Are Your Ears Pierced?

In the early life of the nation of Israel, God made some allowances for slavery. If a Hebrew incurred a bunch of debt, he could sell himself to another Hebrew as a slave as a means of paying off his debts. But God also made a law that said every seven years all slaves were to be released. It didn’t matter if the slave had only served for a few weeks or months, in the seventh year he was to be freed.

But, there were some cases where the slaves didn’t want to leave their masters. They loved their masters and loved the life they had serving them. So in that case, God provided a means whereby the slave could choose to stay with his master. Here’s what the Scripture says:

But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life, Exodus 21:5-6.

Did you get that? The master would literally nail his slave to the front door through his earlobe. In doing this, the slave was declaring that he forever wanted to be associated with his master’s house. His life as he had known it was over. He would be from that point forward literally part of his master’s house.

Have you had your ears pierced? Have you gone to the house of God and nailed yourself to his door? I want to be marked forever as a Jesus follower. I want to be branded by and for Jesus.

Lord, take my life. I release my rights and even my identity to you. I am your servant.