If thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, have been sold unto thee, he shall serve thee six years, and in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.
An Israelite could fall so poor that he sold himself to a fellow Israelite. God does not pretend the problem away. He limits it, and the seventh year ends the arrangement.
The command does not create slavery; it caps it. Commentators note that God kept this restraint in force even while the nation was far from what He intended.
The sabbath year was also marked by setting free a brother who had become a slave to an Israelite. The day of evil came from one man's weakness or fault, and from another man's selfish use of it. Yet that land alone held the sign of the good time coming, and of Him who is able to put down all enemies. Even then Jehovah insisted, for all who paid attention to this law, that after six years of bondage the Hebrew slave could claim liberty... The law made nothing perfect; but it was righteous, good, and holy — a check on man.
This rule was already given in Exodus 21. Two things are new here: the law names the Hebrew woman, and Moses tells the master how to carry out the release.
The freeing of the slave is also stated in Exodus 21... This passage mentions the Hebrew woman. Exodus 21 speaks only of the male slave. But why is it given here again? Is it a mere repetition? It is not. The Lord gives through Moses the way to keep this law. His loving kindness shines out once more in the gracious addition He makes here: "And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed."
Freedom alone was not enough for God.
How perfectly beautiful, how like our own ever gracious God is all this! He would not have the brother go away empty. Liberty and poverty would not be in moral harmony. The brother was to be sent on his way free and full, set free and provided for, given not only his liberty but a generous fortune to start with.
Leslie Grant reads the same provision as a safety net built into the nation's life:
This was a remarkable provision made by God, so that no one would be so reduced as to become homeless, as many are today in the U.S.A. So long as one was willing to work, he would find means of support.
Verse 15 supplies the motive. Israel had been in bondage and had been redeemed out of it; that memory was meant to shape how they treated a poor brother.
The memory of Jehovah's grace in redeeming them out of Egypt was to drive all their dealings with the poor brother. It was to be a lasting and all-powerful motive. This is a principle that never fails... Mere kind feelings bubbling up in our own hearts, or drawn out by the sorrows and needs of others, will not last.
Set the two passages side by side and the differences are deliberate. Exodus 21 keeps the wife and children, because they belong to the picture it is painting. Deuteronomy drops them.
In Exodus, the typical feature is prominent; in Deuteronomy, the moral. So here the inspired writer leaves out everything about the wife and the children. They do not belong to his purpose, though they are essential to the beauty and completeness of the type in Exodus 21. We point this out as one of many striking proofs. Deuteronomy is very far from being a barren repetition of the books before it.
The passage runs on to the servant who says he will not go out. Writers see Christ here — the one Servant who took that place by choice.
It is remarkable that it should appear again here, tied to those who are "poor." In it we see something that found perfect fulfilment in the Lord Jesus. He took "the form of a servant," and though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, as we are told in 2 Corinthians 8:9. Here we are reminded again of the piercing of the ear against the door. This meant the shedding of blood, though it may only have been a tiny drop. As it was in Egypt, so it was to be here — blood on the door, but this time signifying the devotion of the One whose blood was shed.
Mackintosh turns this law on anyone who has people working for them.
We should keep in mind that we have much more to think about with our servants than the amount of work we can get out of them... We are bound to seek in every possible way to make our servants happy and comfortable. They should feel that they have a home under our roof. We are not content with the labour of their hands; we want the love of their hearts.
- Redeemed — Israel's own rescue from Egypt is the reason for the command, and the only motive strong enough to last.
- Released — six years is the limit; in the seventh year the Hebrew man or woman can claim liberty.
- Refilled — freedom with empty hands is freedom in name only, so the master sends the brother out free and well supplied.
- Reflected — Deuteronomy retells the Exodus law to shape conduct. Masters today should want their servants' hearts, not just their hands.
- Refused — the pierced ear at the door points to the Lord Jesus, who though He was rich became poor, and whose blood marked His devotion.
And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty;
Deuteronomy 15 limits how long one Israelite may serve another: six years, then freedom. But this verse says the master must not send him off with empty hands — so why was freedom alone not enough?
A man can walk out free and still walk out ruined. One writer names that mismatch:
How perfectly beautiful, how like our own ever gracious God this is! He would not have the brother go away empty. Liberty and poverty would not be in moral harmony. The brother was to be sent on his way free and full. He went out set free and provided for — not only with his liberty, but with a generous fortune to start with.
