𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 (𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯) 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘎𝘖𝘋’𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 

𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘕𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘓𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘋𝘦𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘶𝘵𝘩’𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦, “𝘚𝘜𝘙𝘙𝘌𝘕𝘋𝘌𝘙: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘎𝘖𝘋 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘴” (𝘔𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝟸𝟶𝟶𝟹, 𝟸𝟶𝟶𝟻).

𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦.

.   .   .

2025 SURRENDER SERIES (no. 3)

A Hole in the Ear: Bondslaves Forever

I was first introduced to the passage in our current lesson, Exodus 21:1-6, when I was in college at the University of Delaware.  I was blessed to join other believers for a weekly gathering and also small group Bible studies with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. 

Our larger group events always opened and closed by singing Scripturally rich choruses.  One of my favorites was based on this passage:

Pierce my ear, O LORD, I pray;

take me to Your door this day;

I will serve no other god,

LORD, I’m here to stay.

 

You have paid the price for me;

with Your blood You ransomed me;

I will serve You eternally,

a free man I’ll never be!

 

(Steve Croft, Dayspring Music, 1980)

It was no surprise to me that in a year-long study of surrender, we would consider this passage.  It details the legal arrangements that could be made in ancient Israel for a bondslave who was granted freedom in the seventh year, but willingly chose to remain, giving up all personal rights by committing himself to life-long servitude to his master.

At that time in Israel’s history, if a man fell into hard times, often deeply in debt, he could “sell himself” to a fellow Israelite as a slave.  In GOD’s gracious plan, He made provisions for those contractual agreements to have limits.  A Hebrew man could only serve for the maximum of six years.  In the seventh year, all debts were considered “paid” and slaves would be set free to return to their own homes and families.

However, if during their years as a slave, the master provided that man a wife with whom he started a family, his wife and children would still be considered property of his master.  So, the law provided an additional option.

If the servant will plainly say, “I love my master, my wife, and my children.  I will not go out free,” then his master must present him before GOD.  Then his master must take him to the door or the doorpost and publicly pierce his ear with an awl.  After that, the slave will serve his master for life.  (Exodus 21:5-6).

I had just begun digging into this lesson when I mentioned Exodus 21 at the dinner table.  My husband (who happens to be a licensed attorney as well as an eager fellow Bible student) offered his thoughts from a legal perspective.  

He pointed out to me that this was not simply a “handshake” agreement between two parties (master and servant), but a legally binding oath!  The servant who willingly chose to serve his master for the remainder of his days was legally obligated to fulfill that promise.  His master was also legally obligated to provide for that servant and to maintain the conditions under which that servant made such a life-altering decision.

The servant was permanently marked, a hole pierced through his ear, forever bearing in his own body the evidence of their agreement.  From that day forward, he would be recognized as a forever-servant to a forever-master.  Nothing would ever alter their forever-relationship.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth offered these additional reflections (p 72-73):

“Knowing his master as he did, the bondslave trusted that all he needed would be provided, that he would never want for food, shelter, clothing, or any other basic needs.  He was under no obligation to stay but he wanted to stay – he loved his master and made a voluntary choice to become his master’s bondslave.  In doing so, he was not just signing up for another six-year stint – he was making a lifetime commitment.  He was surrendering himself and giving up all his rights – permanently – to his master.  

This was not merely a contractual agreement.  This was not about being hired help.  This was the act of a man who voluntarily said to someone he had come to know and love and trust, ‘I am yours – I belong to you, and I want to spend the rest of my life fulfilling your wishes.’

There could be no secret about the nature of the servant’s new relationship to his master.  The transaction was made in a public ceremony where the surrender was recognized in a visible – and painful – way.  The decision was irreversible.  From that point on, he would always be branded as a bondslave.  He would always have a hole in his ear to remind him that he was not his own and never would be again.”

.   .   .

