Moses laid out the rules for the people with servants who had sold themselves into servitude:
"If any of your people—Hebrew men or women—sell themselves to you and serve you six years, in the seventh year you must let them go free. And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed" (Deuteronomy 15:12-13).
The period of service was to be for six years at which time the one who had owned the servant and had benefited from their work was to set them free and bless them in the process, allowing them to share in the fruit of their labors. However, Moses also made provision for those who chose not to be set free:
"But if your servant says to you, 'I do not want to leave you,' because he loves you and your family and is well off with you, then take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door, and he will become your servant for life. Do the same for your female servant" (Deuteronomy 15:16-17).
This commitment and relationship were then for as long as the servant and the masters lived and was irrevocable. However, it wasn't just an economic bond between the two, it was a relationship based on love and was in the best interests of all concerned.
When you first come to the Lord, you may have come out of great need. Perhaps you were oppressed by sin, lonely, and needing a fresh start by being "born again." Then when your life improves through your obedience and God's blessing, you have a choice to make. Will you continue to serve the Lord with the same zeal and determination as when you were in need, or will you allow your passion for God to be replaced by formality and maybe even legalism? It seems the believers in Ephesus had allowed this to happen, allowing their passion for the Lord they once had to wane: "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first" (Revelation 2:4-5).
Notice what the servant did if they wanted to stay with their master. They surrendered their ear to be marked on the door of the master's home so every time they entered there, they would be reminded of their decision. Have you lost your first love and the enthusiasm and determination that went with it? Are you at a point where you need to decide if you are all-in on serving the Lord or somewhat, halfway in? Are you prepared to give everything you have to God now that He has given everything He has to you? Perhaps every time you enter God's house now you should remind yourself that you have surrendered everything to Him and His purpose for life and then follow through on that commitment.
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