The same writer draws the line from the servant's send-off to the way God treats His own people:
Is it not in this way that our God has dealt with us? All praise to His glorious Name! He has not only given us life and liberty, but He has furnished us liberally with all we can possibly want for time and eternity. He has opened the inexhaustible treasury of heaven for us. Yes, He has given the Son of His bosom for us, and to us — for us, to save; to us, to satisfy.
Exodus 21 already covered the release of a Hebrew slave. So is this chapter just a repeat? One commentator says no, and points to what Exodus never said:
The freeing of the slave is also stated in Exodus 21. The Hebrew woman is mentioned here. In Exodus 21 only the male slave is spoken of. But why is it given here again? Is it a mere repetition? It is not. The Lord gives through Moses the way in which this law is to be kept. His loving kindness shines out once more in the gracious addition made here. "And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed." This verse and verses 14-15 are not found in Exodus 21. How wonderfully He cared for the poor slaves. They were set free, loaded down with the riches of the flock, the threshing floor and the winepress.
The next line sets the measure of the giving. But the spirit of the giver matters too:
And is it not deeply moving to notice how the heart of God expresses itself in the way the Hebrew servant was to be treated? "You shall furnish him liberally." Not grudgingly or out of necessity. It was to be done in a manner worthy of God. The actions of His people are to be the reflection of Himself. We are called to the high and holy dignity of being His moral representatives.
One writer weighs the word itself, then applies it to anyone still in bondage today:
We shall have power and affection to "adorn" anyone held in spiritual bondage — and "adorn" is what the word in Deuteronomy 15 really means. We shall furnish them generously out of the flock, out of the threshing floor, and out of the winepress. In this way we secure their love lastingly (Deut. 15:17); then, too, there will be a possible increase of "firstlings" for the service of God (v. 19).
The rule also had a plain, practical effect on daily life in Israel:
A Hebrew might become so poor that he sold himself as a slave to his countryman. If so, after six years of service his master had to set him free (v. 12). And more than that: he was to supply his slave generously with produce that would let him live in some comfort (vv. 13-14). This was a remarkable provision made by God, so that no one would be so reduced as to become homeless, as many are today. As long as a man was willing to work, he would find means of support.
And it is also a window onto God's character within a system of commandments, which carries a pointed conclusion for readers now:
The picture given to us in this chapter is clearly one of grace. That grace was to shine out in the middle of the demands of the law. So we may well close by noticing this. If there was a display of grace when law was dominant, how much more should grace mark all our behaviour today? We "are not under law but under grace" (Rom. 6:14).
- Free. Six years, then the service ended. Release on its own would have left the man free and destitute. Liberty and poverty do not belong together.
- Full. He left set free and provided for, with a generous start in hand.
- Liberally. The giving was to be ungrudging, done in a way worthy of God, because His people act as His representatives.
- Adorned. The word behind "furnish" means to adorn. That same spirit equips anyone still in spiritual bondage, out of the flock, the threshing floor and the winepress.
- Grace. If such generosity shone out under law, far more should it mark those who live under grace.
thou shalt certainly furnish him from thy sheep, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress of what Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee with shalt thou give unto him.
Israel's law did not just open the door for a freed servant; it filled his hands on the way out, from flock, threshing floor and winepress. So why was freedom alone not enough, and how did a master know how much to give?
A man let go with nothing would simply have returned to the poverty that sold him in the first place. Commentators see God refusing that outcome.
How perfectly beautiful, how like our own ever gracious God all this is! He would not have the brother go away empty. Liberty and poverty would not be in moral harmony. The master was to send the brother on his way free and full. He was set free and provided for, given not only his liberty but a generous fortune to start with.
The practical effect was a society with a floor under it.
Yet more than this, the master was to supply his slave generously with produce, enough to let him live in some comfort. This was a remarkable provision from God. No one would sink so low as to become homeless, as many are today in the U.S.A. Anyone willing to work would find a way to support himself.
The three items are not a random list. Two of them name the place the produce came from, not the produce itself.
It may be worth noticing that yekev, translated "wine" in Deuteronomy 16:13, means "wine-press," or more exactly, "winefat." … The vat is used figuratively for the wine it produced, as the floor is for the corn.