Before turning to Nancy Wolgemuth’s thought-provoking questions in this lesson, it is helpful to define a few terms:

• bondslave: a person who is held in bondage or servitude; a bondservant; the Apostle Paul used the term “bondslave of CHRIST” to describe his complete devotion to GOD and his service in the Gospel
• doulos (Greek for bondslave): one who is subservient to and entirely at the disposal of his master; refers to someone who has sold themselves into slavery to another person; it can also refer to someone who has been freed but chooses to serve their master out of love; Paul used the term duolos to describe himself as owned by CHRIST 
• bondservant: used to emphasize total devotion and submission; in Roman times, the term bondservant could refer to someone who voluntarily served others; however, it usually referred to someone who was held in permanent position of servitude; under Roman law, a bondservant was considered the owner’s property; slaves essentially had no rights

Nancy Wolgemuth set the stage for this discussion by asking us to consider how our viewpoint (growing up in the USA) might impact our approach to these topics: “Has anyone in the group traveled abroad or spent time ministering internationally?  Did you observe anything in the lives of believers in that part of the world that particularly impressed you or struck you as different than American Christianity?” (p 180).

It was interesting to hear several experiences shared around the table:

• “I traveled to Niger on a mission’s trip in 2016.  The groups we worked with were very diverse – three different language and multiple cultures were represented.  It was amazing to see times of worship unfold in ways that were very new and different to me, but full of JOY as dear ones worshiped the same GOD who is precious to me”
• “When I traveled to Hong Kong and China, I met believers from underground churches – many brave souls who had been imprisoned multiple times for making book deliveries, or who had been cut off from their families who disowned them for turning from their previous beliefs to trust CHRIST.  Those people had very little, materially speaking, meeting in quiet circles on dirt floors, but their worship was sweet!”
• “I my early twenties, I was given the opportunity to travel to Dominica, an island in the Caribbean, to shadow a missionary couple for a week as they met with and served the needs of humble people on their island (a virtual mountain standing tall out of the sea).  There was one small church building on the mountainside, a simple concrete structure.  It was powerful to see people hike for hours through the jungle to kneel on that bare cement floor to pour out their hearts for fellow islanders, to gather in their Sunday-best to remember the LORD.  Coming back home, the abundance that is more a norm than the exception in America felt almost gluttonous and frighteningly distracting from what holds true eternal value.”

With this mental framework in mind, Nancy Wolgemuth’s discussion questions for this chapter dug a little deeper into our understanding of key concepts, especially from a current-day perspective. 

What is the difference between surrender and commitment?  How do we distinguish between a servant and a slave, and which best describes our devotion to CHRIST?  

We agreed that a commitment is something we can control.  We always have the option to change our minds, to back out.  A commitment may be a promise someone intends to fulfill, but is dependent on how much that person values the reliability of their own word.  

Surrender is giving up one’s choices entirely, putting oneself under the direction of another, having no voice, simply an obedient response.

We cannot surrender without commitment, but we can commit to something without full surrender.

A servant makes what others perceive as an honorable choice to give of themselves to meet the needs of others (we can take pride in making a “selfless” choice to put someone else’s needs above our own needs, comforts, or preferences out of love or devotion or sense of obligation).  

A slave makes no choices – he or she simply does what they are told.  It is harder for us to see slavery as an honorable characteristic.  History of slavery in our own country makes us uncomfortable with the concept of slavery.  In our minds, it seems like a position of weakness, helplessly under the control of someone else.

We have a hard time understanding our relationship with CHRIST apart from human reasoning that is skewed by society’s perspective.  In truth, both aspects of yielding to CHRIST are true and honorable.  We can choose to serve GOD and His purposes out of love or even reverential obligation, but we can also acknowledge that we have no choice in the matter.  

He is GOD and we are not.  His purposes will prevail regardless of what we think or believe or desire.  We can choose to yield to Him right here, right now, rather than buck against His will.  We can choose to place ourselves fully at His disposal with no offered opinions or objections, simply obeying whatever/wherever He directs.

