Why Does God Establish Laws Regulating Slavery in Exodus 21?

God does not proclaim slavery as His ideal; in Exodus 21, He restricts the cruel reality of the ancient world and protects people who were especially vulnerable. These laws must be read in the context of God delivering Israel from Egypt, His rejection of human violence, and His progressive guidance of the people toward justice.

Laws after deliverance, not a license for enslavement

Exodus 21 comes right after the Ten Commandments. Israel had just experienced slavery in Egypt, so God is shaping a society in which the power of the wealthy cannot be limitless. The very fact that a certain phenomenon is regulated does not mean that God institutes it or morally endorses it. The laws in this chapter do not command: “Acquire slaves.” Rather, they establish boundaries for an institution already pervasive throughout all ancient cultures—debt servitude and domestic dependency.

First and foremost, the Lord reminds Israel that they themselves were once enslaved and belong to Him. Their memory of Egypt was meant to foster mercy, not new oppression.

“You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today.” Deut 15:15

It was predominantly limited debt servitude

The word “slave” in modern translations can evoke images of racial, hereditary, and lifelong chattel slavery of the modern era. In many cases, however, an Israelite became a servant due to extreme poverty or debt, essentially selling their labor for a set period. The Law required the release of a Hebrew servant in the seventh year of service.

“When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.” Exod 21:2

Moreover, the release was not to be a mere formality. The master was obligated to provide the person with resources so they would not immediately relapse into destitution. This transformed the law into a social safety net rather than an engine of exploitation.

“And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress.” Deut 15:13–14

At the same time, we should not romanticize this system: dependency caused by poverty remained painful and far from God's ultimate design. Particularly challenging for the modern reader are the provisions concerning female servants in Exodus 21:7–11. These reflect the patriarchal society of that era, yet even there, the law mandates that the woman be provided with food, clothing, and marital rights; if these were neglected, she was to go free. God places concrete restrictions right where ancient culture readily left a woman unprotected.

The master held no unlimited rights over another human being

Ancient legal codes often viewed a dependent person almost as property. Exodus 21 fundamentally undermines this view. If a master inflicted severe bodily injury upon a servant, the servant was granted their freedom. A person's body, dignity, and life did not belong to the master.

“When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye. If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.” Exod 21:26–27

Even more explicitly, God condemns kidnapping people for sale. Slave trading—the abduction of a free person and turning them into a commodity—was a capital offense punishable by death under the Mosaic Law.

“Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.” Exod 21:16

Therefore, appealing to Exodus 21 to justify colonial slave trading, race-based chattel slavery, or modern human trafficking is a complete distortion of the text's very direction and purpose.

Why did God not abolish everything instantly?

Biblical revelation shows that God works with human beings within their historical, fallen reality, gradually leading them toward a higher moral standard. Jesus explained this principle using the example of divorce: certain regulations were permitted because of the hardness of human hearts, not because they reflected God’s original ideal.

“Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.” Matt 19:8

From the very beginning, the image of God in humanity does not depend on gender, ethnicity, status, or economic power. In Christ, believers are called to see one another not as tools for personal gain, but as equal members of God’s family.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Gal 3:28

The apostle Paul does not merely ask Philemon to accept Onesimus back as a useful servant; he urges him to receive him “as a beloved brother.” This gospel seed dismantles the very premise that one human being can own another.

“No longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother.” Phlm 1:16

God's ideal: liberation and service

Ellen White emphasized that the principles of God’s law demand justice, mercy, and care for the vulnerable. She warned Christians against ever using power to oppress others. In light of the whole biblical testimony, Exodus 21 must be understood as an act of God's mercy stepping into a dark social order, not as an enduring blueprint for society.

The practical takeaway is both simple and demanding: do not participate in or support human trafficking, forced labor, the mistreatment of workers, or the exploitation of debtors; pay fair wages to those who work for you; and treat every person as an image-bearer of God. A Christian is called not to search for biblical excuses to exercise dominion over others, but to emulate the God who sets the oppressed free.