So the servant left with animals from the flock, grain from the floor and wine from the vat.
The command governs the manner of the gift as much as its size. F. A. Hughes turns the same command toward believers, and points to what the word in this verse really means.
From the fruit of such exercises we shall have the power and the love to "adorn" anyone still held in spiritual bondage. That is what the word in Deuteronomy 15 really means. We shall furnish them liberally out of the flock, out of the floor, and out of the winepress.
Mackintosh traces this way of giving back to the character of God Himself.
Is it not deeply moving to notice how the heart of God expresses itself in the way a master was to treat his Hebrew servant? "You shall furnish him liberally." Not grudgingly or out of necessity. He was to do it in a manner worthy of God. The actions of His people are to be the reflection of Himself. We are called to the high and holy dignity of being His moral representatives.
The closing clause sets the amount: give in proportion to how God has blessed you. Mackintosh sees God giving to us in exactly that way.
Has He not dealt with us in this way? … He has not only given us life and liberty. He has furnished us liberally with everything we could possibly want for time and eternity. He has opened the inexhaustible treasury of heaven for us. Yes, He has given His own beloved Son for us, and to us — for us, to save; to us, to satisfy.
The release of the Hebrew servant was already given in Exodus 21. What is new here is the gift itself.
Is it a mere repetition? It is not. … His loving kindness shines out once more in the gracious addition made here. "And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed." This verse and verses 14-15 are not found in Exodus 21. How wonderfully He cared for the poor slaves. They were set free, loaded down with the riches of the flock, the floor and the winepress.
- Released — the seventh year ended the service. But freedom alone was not enough. The man went out "free and full."
- Furnished — the gift came from flock, threshing floor and winepress. The floor stands for the grain, the vat for the wine.
- Liberally — God commands the manner too. Not grudgingly, but in a way worthy of Him, since His people represent Him.
- Proportionally — the measure is what God gave the giver. Generosity passes on what He first gave.
- Repeated — Exodus 21 gave the release. This chapter adds the gift, and God's kindness shows in that new detail.
And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and that Jehovah thy God redeemed thee; therefore I command thee this thing to-day.
Deuteronomy 15 tells a master how to send a freed Hebrew servant away: not empty-handed, but loaded with gifts. Verse 15 gives the reason, and the reason is a memory — Israel's own slavery, and God's rescue of them.
The command rests on what Israel had lived through. One writer calls this appeal to memory the only motive strong enough to last.
At verse 15 of our chapter God sets a very moving motive before the heart of the people. It is well suited to stir their affections and sympathies: "You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today." The remembrance of the LORD's grace in redeeming them out of Egypt was to be the abiding and all-powerful driving force of their actions towards the poor brother. This is a never-failing principle, and nothing lower than this will ever stand. If we look for our motives anywhere but in God Himself, and in His dealings with us, we shall soon break down in our practical life.
The same writer names what keeps this motive alive, and what happens when kindness rests on feeling instead:
Only one thing will let us follow a course of true, active kindness, towards fellow believers and towards those outside. We must keep before our hearts the marvellous grace of God shown to us in the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Kind feelings that merely bubble up in our own hearts will fade away. So will feelings drawn out by the sorrows and distresses and needs of others. It is only in the living God Himself that we can find unfailing springs.
God repeats this sentence through Israel's law. One writer sees the purpose behind the repetition.
God would turn our hearts back, again and again, to the wonderful truth of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We do well to turn back in the history of our souls to that moment, which the Spirit of God would never have us forget. Read the history of Israel. Notice how often God says to them, "You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you." He would always keep fresh in the soul the sense of what His grace is.
Israel had once stood where this servant stands, and God had set them free. That history gives the master his model.
In Deuteronomy 15 we find a similar principle about the year of release. We need not dwell on it in detail, but they are reminded of their own place. They had been slaves themselves; and if God had delivered them, they should cultivate the same spirit He had shown. This was their point of imitating God.
What God commands here is the generous sending-away of verses 13 and 14. The manner of it matters as much as the act.
And is it not deeply moving to see how the heart of God shows itself in the way Israel was to treat the Hebrew servant? "You shall furnish him liberally." Not grudgingly or out of necessity. It was to be done in a manner worthy of God. The actions of His people are to be the reflection of Himself. We are called to the high and holy dignity of being His moral representatives.
