Bible study, Dt. 15:16

Today's passage brought me to a couple verses that reminded me of one of my father's favorite Old Testament images. When you really reconstruct the scene, it's not all that pretty: A slave pledges his/her loyalty to the master for the rest of his/her life. In exchange, the master brings the slave to the doorpost of the home. There he pounds an awl through the ear lobe of the slave. Thus the slave becomes a "Love Slave." That mark of a hole through the ear lobe says to anyone who sees the person: This slave has chosen to stay with his/her master rather than strike out on his/her own independently.

Dad used to use this image to challenge congregations to devote themselves so fully to God that we become "Love Slaves."

But something I read a while back tells me something more about this image: It says something amazing about the slave master. It tells neighbors that this slave master is such a caring, kind master, that the slave feels he/she is better off serving him faithfully than striking out in independence.

That says something to me about serving my God faithfully. I want to be that kind of Love Slave who finds it more beneficial to stay in service to God than to go it on my own. I also want to be the kind of slave/servant to the Lord that witnesses to others of the kindness, mercy and care I receive at the hands of our all Holy God.