15:15
The motivation for this was that the Israelites were to remember that they too had been slaves. And they had been slaves under hard taskmasters. The Hebrews, in contrast, were to treat their slaves well. But even the hard taskmasters of Egypt had sent the Israelites away with many gifts, so how much more should an Israelites send a fellow Hebrew away with gifts?
15:16,17
A clear indication that slavery was not necessarily all bad (though no doubt often it was) is this verse. It makes provision for the case where the slave loves the family he works for and considers himself well off. In that case he could choose to stay with them. Looking at the broader issue, there are two approaches to dealing with slavery, and they are not contradictory. One is the legal route, i.e. outlawing slavery. The other is the nature of the slave owner, and his attitude towards his slaves. If the slave owner values his slaves as people, and treats them well, then many of the abhorrent aspects of slavery are neutralised. This was the approach taken in the New Testament, and the reason for this was that the church had no political power, so could not change the laws, but the gospel could change the hearts of men. We should also note that changing laws on its own does not guarantee people being treated well. There are many instances of workers being treated terribly. The bit about pushing an awl through the ear lobe seems rather strange, but even today there are some who make holes in their ears for various reasons.
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