Another writer treats this giving as the fruit of a heart exercised before God, and applies the picture to people still in bondage of another kind.
From the fruit of such exercises of heart we shall have power and affection to "adorn" any who are held in spiritual bondage — "adorn" is what the word in Deuteronomy 15 really means. We shall furnish them liberally out of the flock, the threshing floor, and the winepress. So we secure their lasting love.
The verse ends with a command, not just a feeling. One writer follows that memory into two effects: how Israel treats others, and how Israel keeps God's statutes.
The remembrance of having been slaves themselves was to touch the heart and influence the conduct of Israel. Understanding the grace that had delivered them in that condition was to lead them to act in grace towards those who were slaves to them. At the same time they are urged to keep the statutes of the LORD. The presence of the Holy Spirit ministers joy, and it also leads to watchfulness and obedience.
- Remember. The command starts with memory. Israel was once enslaved, and God redeemed them. Everything else flows from that.
- Received. What they remember is grace. God repeats the reminder so the sense of it stays fresh in the soul.
- Reflect. God freed them, so they free others. Treating a servant well is their point of imitating God.
- Release liberally. The manner is part of the command — not grudgingly, but in a way worthy of God, "adorning" the one sent away.
- Result. Remembering grace does not make you careless. It makes you generous to others and watchful to keep God's word.
And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee, -- because he loveth thee and thy house, because he is well with thee, --
Deuteronomy 15 sets a Hebrew servant free after six years, with a generous send-off. Then it makes room for a man who refuses to leave, for two reasons: he loves the household, and life there has been good.
The law has just commanded release with a generous portion. This verse gives the exception, and it is a happy one.
In our chapter, then, we have the moral side of this interesting arrangement. The servant loved his master and was happy with him. He chose lifelong slavery, and the mark that went with it, under a master he loved. He preferred that to freedom and a generous portion away from him. This, of course, speaks well for both parties. It is always a good sign for both master and servant when the connection is long-standing. Constant changing may, as a general rule, be taken as proof of moral wrong somewhere.
The same law appears in Exodus 21. There the servant names his wife and children as part of his reason for staying. Here they are missing on purpose.
Compare this passage with Exodus 21:1-6 and a clear difference shows up. It comes, as we might expect, from the distinct character of each book. In Exodus, the picture of Christ stands out; in Deuteronomy, the moral lesson. So here the inspired writer leaves out everything about the wife and the children. That material does not fit his purpose here, though it is essential to the beauty and perfection of the picture in Exodus 21. We note this as one of many striking proofs that Deuteronomy is far from a dull repeat of the books before it.
In its Exodus form, with the wife and children included, commentators see a picture of Christ facing the same choice.
He was the only grain of choice wheat. Had He not died He would have remained alone, precious in Himself, but He would have borne no fruit. He might have gone out free, but it would have been by Himself. He might have entered into life, but alone. He would not do that. He became obedient to the point of death, so that He might see the fruit of the anguish of His soul, bring many sons to glory, and have His wife and children. This was His own choice. He was free, yet free to serve. He is the One who came and had His ear pierced so that He might serve for ever.
After the servant speaks, his master drives an awl through his ear. That detail rules out any idea of service forced by threat.
This is nothing like obedience forced by punishment. The slave gladly suffers pain and sheds his blood rather than give up serving. And there is no doubt that the right reading sees this as a picture of the divine Servant. He binds Himself to unending service by His own choice, because of His love to God and to the spiritual Bride. In Psalm 40:6 He says, "You have opened My ears." The same Hebrew word translated "opened" is translated "pierced" in Psalm 22:16 ("my hands and my feet").
(The wording quoted from Psalm 40:6 is from an older translation; the ESV reads, "you have given me an open ear.")
"Since he is well-off with you" puts the master in the picture. A servant speaks like this only when his master has treated him well. That turns the verse into a question for anyone who employs others.
Those of us who are masters must ask how far we truly seek the comfort, happiness and solid profit of our servants. We should remember that our servants call for far more thought than the amount of work we can get out of them. Even on the low-level principle of "live and let live," we are bound to seek in every way to make our servants happy and comfortable. We should make them feel that they have a home under our roof. We are not content with the labour of their hands; we want the love of their hearts.
