Human Trafficking as a Brokenness of Creation
The concept of human trafficking as a brokenness of creation stems from the biblical understanding of creation's original goodness and humanity's intended role within it. The book of Genesis opens by declaring that "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" [1, 2]. God's creative acts are repeatedly affirmed as "good," culminating in the declaration that everything was "very good" after the creation of human beings [4]. This initial state of creation, therefore, was one of inherent goodness and order [3].
Central to this created order is humanity, made in God's image (Genesis 1:26-27) [2, 5]. This divine image confers inherent dignity and value upon every individual. God blessed human life specifically, intending for humankind to exercise sovereign dominion over the earth's creatures and to participate in God's Sabbath rest [2]. The creation narrative establishes a world where humans are meant to flourish in relationship with God and each other, free from exploitation.
Human trafficking, which involves the exploitation and dehumanization of individuals, directly contradicts this foundational understanding of creation's goodness and humanity's dignity. It represents a profound distortion of the created order, treating persons made in God's image as commodities rather than as beings of intrinsic worth. The prophets of the Old Testament frequently condemned practices that exploited the vulnerable. For instance, Micah decried those who "build up Zion with blood," a phrase interpreted as referring to those who profit from exactions and oppressions, including slave-dealers [6]. Similarly, Amos condemned those who "trample... people" and exploit the "helpless and oppressed" through socio-economic systems that deny justice [7]. These prophetic critiques highlight how the mistreatment of people, particularly the vulnerable, is an affront to divine justice and the intended order of creation.
Therefore, human trafficking is understood as a manifestation of creation's brokenness, a result of sin distorting God's original design for humanity and the world. It stands in stark opposition to the "very good" creation described in Genesis, where human life was blessed and intended for dominion and rest, not exploitation [2, 4].
Sources
- Genesis (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Genesis 1 (introduction): Genesis 1:1 THE CREATION OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. (Gen 1:1-2) In the beginning--a period of remote and unknown antiquity, hid in the depths of eternal ages; and so the phrase is used in Pro 8:22-23. God--the name of the Supreme Being, signifying in Hebrew, "Strong," "Mighty." It is expressive of omnipotent power; and by its use here in the plural form, is obscurely taught at the opening of the Bible, a doctrine clearly revealed in other parts of it, namely, that though God is one, there is a plurality of persons in the Godhead--Father, So”
- Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 1:1: 1:1–2:3 These verses introduce the Pentateuch (Genesis—Deuteronomy) and teach Israel that the world was created, ordered, and populated by the one true God and not by the gods of surrounding nations. • God blessed three specific things: animal life (1:22-25), human life (1:27), and the Sabbath day (2:3). This trilogy of blessings highlights the Creator’s plan: Humankind was made in God’s image to enjoy sovereign dominion over the creatures of the earth and to participate in God’s Sabbath rest. 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth: This statem”
- Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 1:3: 1:3-13 In the first three days, God formed the chaos into a habitable world. 1:3 Then God said: Nothing in ch 1 is created apart from God’s powerful word (cp. Ps 33:6, 9). • “Let there be . . .” and there was: God’s command enacted his will to create the world. God is not a part of creation or limited by it; he is the supreme ruler over everything (cp. Neh 9:6).”
- Genesis (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Genesis 1:31: 1:31 The Creator declares his work good seven times in ch 1; following the creation of human beings, God declares it all very good.”
- 1 Corinthians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Corinthians 11:7: 11:7 man is made in God’s image: See Gen 1:26-27.”
- Micah (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Micah 3:10: They build up Zion with blood - They might cry out loudly against that butchery practiced by Pekah, king of Israel, and Pul coadjutor of Rezie, against the Jews. See on Mic 2:9 (note). But these were by no means clear themselves; for if they strengthened the city, or decorated the temple, it was by the produce of their exactions and oppressions of the people. I do not know a text more applicable than this to slave-dealers; or to any who have made their fortunes by such wrongs as affect the life of man; especially the former, who by the gains of this diabolic traffic ”
- Amos (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Amos 2:7: 2:7 To trample . . . people was to treat them ruthlessly (see also 8:4). • The helpless and oppressed were people exploited by a socio-economic system that denied them the justice guaranteed by law (Exod 23:6-8). • That father and son sleep with the same woman demonstrated the moral destitution of the Israelites; the law of Moses prohibited this practice (Lev 18:7-8, 15; 20:11-12). • corrupting my holy name: In worshiping various fertility gods, Israel and surrounding nations engaged in “sacred prostitution” (see Hos 4:10-14). Sexual relations with a shrine prostitut”