stick. Most ripe olives would fall to the ground; and any olives remaining on the branches were to be left for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. The same generous harvesting principle was applied to the gathering of grapes. What remained following the first harvest was to be left for the needy. The people of God should cultivate not only their crops but also the same kind of generous spirit that the Lord had shown to them.

God’s people were to remember that they were once slaves and strangers in the land of Egypt and that they were abused and oppressed there. Their behavior should be in radical contrast to that of the Egyptian experience. God commanded.

Ephesians 6: 5 – 9

The third social setting that Paul addressed was slaves and masters.

This is Paul’s third domestic example to show how being filled with the Spirit makes a difference in daily life (Col. 3:22).

Paul was not addressing the morality of slavery here but giving instructions for Christian conduct in the workplace. So while the master / slave setting might be seen as extreme; it was typical of Paul’s day.

This was a natural topic for the Apostle to take up because there were many slaves in the ancient world and many were Christians. Slavery was such an accepted and widespread institution that the morality of it was really never questioned.

To understand what Paul was saying we should look at who slaves were in the day for it is important to understand the meaning of words. We can in fact substitute for the word slaves the word employees.

But there is a great difference between slavery in the time of the Roman Empire and slavery as it existed in its pernicious form in the last few centuries.

By the First Century the economy of the Roman Empire was largely built on slavery. Now they occupied all levels of society. Slaves were in the domestic area, domestic servants and laborers as well as doctors, teachers and administrators. Slaves formed almost the entire workforce of the empire.

Let us understand however that when the Apostle wrote about 50% of the population of the Roman Empire were slaves and many of them were Christians. As a matter of fact we know that the message of the Christian gospel did not come first to the upper or higher classes but came to the working people and the gospel came to slaves. One writer points out this important fact that we tend to forget as we compare ancient societies and modern societies, for in fact what we think about when we talk about slavery is not the same in many respects as we what occurred in Paul’s day:

“But never forget that many of these slaves were highly educated people who had been captured in the wars fought by Rome and brought to other parts of the Empire and made slaves. They were not unintelligent but they were slaves, literally in bondage to others. It was among these that the Christian message found the initial reception.

There were also among them some who were in the category of masters who were likewise Christians. As they came together in worship, as the Christian community, they were taught from the Scriptures that in Christ there is neither bond nor free. There is no slavery in Christ, there is no race, there are no sexual distinctions.

The Christians all met together as brothers in Jesus Christ. They found that the ground is absolutely level at the foot of the cross.

But of course, when they went back to their homes, and to their work, the question arose: “Well, what about us now? Are we to continue this relationship as brothers in our work? Does this mean that we are to be free from any bondage, or responsibility to another Christian?

This question soon came up and had to be settled and this is what the Apostle is doing here. Is settling this question and declaring the great principles that apply for all time in the relationship of an employer to an employee”.

We must therefore note carefully that there is a massive difference between slavery as practised between the European colonial nations and in the United States to the kind of slavery that took place in the day of Paul under the Roman Empire.

Under the ancient powerful nations such as Egypt and Babylon, and under the Roman Empire slaves could easily rise to positions of prominence even though of course there were obstacles to that movement upwards. The systems in those cases were pretty horrible but it was very different from our modern system.

So we note that Daniel and his fellows were slaves in Babylon but they soon reached positions of prominence where they were in charge of the nation.

This is totally different from the kind of slavery that we have experienced in many parts of the world and that we have seen which occurred in Europe, South America,and North America. Here we have a system where slavery is tied in with this matter of colour, and we must note that the word “ colour” or “white” is a complete misnomer and it is most satanic to use that description to separate people and say that one is inferior to the other and then build a system of society where inequality will always persist.

This massive dysfunctional system of modern slavery in the Western world has of course led to people who say that they are Christians to try to justify their iniquity by developing what they called “slave Bibles” which of course are in total opposition to the teaching of the Gospel and the teaching of Scriptures. Those led by their fleshly impulses simply left out the parts of Scipture in opposition to what they were doing.

No matter what people like to think we know that these practices were never justified by God.

So we note that all those who participated in either the ancient or the modern practices of slavery will have to answer to God and will not be able to make any excuses in the day of Judgment for they are defying the teaching of God in Scripture.

We know from history therefore that slaves had a certain value, but it was not the value of a person. It was the value of a thing. Slaves were thought to be possessions. They were thought to be things rather than persons. But in Paul’s world the specific differences in the system in the Roman Empire made it understandable for his teaching. We should not confuse his teaching with what powerful modern nations have done in the relatively recent past and tried to teach that the apostle was justifying modern slavery practices and techniques.

