Good Morning.
But if the servant plainly says, “I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,” then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever. (Exodus 21:5-6)
In these verses, there are a couple of Hebrew terms that merit our attention because of the implications made by their usage here. The first one is the word elohim translated as “judges.” Very commonly, this word is translated as “God,” and in fact there are many translations that say, “His master shall bring him unto God.” The idea is, undoubtedly, that the man who determined not to go his own way was brought before notable people in the community and, before them and before God, make a public confession of his decision to serve his master of his own volition.
The second Hebrew term of interest is delet or “door.” It was to the door of his master’s house that the man was taken to have his ear pierced with an awl. The question arises as to why this was necessary. Considering what we have already addressed when it comes to this particular command, it seems obvious that the piercing of the ear was to demonstrate that the servant’s ear had been opened to “hear” what his master was saying. In other words, those who committed themselves to serve the Almighty forever were those whose ears had been opened to hear His voice and to obey His instructions.
That he was brought to the door to do this is fascinating. First of all, if this was done at the doorpost of the home, it is presumed that the servant’s ear was bored open and, for a moment, nailed to the house. No longer would he serve on a temporary basis but would become part of his master’s house forever. Furthermore, that he was brought to the door speaks to the fact that, if we are going to come unto our Master and heavenly Father, we must first come to the door — in other words, the Messiah. It is He who said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9).
All of us, as the people of God, are to be zealous for our God and should willfully and joyfully declare to the whole world that we have decided to serve Him. We, who long to be part of God’s house, have come to the door, the Son of God, and consented to have our ears opened that we may have ears to hear what “The Spirit speaks to the churches.” As we hear His voice let us, as bondservants of the Most High, carry out His will in the earth that we may truly be His witnesses in this day and time.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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