Blog Archives
Slaves and Election
“He sent Moses, his servant;
And Aaron, whom He had chosen, with him.”
(Psalm 105:26)
There are several aspects of this verse that ought to be noted. First, the term עבד (‘ebed), which is commonly translated in our Bibles as “servant,” can also be very naturally translated as “slave.” The Greek word δουλος (doulos — servant, slave, bond-servant) is used in the LXX when translating this word. It is a reminder that our position before God is not as peers but as humble servants/slaves before Him (Matthew 25:21). It is also a reminder that the Apostle Paul, who regularly used the term δουλος (doulos) to describe his relationship to God (and by extension, ours) as similar to that of the relationship Moses had with God (e.g. Romans 1:1; 2 Corinthians 4:5; Galatians 1:10).
The second point of note is that God chose Aaron to accompany Moses (whom God also clearly chose). The Greek equivalent of בחר (bachar), again found in the LXX, is εκλεγομαι (eklegomai), which literally means “to elect.” Once again, we see a picture of God’s divine election to bring about His purposes. In this case, it is the deliverance of Israel from the oppression of Egypt.
What is the practical outworking of this? To deliver Israel from their slavery in Egypt, the strongest nation in the known world at the time, God elected to send a shepherd and his brother. Two men to stand against armies. Indeed, it was two humble men to stand against the proud forces of Pharaoh. This is God’s way. He confounds the worldly-wise for the explicit purpose of demonstrating His power through the weak things of this world (1 Corinthians 1:27). In God’s judgment against Egypt given through the prophet Isaiah, we see God utter these words:
Nevertheless, fools are the princes of Zoar,
The wise counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel.
How can you say to Pharaoh,
‘I am the son of wise men, I am son to kings of old?’”
(Isaiah 19:11)
Will you have wisdom or be stupid? If you want the former, it begins by becoming a servant of the Living God. If you rise up in the power of men, you will grow stupid and dull and pride will well up within you which will prevent you from submitting yourself to a mighty God. It is one or the other. God will not be shown up by those He counts as slaves, nor does He seek our counsel (Romans 11:34).
Bondservants of Christ
“Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the holy ones in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the overseers and deacons.”
(Philippians 1:1)
Philippians is one of Paul’s later letters, written while in Prison in Rome (c.f. 4:22), and towards the end of his life. This places the letter as having been written in the early 60s, AD. The Church in Philippi had sent him a gift (4:16,18). It was not uncommon, in ancient times, that those in house prison were to pay for their own lodging essentially, forcing them to rely on the generosity of friends and family. Such is the context of this letter where Paul is responding back and saying, “thank you,” to these generous Christians.
Though this first verse is little more than an introductory greeting, it contains a great deal of depth and ought not be overlooked. To begin with, we find Timothy with Paul. This is earlier in his imprisonment as Paul is speaking of sending Timothy to the church in Philippi with his greetings and for their aide (2:9). Yet, this is taking place before Paul writes for Timothy to return (2 Timothy 4:9) which is closer to his death. Again, this helps us to discern the timeline of Paul’s letters.
More importantly is the title that Paul applies both to himself and to Timothy. He says that they are slaves or (as is sometimes translated) bondservants of Christ Jesus. The term that is used here is douvloß (doulos), which is one of the terms that Paul quite regularly uses to describe his service to Jesus Christ. This term refers not to a mere hired servant, but to a servant who is bound (as a slave would be) to his master. As Christians, we serve Christ Jesus and Christ alone. We given permission to have two masters (Luke 16:13) and we do not serve Christ for a season and then serve another (as hired servants might do). We are bound to serve Christ until the very day we die.
This is a mindset that the modern church has largely forgotten. People are quick to live lives and expend energies for the things that they want, but when they get tired, weary, or frustrated at the direction that things are going, they bail out and do something different. Such is not the calling of a Christian. No matter what the cost, not matter where he leads us, we must follow for we are not our own. We, if we will be faithful, must grasp this notion and serve Christ, not self.
The Preacher's Study 