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Deuteronomy 15 and Servanthood to Jesus

Deuteronomy 15 outlines laws concerning the release of debts and servants, emphasizing the Israelites' identity as a people delivered from servitude in Egypt. The chapter begins with the command for a "freedome" or release of debts every seven years [2]. This sabbatical year of release was not to hinder lending to the poor, even if the year was approaching [6]. The passage also addresses the release of Hebrew servants after six years of service, whether male or female [7, 10].

Literary and Historical Context

Deuteronomy, meaning "second law," presents Moses's final addresses to the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. These speeches reiterate and expand upon the laws given at Mount Sinai, urging the new generation to remember God's covenant and live in obedience. Chapter 15 is part of a larger section (Deuteronomy 12-26) that details various civil and religious laws intended to establish a just and compassionate society in Canaan. The laws concerning debt release and servant emancipation are rooted in the historical experience of Israel's bondage in Egypt, a memory explicitly invoked in Deuteronomy 15:15: "And remember that thou wast a seruant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God deliuered thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day" [1]. This historical memory serves as the ethical foundation for the Israelites' treatment of their own servants and debtors [1].

Key Provisions of Deuteronomy 15

The chapter's regulations can be divided into two main sections:

  1. Release of Debts (Deuteronomy 15:1-11): Every seventh year, a "release" (Hebrew: shemittah) was to be made, meaning creditors could not demand repayment from fellow Israelites [2, 6]. This law aimed to prevent perpetual poverty among the Israelite community. Moses cautions against allowing the approaching sabbatical year to deter lending to the needy, promising blessings for generosity [6, 12]. The text encourages open-handedness towards the poor, stating, "For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land" (Deuteronomy 15:11, KJV).

  2. Release of Servants (Deuteronomy 15:12-18): If a "Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee," they were to serve for six years and then be set free in the seventh year [8, 10]. This servitude often arose from insolvency, where a debtor would sell themselves or their family to work off financial obligations [8, 10]. Upon their release, masters were commanded to provide generously for their departing servants from their flock, threshing floor, and winepress, reflecting God's blessing upon them [12]. This generosity was directly linked to Israel's own liberation from Egyptian servitude [1].

    A significant provision concerns servants who, at the end of their six years, chose not to leave their master. If a servant declared, "I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free," the master was to take an awl and pierce the servant's ear through the doorpost [6]. This act publicly signified a voluntary, lifelong indentured servitude to that master, lasting until the year of Jubilee [6, 9].

Servanthood to Jesus

While Deuteronomy 15 specifically addresses the legal and social structures of ancient Israel, the concept of servanthood, particularly voluntary devotion, resonates with Christian understanding of discipleship to Jesus. The New Testament frequently employs the language of "servant" (doulos in Greek) to describe believers' relationship with Christ.

Jesus himself exemplified servanthood, stating that he "did not come to be served, but to serve" (Mark 10:45, BSB). His life was characterized by devotion to God's will [5]. Believers are called to a similar devotion, grounded in God's mercies, goodness, and the redemptive work of Christ [5]. This devotion should encompass one's spirit, body, members, and substance, being unreserved and abounding [5].

The voluntary nature of the servant who chooses to remain with their master in Deuteronomy 15:16-17 provides a point of connection. This act of piercing the earlobe publicly marked a bondservant who had willingly committed to their master for life [9]. Some interpreters see a parallel in the Apostle Paul's statement, "I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus" (Galatians 6:17, BSB), suggesting a similar public declaration of belonging and devotion [9].

In the New Testament, Jesus elevates his followers from mere servants to friends, as he tells his disciples, "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15, NKJV) [13]. However, this elevation to friendship does not negate the call to service. Rather, it transforms it into a willing, loving devotion. The redeemed are described as serving God "day and night in His sanctuary" in Revelation 7:15 [4]. This service is not out of compulsion but out of gratitude and love for the one who delivered them.

The concept of "devotedness to God" is a characteristic of saints, with Christ as the ultimate example [5]. This devotion is a response to God's call, the death of Christ, and the acts of creation, preservation, and redemption [5]. Through Jesus, believers are encouraged to "continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name" (Hebrews 13:15, BSB) [3]. This spiritual sacrifice is a form of service, a willing offering of oneself in response to God's grace, echoing the spirit of voluntary commitment found in Deuteronomy 15.

Augustine, reflecting on the nature of servitude, observed that God did not intend for rational creatures made in His image to have dominion over other rational creatures [11]. Instead, true servitude, in a fallen world, often arises from sin. However, the voluntary servanthood described in Deuteronomy 15, and its spiritual parallel in devotion to Christ, represents a different kind of bond—one chosen out of love and gratitude, leading to a deeper relationship rather than mere obligation.