A member of our study group offered a personal application: “In my home, I sometimes feel like an unappreciated slave.  Although productive conversations with my family have led to wise changes in teamwork, it was also a beautiful shift in my own perspective to see my efforts as a way to serve my family out of love for the LORD first, which enables me to give my best to my family from a place of unconditional love as well.”

We also touched on the difference between a Biblical concept of slavery and the only other frame of reference we have from our own history – trans-Atlantic slavery.  Although the latter was often torturous and abusive in horrific ways, Biblical slavery often offered a way for people from conquered regions to be brought into GOD’s chosen nation (to be saved) or for GOD’s people to redeem their own debts.  Sadly, what GOD intended as rescue and provision has been grossly misunderstood and twisted into humans taking advantage of other humans rather than honoring them and caring for them as an extension of GOD’s own heart.

Several of us pointed out that whether we admit it freely or not, we are all “slave” to something or someone.  Why would we ever want to be holden to anyone or anything other than Almighty GOD?

Among the many competing voices for our attention and allegiance, where will we (should we) place our confidence?  Who is the One who will never get it wrong?  Our GOD alone!  He is worthy of our complete surrender.

.   .   .

“How does the ceremony of joyful slavery found in Exodus 21 illustrate a believer’s relationship to GOD?  How was this Old Testament picture fulfilled in CHRIST?” (p181)

JESUS was the ultimate, willing, suffering servant, out of love for His Master and His Bride (given to Him by the Father).  He forever bears the marks in His physical body – His human form that was pierced – forever acknowledging His willing commitment to carry out the Father’s plan, at any cost, to secure a forever-relationship for us with the Father.

“See My pierced hands and feet.  See for yourselves.  It is I, standing here alive.  Touch Me and know that My wounds are real.  A spirit does not have a body of flesh and bone as you see that I have” (Luke 24:39).

CHRIST’s sacrifice for us set us free from bondage to sin and from the penalty of those sins.  It is another decision altogether to give back to CHRIST the freedom He secured for us – to choose bondage to Him and His purposes rather than living for ourselves, taking for granted the peace we experience knowing our eternity is secure.  We have the beautiful opportunity to say, “You gave all for me; now I give all of me back to You, to use how and when and where You so choose.”

CHRIST willingly chose to give up His rights and His freedom from the impact of sin – to bear the marks of humanity and the cruel penalty of sin in His physical form for all eternity.  He yielded completely to the Father, “not My will but Yours be done” (Matthew 26:39, Luke 22:42). 

His physical body bore the pain and indelible marks of His devotion, His choice to accomplish the Father’s will at any cost, without question or hesitation or voice.  He uttered not a word in His own defense (Isaiah 53:7, Matthew 27:14).

What marks do we bear as followers of CHRIST?  A man or woman with “a hole in the ear” is easily identifiable to others.  Are there any relationships or circumstances in which you are tempted to “cover up” that hole?  (p 181)

Several insights were shared around the table:

• “The willingness to surrender is what GOD desires from us, not just the commitment but the full surrender as our writer points out!  They say the servant has pierced his ear, a mark to distinguish himself as a bondservant.  We all should also be distinguishable from the rest of the world as we are for CHRIST alone!”
• “With the indwelling of His Spirit, there will be positive marks of His touch on our lives, especially when He grants us the strength and wisdom to navigate life’s challenges with peace and confidence or when we reflect His character in ways that rise above our natural human tendencies.”
• “Sometimes I fall quiet when I spend time with loved ones who are not yet believers or who are living through a season with serious doubts about Biblical truth.  I fear that the strength of my own convictions might chase them away from the truth rather than draw them to it.  I pray for clear direction from the LORD about what to say and when, for the ability to wait for His perfect timing and to trust His prompting to let me know when that time has come.”