The servant here is not trapped. He serves by his own choice, and that is the pattern for Christian service.
The principle of our service is love to the Master. Paul says, "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all." I may go out free, but I love my master, so I will serve them. It is the service of love, and not obligation... Some people say, Oh, I wish I could serve the Lord more! Well, let your soul enter more deeply into His love, and then you will serve Him. It is impossible to love Him and not to serve Him.
- Loved. The servant stays for one reason: he loves the master and has been happy in that house. Love, not need, keeps him.
- Left out. Deuteronomy drops the wife and children that Exodus 21 records. Here the moral lesson is in focus; there the picture of Christ.
- Alone. Christ could have gone out free, but only by Himself; He refused freedom in order not to be without those He loved.
- Marked. The pierced ear is willing pain, not punishment — commentators connect it with the words of Psalm 40 and Psalm 22.
- Freed to serve. A servant who knows he is free serves by love, not duty. A master is tested by whether anyone would ever want to stay.
then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear and into the door; and he shall be thy bondman for ever. And also unto thy handmaid thou shalt do likewise.
A Hebrew servant went free at the end of his term of service. But this verse deals with the servant who does not want to leave. An awl driven through his ear into his master's door fixes him to that house for life. The same rule covers the female servant.
One writer reads the pierced ear and the door together — a servant given over completely, and a master glad to have him:
It might be that a slave had such respect for his master that he did not want to go free, but preferred to remain a slave to his master (v.16). If so, the master was told to thrust an awl through the servant's ear into the door (v.17). This was a sign that the servant was given up completely to his master's service. His ear was now committed to hearing only the instruction of his master. The door speaks of his master's glad reception of such service.
The act was not unique to Israel, and its physical sense is plain:
If the servant chose to remain with his master forever, his ear was to be bored through as the sign of perpetual servitude. This was a custom in other nations as well and signified that the servant was, as it were, fastened by the awl to the house.
The verse marks the ear. One writer traces its meaning back to a psalm:
The psalm says, in the Hebrew, "You have dug ears for me." The old Greek translation, the Septuagint, renders it, "You have prepared me a body." These words give the true meaning, and the Holy Spirit uses them. "The ear" is always used as a sign of receiving commands, and of the obligation to obey, or the willingness to do so. "Morning by morning He awakens my ear" (Isa. 50), that is, has made me listen to His will, be obedient to His commands. The ear was bored, or fastened with an awl to the door. This showed that the Israelite belonged to the house as a slave, to obey, for ever. Now in taking a body, the Lord took the form of a servant (Phil. 2). Ears were dug for Him.
Nothing forced this man to stay. He could have walked out free with a generous portion; he chose the mark of a slave instead.
The servant loved his master and was happy with him. He could have had freedom and a generous portion away from his master. He preferred lifelong slavery, and the mark of it, with the master he loved. This, of course, would speak well for both parties. It is always a good sign for both master and servant when the connection is a long one.
The pain and the blood are part of the point, and one writer sees the divine Servant in them:
This is nothing like obedience forced by punishment. The slave willingly suffers pain and sheds his blood rather than not serve. And there is no doubt that this rightly pictures the divine Servant, who willingly bound Himself to perpetual servitude out of His love for God and for the spiritual Bride. In Psalm 40:6 He says that His ears have been opened. The Hebrew word translated "opened" is translated "pierced" in Psalm 22:16 — "they have pierced my hands and feet."
One writer presses that picture as far as the body Christ still keeps:
The cross is marvellous — surely the most marvellous thing that could be. Yet we would do Him wrong to think of that prepared body of His as if its only purpose were for Him to go to the cross in it. No, He has taken it to keep it forever and ever. He has taken it as the equivalent of the bored ears of the Hebrew servant. Those ears meant lifelong service, when the servant might have gone out free.
Exodus 21 records this law too, so the two accounts invite comparison. Two differences stand out. The first concerns the female servant:
The Hebrew woman is mentioned here. Exodus 21 speaks only of the male slave. But why is it given here again? Is it a mere repetition? It is not.