The question for the Apostle therefore, given the fact that the slave then had responsibilities of obedience in the realm of work, was how that slave should conduct themselves so that conflicts would be minimized. The key given to the community then was that they be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ and that is found in Ephesians 5:21. That was the key to the discussion and it applies to the world of labour and capital, or workers and employees and management.

So let us brethren be careful when we read the Scriptures. We have to look at Context so that we can determine what the apostles are teaching. We do not want to stretch what they were saying and place attitudes and principles in the realm of iniquity.

5. Slaves, be obedient to those who are your [s]masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ;

Slaves… (douloi) here refer to household servants.

… be obedient … and just as earlier he instructed children to obey their parents, he now instructs slaves to obey their masters.

Now this does not mean that Paul and the apostles endorsed slavery. It simply means that they at best tolerated it.

We get a sense, of Paul’s opinion on slavery in various passages of the New Testament. One is in 1 Corinthians 7:20-21 where he writes

“Let each man remain in that condition in which he was called. Where you called while a slave? Do not let it concern you. But if you are also able to become free, take advantage of that. …. In other words, continue in that condition.

There is an obvious parallel between wives, children and servants, except that wives were not commanded to obey as children (for a period) and slaves are.

In Chapter 5 we learned of the necessity of submission in God’s economy. As a matter of fact it can be argued that some form of authority structure is a necessity for many organizations to function properly or efficiently; with safeguards of course!

Obedience demonstrated their submission to Christ (5:22). Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

“When a man feels himself doomed, degraded, and little more than a chattel, driven to work, and liable at any moment to be sent to the market-place and sold as an ox or a horse, what kind of inclination to work, what motive to obedience can really exist within him?”

Christian slaves owed their earthly masters obedience.

Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God; (Col.3:22).

… masters according to the flesh … flesh is used in the sense of the physical, not of evil. This general truth relates to both the Christian masters and pagan masters (i.e., to both kind and unkind bosses).

Notice the phrase “in the Lord” is not found here as in the two previous domestic examples (5:21 and 6:1).

… with fear and trembling… this is a metaphor of respect.

(I Cor. 2:3; II Cor. 7:15)

.… in the sincerity of your heart … sincerity (2 Corin. 1:12; 11:3). A believer’s motivation is always the key to proper action, not observation (vs 6-7). Believers live out their lives in every area as unto the Lord. They are motivated not by the worth or merit of another, but by who they are in Christ.

Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters,[a] not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. (Col. 3:22-24).

…as to Christ… believers act toward others because of their relationship to Christ, not because of what the others deserve.

This is true of husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and slaves. Believers make people priority because of God’s image and love for them, not because of their personal merit.

8 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. (1 Peter 2:18-21).

For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. (Rom. 14:7-8)

Christianity does not offer us escape from circumstances; it offers us conquest of circumstances.

– Several qualifications describe proper obedience.

a. Service was to be respectful (“with fear,” reverence; 5:33).

b. Second, it was to be with “trembling,” that is, with “care” that the slave not make a mistake.

c. Third, it was to be with “sincerity” of the “heart,” without hypocrisy or duplicity.

d. Fourth, service should be rendered as “to the Lord (Christ).”

6. not [t]by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the [u]heart.

… eyeservice, … service was to be consistent, whether the master was watching or not. Paul may have also had in mind doing work that the human master could not check on.

… as men-pleasers … it needed to arise from proper motives, not to please men only (“as men-pleasers”) but, more importantly, to please the Lord

(“as slaves of Christ”).

7-8. With good will [v]render service, as to the Lord, and not to men,

knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.

With good will … The slave should have an attitude of “good will” toward his or her master. He should serve for the master’s welfare. Such good will “does not wait to be compelled.

This kind of service is to be done “as to the Lord,” The Lord is the One whom the Christian slave really serves, not merely the earthly master.

… will receive back from the Lord … Paul reminded faithful slaves that they would receive a reward from Jesus Christ in the future, whether their masters on earth acknowledged their good service or not.

This reward will come at the judgment seat of Christ, if not earlier.

Note that when we look at our subject such as this, we might think that we have a better idea of how to structure society given the many different circumstances,

But history has taught us that our concept of how to bring change in a sinful work is certainly no better than the processes that God has laid down to improve our circumstances.

God is watching believers’ lives and they will give an account (II Cor. 5:10).