“What are some of the “requirements” of being CHRIST’s bondslave that you have found difficult?”  What are some of the privileges, joys, and blessings you have experienced as a result of being His bondslave?” (p 181)

It is hard to fully capture the testimonies shared around the table, but I hope this gives you a glimpse:

• “I don’t think about it every day as a busy wife and mom, but sometimes it is hard to be far away from my childhood home.  Although my kids don’t know any different, I am sad that they will not experience things that formed my favorite memories growing up in a different part of the country.  But … I do trust that we are exactly where the LORD purposes for us to be, where we can grow closer to Him, where we are not living for the linear plane, but are growing in the wealth we have in CHRIST, which is immeasurable!”
• “We don’t own the home I long for our family to enjoy.  Sometimes it seems to be a long way off.  But… other days I wonder if it His kindness and mercy that allows that dream to be delayed.  Maybe He knows better than I do that I’m not quite ready to manage the home I imagine.”
• “We have lived a walk of faith we would not have chosen for ourselves.  During our last move, we traveled to this area from out-of-state with a loaded U-Haul truck and nowhere to land.  There were NO available homes or apartments to rent, and NO available hotel rooms where we could even get a good night’s sleep.  But … despite the anxious moments, we experienced an inexplicable peace that the LORD would provide – and He did!  Before long, we found a storage unit to house our belongings and a family from our new church who offered space in their home where we could stay until we located a rental home.  Even through the hard and complicated days, that journey strengthened our faith in GOD’s care for us.”
• “We recently faced a financial scare – an unexpected dip in our bank account just as a huge bill arrived.  We didn’t know how we would pay it, but took a deep breath, thanked the LORD that both our cars had full tanks of gas, and went to work.  By noon, our tax refund arrived weeks ahead of the expected schedule, just in time to cover the bill we couldn’t imagine being able to pay!  These are undeniable “GOD” moments that grow our faith.”

I can echo so many of these thoughts!  This has never been my story to write.  David’s and my path over the past 27 years is not one I would have chosen for myself.  Many steps of obedience have brought loss, homesickness, heartache, and complex questions without easy answers in my faith journey.  It is hard when we don’t know the reasons why or the bigger plan.

BUT… there is huge comfort in knowing the One we trust is completely trustworthy!  He has always been faithful to meet our needs, to draw so near to me, to reveal Himself through the hard days and the questions.  He relentlessly pursues my heart and draws me closer – what a privilege!  I know I am secure, cared for, have no reason to fear, have been granted wisdom, grace, comfort, and more … the list would never end!

.   .   .

As we reached the end of this chapter, we realized we have a choice to make.  Will we follow JESUS?  Will we willingly and freely offer ourselves as living sacrifices to serve our Master forever?  As our writer penned so beautifully, will we “voluntarily say to the One we have come to know and love and trust, ‘I am Yours – I belong to You, and I want to spend the rest of my life fulfilling Your wishes’”?

Nancy Wolgemuth closed chapter 3 with these touching thoughts (p 79):

“Regardless of whether He calls you to serve Him in ways that seem menial or significant, hidden or visible, beneath your skills or light-years beyond your abilities, routine or exciting, common or unimaginable … whatever He asks, wherever He sends … the surrendered heart will say with Mary of Nazareth, “I am the bondservant of the LORD; let it be to me according to Your word.” (Luke 1:38, ESV)

This study brought to mind a long-ago favorite song that seems so fitting as we journey toward full surrender.

Here is an excerpt from “Heal the Wound” by Point Of Grace, written by Clint Lagerberg and Nichole Nordeman, released in 2007:

𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨⁣
𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨⁣
𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩⁣
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯⁣
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨⁣
𝘖𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮⁣
⁣
𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵⁣
𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦⁣
𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵⁣
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨⁣
⁣
𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳⁣
𝘈 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦⁣
𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵⁣
𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵⁣
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