Second, the wife and children of the Exodus account drop out. One writer sees design in that, not careless copying:
In Exodus, the picture stands out; in Deuteronomy, the moral lesson. So here the inspired writer leaves out everything about the wife and the children. That detail is foreign to his purpose here, though it is essential to the beauty and perfection of the picture in Exodus 21… There is neither repetition nor contradiction here. Instead there is lovely variety, in perfect agreement with the divine object and scope of each book.
The other side of this is the master's duty:
Even on the low-level principle of "live and let live," we are bound to seek in every possible way to make our servants happy and comfortable. We should make them feel that they have a home under our roof. They should know that we are not content with the work of their hands, but that we want the love of their hearts.
- Free — The man had served his years and could have walked out. The scene begins with a freedom he refuses.
- Love — He stays because he loves his master, and willingly accepts pain and blood rather than leave.
- Ear — In Scripture the ear stands for receiving and obeying commands. The pierced ear marks a life of listening to one voice.
- Door — The awl fastens him to the house itself. He is a servant gladly received, and he belongs there for good.
- Forever — Commentators see here the perfect Servant. He took a body and keeps it, bound by love to serve without end.
Let it not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him away free from thee; for double the worth of a hired servant hath he been to thee, [in] serving thee six years; and Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all that thou doest.
Deuteronomy 15 sets out the release of every seventh year: debts cancelled, servants set free. This last verse turns from the servant to the master, and to how the master feels about letting him go.
A note on wording: where the ESV says "at half the cost of a hired worker," an older translation quoted below says the servant was "worth double a hired servant." Both say the same thing.
The verse begins with the master's heart. It names a feeling he might not admit even to himself.
In verse 18 we have a word of warning. It reveals to us, very faithfully but with great delicacy, a moral root in the poor human heart.
The verse does not only command. It gives the master a reason, then adds a promise. One writer stops at who is doing the persuading.
Only think of it! The most High God stoops to stand before the human heart — the heart of a master. He pleads the cause of a poor servant and sets out his claims. It is as if He were asking a favour for Himself. He leaves nothing unsaid to strengthen the case. He reminds the master what six years of service was worth. He encourages him with the promise of greater blessing as a reward for acting generously.
The same writer takes it further. God cares about the spirit in which the master obeys:
The Lord wants the generous thing done, and done in a way that gladdens the heart of the person receiving it. He thinks not only of what an action is, but also of how it is done. Sometimes we brace ourselves to do a kindness. We do it out of duty, and all the while it may "seem hard" that we have to do it at all. So the act loses all its charm. It is the generous heart that adorns the generous act.
The verse measures the servant against a hired worker. The two were not the same kind of worker at all.
These were different from the house servants, who were usually slaves. A master took on hired servants by the day and paid them at the end of the day.
Set against that, the six years had been a bargain:
As to freeing a servant in the seventh year, it must not seem hard to Israel to do so. The slave had been worth double the value of a hired servant (v.18). Besides, the Lord would reward the willingness of a master in letting the servant go free.
One writer points to Israel's own history behind this command.
In Deuteronomy 15 we find the same principle in the year of release. Israel is reminded of their own place. They had been slaves themselves. If God had delivered them, they should cultivate the same spirit He had shown. This was their point of imitating God.
The verse ends with blessing on all the master does. One writer ties that promise to where the master's own dependence lies.
Chapter 15 teaches everyone among the people to treat their poor brothers with generosity and grace. The year of release made this sure as well, since it applied to debts and to the Hebrew slaves. The man who so respected the Lord in His poor was to depend on God. God would bless him for acting according to His commandment, for the poor were His poor.
The same writer presses this on anyone who has people working for them.
We should remember that we have far more to think about with our servants than the amount of work we can get out of them... We are bound to seek in every possible way to make our servants happy and comfortable. They should feel that they have a home under our roof. We are not content with the labour of their hands; we want the love of their hearts. We once asked the head of a very large business, "How many hearts do you employ?" He shook his head.
- Reluctance — God sees the master's inward resistance and speaks straight to it, exposing a root in the human heart.
- Reason — six years of service were worth double a hired worker, so the release costs the master nothing.
- Reminder — Israel had been slaves, and God set them free; freeing a servant copies God.
- Readiness — God wants the generous thing done gladly; a kindness done while it "seems hard" loses its charm.
- Reward — God promises blessing in all the master does, because the poor are His poor.