The Bible does speak of rewards (Matt. 5:12, 10:41-42; I Cor. 3:8, 14;

Rev. 11:18; 14:13) and crowns (I Cor. 9:25; II Tim. 4:8; I Pet. 5:4; Rev. 2:10).

Like Jesus Himself, Paul does not shrink from referring to rewards. This principle of reward for faithful service applies to all who serve the Lord, “whether slave or free.”

Note that, although the numerous slaves who had come into the Christian fold were in the apostle’s mind as he wrote these words, the principles of the whole section apply to employees and employers in every age, whether in the home, in business, or in the state.”

Note that here, as elsewhere in the N.T., slavery is accepted as an existing institution, which is neither formally condemned nor formally approved.

9. And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.

… And masters … This is still the same literary context as 5:22-6:9, which is Paul’s domestic example of the “Spirit-filled” life in action. In this verse the masters referred to are obviously believers, while in v. 5 they might be either believers or nonbelievers.

… do the same things to them … Here again is the needed balance to slave owners, as 5:29 is to husbands and 6:4 is to parents. Each must act out of godly (Spirit-filled) principles, not social privilege.

Masters” should seek to please the Lord in their dealings with their slaves, even as slaves should try to please Christ as they serve their masters.

… give up … a present, active imperative.

The word literally means “to loosen up; back-off; do not let your first response to something you do not like be a threat!

… threatening… means harsh intimidation with the promise of inevitable, imminent, and severe or violent punishment (Acts 4:29; 9:1); it goes beyond simply warning.

The opposite of threatening is gracious, just, and fair treatment (Col. 4:1; James 5:4). Masters should also remember that their Master in heaven will not show favoritism (“no partiality with Him”) to them because of their social or economic status. He will evaluate them by the same standard that they have used to judge others (Matt. 7:1-5).

…there is no partiality with Him… The term “partiality” is a compound from “face” and “to lift.” It denotes an OT judge acting fairly without lifting the face of the accused to see if he recognized him/her. God is no respecter of persons

For there is no respect of persons with God. (Rom. 2:11).

(Deut. 10:17; Acts 10:34; Col. 3:25; I Pet. 1:17).

All earthly distinctions fade away in Christ (Rom. 3:22; Gal. 3:26,28).

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave,[a] free; but Christ is all, and in all. Col. 3:11.

The behavior of both masters and slaves should be a testimony to the unbelievers with whom they work.

It will be instructive to us to look at the approach of God to the terrible matters and systems practiced by humanbeings.. Read the letter of the Apostle to Philemon, for this shows us how the Lord God treats the affairs of men. Read also Colossians 4:1-6.

1 Timothy 6: 17 – 19

Paul addressed the issue of money earlier in this epistle but felt the need to return to that subject and does so here 6:17-19. This time he had some brief instructions for the wealthy Ephesian believers. He gave these directions in order to balance what he had said earlier in this epistle (vs. 9-11).

17. Instruct those who are rich in this present world … not to be conceited or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

As verse 9 warns about an evil desire for money, verse 17 warns those who have money against putting their faith in it and not in Christ (Matt. 6:19-21; 13:22;; James 1:9-11; 5:1-6).

Paul previously instructed those who thought of themselves as not having wealth (“those who want to get rich,” v. 9). Now he addressed those who were “rich,” namely, who had material riches and knew it.

Rich (Gk. = plousioi), meaning the “wealthy,” refers to the materially rich, particularly those who did not need to work for a living. Two attitudes often mislead the rich. One is the idea that greater monetary wealth indicates greater personal value or worth. The other is the notion that riches guarantee power and security. Paul warned against both of these conclusions.

Those who spend more than they make, trusting that future income will cover their present overspending, are [also] trusting in uncertain riches.

… or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches … people tend to trust in their resources, not God’s resources (4:10; 5:5). Some of Jesus’ strongest words were directed at the wealthy

(Luke 18:18-30).

… but on God, … since God will determine our future financial resources, rich people should put their ‘hope’ in the Giver rather than in His gifts (4:10; 5:5). “God” controls these resources. Since He has given us what we have, we can “enjoy” His gifts. We can take pleasure in the fact that they free us from certain temptations (Prov. 30:7-9), and they enable us to meet our financial obligations and to help others.

Rich and would-be rich Christians must understand that riches carry particular responsibilities. It is a trust.

