And if the servant shall plainly say, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free” Exodus 21:5 KJV
But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man…’ Exodus 21:5 NASB
In this legislation from God, there is a rich unfolding of the heart of the perfect servant. We see his –
Perfect Diligence
His service was for six years. During that time, he served without murmur or complaint. He gave his master his very best. But another Servant would come one day and give His all to His Master.
Mark, who records for us, in a special way, the Servant and His ministry, shows us the uninterrupted service which marked His labour for God. “Immediately,” “forthwith,” and the little conjunction which begins 12 of the 16 chapters, “and” suggest a service which was diligent and constant. Yet there was no rushing or frenzy linked with His movements. He was always where He was supposed to be, doing what He was purposed to do.
Passionate Devotion
His life of service displayed unbroken consecration to His Master. It was not obligatory or dutiful service. There was no drudgery, there were no onerous tasks. “I delight to do Thy will” was not the optimistic boast of an unsuspecting servant. The words fell from the lips of One in full awareness of the ultimate goal of His service. While we are privileged to inspect His service, to hear His words, and to consider His works, the Master had an even greater vantage point from which to evaluate His Servant: He could look into His heart and feast upon the motives that moved Him in His service for God.
Public Decision
Come to the upper room and listen as the Lord addresses His own. “That the world may know that I love the Father … arise, let us go hence” (John 14:31). “The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11). And, the thrice-repeated prayer, “Not My will, but Thine be done” (Luke 22:42).
Plain Declaration
Calvary was many things. It was the greatest display of faith ever seen (Heb 12:2, 3). It was a supreme display of devotion and confidence in His Father (Luke 23:46). It was an act of untold submission, a costly demonstration of what it meant to submit to the will of God. It was all this and more. But it was the ultimate display of His love for His Master. It was not the door post but a cross; it was not an ear bored through with an awl (that part of the ear would be devoid of a rich nerve complex), but His entire person, His body given. It was not in the confines of the master’s home but in the place where criminals were placed on display. It was not a scene where a wife and children looked on with admiring affection but a place of shame, reproach, and dishonour.
Permanent Distinction
The devoted servant bore a life-long mark of his love and consecration to his master, wife, and family. If ever questioned as to why he continued to serve in his master’s house, he had merely to show them an ear which had been bored through as a sign of love. That mark would answer every question and still every inquiry.
The Lord Jesus will eternally bear the marks to remind us of His love. He will eternally be the freshly slain Lamb. We shall remember the Servant and the abandonment of His liberty, the acceptance of His labour, and the avowal of His love; and now, as a result, we should willingly own the acknowledgment of His Lordship in our lives.
Consider
Note the difference in the narratives of the servants in Exodus 21 and Deut 15:12-18. What do you think is the main difference between them?