Sources

  1. Deuteronomy “Deuteronomy 15:15 (Geneva1599) — And remember that thou wast a seruant in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God deliuered thee: therefore I command thee this thing to day.”
  2. Deuteronomy “Deuteronomy 15:1 (Geneva1599) — At the terme of seuen yeeres thou shalt make a freedome.”
  3. Hebrews “Hebrews 13:15 (BSB) — Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess His name.”
  4. Revelation of John “Revelation of John 7:15 (YLT) — because of this are they before the throne of God, and they do service to Him day and night in His sanctuary, and He who is sitting upon the throne shall tabernacle over them;”
  5. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Devotedness to God — A characteristic of saints -- Job 23:12. Christ, an example of -- Joh 4:34; 17:4. Grounded upon The mercies of God. -- Ro 12:1. The goodness of God. -- 1Sa 12:24. The call of God. -- 1Th 2:12. The death of Christ. -- 2Co 5:15. Our creation. -- Ps 86:9. Our preservation. -- Isa 46:4. Our redemption. -- 1Co 6:19,20. Should be With our spirit. -- 1Co 6:20; 1Pe 4:6. With our bodies. -- Ro 12:1; 1Co 6:20. With our members. -- Ro 6:12,13; 1Pe 4:2. With our substance. -- Ex 22:29; Pr 3:9. Unreserved. -- Mt 6:24; Lu 14:33. Abounding. -- 1Th 4:1. Persever”
  6. Deuteronomy (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Deuteronomy 15 (introduction): INTRODUCTION TO DEUTERONOMY 15 This chapter treats of a release of debts every seventh year, to which a blessing is promised if attended to, Deu 15:1, which seventh year of release should not hinder lending to a poor man in distress, even though it was nigh at hand, Deu 15:7 and of letting servants go free, whether manservant or maidservant, at the end of six years' servitude, Deu 15:12 but if unwilling to go, and desirous of staying, must have his ear bored through with an awl, and serve to the year of jubilee, Deu 15:16 and of sanctifying and eat”
  7. Deuteronomy (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Deuteronomy 15 (introduction): In this chapter Moses gives orders, I. Concerning the release of debts, every seventh year (Deu 15:1-6), with a caution that this should be no hindrance to charitable lending (Deu 15:7-11). II. Concerning the release of servants after seven years' service (Deu 15:12-18). III. Concerning the sanctification of the firstlings of cattle to God (Deu 15:19, etc.).”
  8. Deuteronomy (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Deuteronomy 15:12: HEBREW SERVANTS' FREEDOM. (Deu 15:12-19) if thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee--The last extremity of an insolvent debtor, when his house or land was not sufficient to cancel his debt, was to be sold as a slave with his family (Lev 25:39; Kg2 4:1; Neh 5:1-13; Job 24:9; Mat 18:25). The term of servitude could not last beyond six years. They obtained their freedom either after six years from the time of their sale or before the end of the seventh year. At the year of jubilee, such slaves were emancipated even if thei”
  9. Deuteronomy (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Deuteronomy 15:17: 15:17 push it through his earlobe: This disfigurement publicly indicated that a bondservant had voluntarily indentured himself to his master for life. This might be what Paul meant when he said “I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus” (Gal 6:17).”
  10. Deuteronomy (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Deuteronomy 15:12: 15:12 If a fellow Hebrew sells himself or herself to be your servant: This arrangement allowed a debtor to work off financial obligations to a creditor. The limit of this arrangement was seven years (but see 15:16-17).”
  11. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 15.--OF THE LIBERTY PROPER TO MAN'S NATURE, AND THE SERVITUDE INTRODUCED BY SIN,--A SERVITUDE IN WHICH THE MAN WHOSE WILL IS WICKED IS THE SLAVE OF HIS OWN LUST, THOUGH HE IS FREE SO FAR AS REGA (part 1): This is prescribed by the order of nature: it is thus that God has created man. For "let them," He says, "have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every creeping thing which creepeth on the earth."(1) He did not intend that His rational creature, who was made in His image, should have domini”
  12. Numbers (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Numbers 15 (introduction): The Sabbatical year of release, Deu 15:1. The manner in which this release shall take place, Deu 15:2-5. Of lending to the poor, and the disposition in which it should be done, Deu 15:6-11. Of the Hebrew servant who has served six years, and who shall be dismissed well furnished, Deu 15:12-15. The ceremony of boring the ear, when the servant wishes to continue with his master, Deu 15:16-18. Of the firstlings of the flock and herd, Deu 15:19, Deu 15:20. Nothing shall be offered that has any blemish, Deu 15:21. The sacrifice to be eaten both by the clean”
  13. John (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on John 15:15: 15:15 The disciples of a rabbi were considered his servants or slaves. Jesus elevated his followers to a higher relationship as his friends.”
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