3 Minutes 12 Second Read | Author: Jeff Briner
We are going over five places in scripture where slavery came into the picture. The five types of slavery are female, debt, religious, governmental, and finally, sin. Today we are dealing with debt slavery.
February is Black History Month, where we remember the horrendous past of the slave trade in hopes not to repeat. Debt slavery is a real thing, as we will find out. But let us remember, the enslaved Black people brought to North America were not debt enslaved people as they had no choice. They were kidnapped and brought over as items to be sold and bought like animals.
Debt Slavery
When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; and Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom. But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?” And Jacob said, “First swear to me”; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. – Genesis 25:27-34 NASU
Many people despise their birthright and undervalue themselves to God and people. As a result, their God-given talents and skills go underdeveloped.
How many of us undervalue ourselves and sell our future to the first job we can get? Of course, there is nothing wrong with being an employee. We need to start somewhere. But most people I know don’t like their job because it is not in their skillset. So, they learn to do an acceptable job to avoid dismissal or go from job to job while going into debt.
If self-under-value is not the problem, it is lacking a God-given vision for your life. When you don’t know what to do with your life, many other people are quite willing to tell you what you ought to do. And I guarantee it would benefit them more than you!
And if you are a hard worker, there is always someone waiting to take advantage of that as well. There is always that trickster ready to swindle you out of your hard-earned money. I have learned that we cannot be conned when we don’t covet. When we follow scripture and look out for the other guy and ourselves, we can’t be duped. So please think twice before someone offers you to take advantage of their situation.
Even with a legitimate sale, wait. If we count the cost of purchases by the hours worked rather than the dollar amount, impulsive buying would be less of a problem. Don’t accept the lie of buying now. The deal will return another day if legitimate.
Debt slavery entered our world when we took advantage of one another like Jacob took advantage of his brother Esau. So don’t sell yourself short! And don’t allow current circumstances to cause you to sell short. Know your value and wait on the Lord for the best offer.
Some in this world truly are slaves until they pay off their debt. There is violence waiting for the debtor if they don’t make their payments. For example, some illegal immigrants desperately trying to pay off the coyotes to live free, even in the United States. In other places in the world, some families have sold their children to pay off their debts. We have Unions because back in the day, employees would get into debt to their employers and couldn’t find a place of financial freedom to go.
Then there is the lesser form of slavery, the self-imposed slavery. If I may: credit card debt, student debt, or anything else, we are willing to take the financial risk. And there is medical debt partly brought on by big pharma.
The Bible tells us that it is better to be the lender and not the borrower. It is not a sin to borrow as some in the least insinuate. It is more expensive to live poor than to have financial freedom.
Unfortunately, some are underpaid, over-committed, and in debt to credit cards with no option of being debt-free anytime soon. Every purchase has a markup, a profit margin, including bank loans and credit cards, up to 30% here in the land of the free.
To learn about the types of slavery in our world today, including forced and bonded labor, check out the following link. Slavery Today
Thanks. Really worry about the debt the United States has accumulated at 30 Trillion dollars.
Mike thanks for leaving a comment. The US debt is a bigger problem than people realize. Since we went off the gold standard and do not have the gold to back up the debt, the American people themselves are liable for the debt.