18. Instruct them …, Paul urged Timothy to instruct the rich to view their money as God’s enablement to accomplish “good works.” Rather than enjoying a reputation for having much money, they should cultivate a reputation for being “rich in good works.”

They should also be openhanded (“generous”), “ready” and willing “to share” with others what God had given them. By doing so they would be ensuring that the Lord would reward them for their faithful stewardship. They would be investing in the “treasure of a good foundation for the future” when they stood before Him (Matt. 6:19-21; Luke 12:33-34; 18:22).

Note, it is not sinful to be rich, and it is not godly to be poor. God has given wealthy Christians resources for ministry that other Christians do not possess. With these resources come the temptations and opportunities to misuse them.

Paul did not say that the wealthy should dispose of all, or even most, of their wealth. He said they should be “ready to share” (v. 18) as the Lord directed them. Presumably God will lead one person to do one thing with his or her money and another person something else (cf. John 21:22).

Succinctly Paul gives a threefold guideline for those who have worldly goods.

i. continue doing good (5:10; 2 Tim. 2:21; 3:17; Titus 3:1,8,14)

ii. be ready to share

iii. be generous (II Corinthians 8-9)

19. storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, (Matthew 6:19-21) so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

It is not sinful to be rich, and it is not godly to be poor. God has given wealthy Christians resources for ministry that other Christians do not possess. With these resources come the temptations and opportunities to misuse them.

Note that Paul did not say that the wealthy should dispose of all, or even most, of their wealth. He said they should be “ready to share” (v. 18) as the Lord directed them. Presumably God will lead one person to do one thing with his or her money and another person something else (cf. John 21:22).

… that which is truly life … And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3

CONCLUSION

We know that the extensive nature of the law given to the people of Israel on how to treat each other were quite casually ignored by many of the powerful and the rulers of those societies. We also know that God’s instructions reflect the fact that the human heart is made of stone and it hardly shows the kind of love and brotherly kindness that the Lord God requires of people

So be very careful when we look at the terrible failures that exist in the past and that exist in our days. We seem to think that our ways are nicer sound better are more logical than the ways of God. But in fact they are not nicer or better and will never and has never led to good results for humankind.

But there are many that will try to persuade you that somehow man has made progress in human relationships just examine the facts and you will see that the abuse in modern societies and suicides and depression and mental illnesses have not gone down, and the chemicals we employ do not seem to have solved the problems at all.

The physical needs of others confront us daily. Applying God’s principles for an ancient culture, where ninety-eight percent of people lived on farms, to our modern culture, where in North America only two percent do, is a challenge.

But a common-ground starting point is that people of God in all times should live in such a way as to respect the dignity of those in need.

Granted, it may take some challenging conversations and creative thinking on our part to apply these principles in specific and helpful ways. This lesson’s text provides principles of justice that each and every follower of God should model and help enact.

Let us never forget that there is a Judgment Day that awaits all those who disobey the laws of God. The Lord Jesus Christ warned us that one day He will turn away from them despite their protestations that they did mighty works in His name.

So let us learn about the nature of God and the way that God works and let us allow the Holy Spirit to transform us into the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ignorance and want continue to manifest themselves today. Unlike Scrooge, we should not desire that injustice be hidden from our eyes. Our heavenly Father has made it clear that His heart and His compassion are with those in need. Are ours?

So let us all do what Scripture says, do not be weary in well doing.

Our Lesson Study has been so designed to remind all believers that there is a cost to believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. Belief is not just a matter of uttering words from the mouth, but involves living the kind of life that manifests the belief that the believer has.

The Study therefore deals with the temptation to follow things that are impermanent and deceptive though these things promise otherwise. These things lead to perdition, a place of punishment and spiritual destruction.

On the other hand there is an exhortation by the Apostle Paul that his apostolic legate or ambassador Timothy who has behind him full apostolic authority urge believers to resist the temptations that surround them and enjoy the contentment that is part of the possession of the godly.

Timothy is taught emphatically that it is necessary for the believer to be strong, and in being strong keep the faith and guard the truth which is the only truth that exists. The clear understanding is that God has entrusted this truth to Christian believers.

The Apostle Paul was extremely strong in his many admonitions to Timothy that he keep the faith, the pure body of doctrine, and guard this truth entrusted to him. The Apostle constantly stressed that Timothy could only do this if he relied completely on the only reliable source of information available, and that the only reliable source of truth was to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Let us note what the Apostle is teaching us. God is merciful and kind. He is compassionate for He knows that we are frail human beings. But He has also told us that we can do better. All we need to do is to lean on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.