Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“You shall not deliver to his master a servant who has escaped from his master to you. He shall dwell with you, among you, in the place which he shall choose within one of your gates, where it pleases him best. You shall not oppress him.”
(Deuteronomy 23:15-16)

“As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes,
    so is the sluggard to those who send him.
The fear of Yahweh prolongs days,
    but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
The prospect of the righteous is joy,
    but the hope of the wicked will perish.
The way of Yahweh is a stronghold to the upright,
    but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.”
(Proverbs 10:26-29)

“Therefore though I have all boldness in Christ to command you that which is appropriate, yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you, being such a one as Paul, the aged, but also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have become the father of in my chains, who once was useless to you, but now is useful to you and to me. I am sending him back. Therefore receive him, that is, my own heart, whom I desired to keep with me, that on your behalf he might serve me in my chains for the Good News. But I was willing to do nothing without your consent, that your goodness would not be as of necessity, but of free will. For perhaps he was therefore separated from you for a while that you would have him forever, no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.“
(Philemon 1:8-16)

The conduct of the Israelites was to be based on love. Love for Yahweh, love for each other, love for strangers, and the love of God’s moral character. A love of charity. A love of generosity. A love of hospitality. A love of blessing others and helping them to flourish. That meant assisting the stranger like they were a brother or sister. That meant not cheating them. That meant not doing wrong to them. That meant respecting them. That meant not returning a runaway slave to an environment where they would be mistreated. There was servitude (for a time period, not permanently) in the nation, but those in servitude were to be treated like highly valued employees – human beings treated respectfully – and not slaves or cattle. It would be wrong to return a runaway slave to those conditions. That wasn’t love on any level.

Yet those who were in servitude, along with those who were not, were called to work. To produce. To not be lazy, loaf-arounders. God has always meant for human beings to work. To produce both offspring AND productivity. To multiply the resources of this world and spread the fruitful conditions of the garden to every corner of the Earth. Toil is a curse, but rewarding work builds you up. It creates a worthy character trait. It deepens our connections, makes for healthier bodies, and fosters joyful enjoyment of the Sabbath when we can REST and let God provide everything we need. Those who work well bring value to themselves and those around them. They create an environment of health and wealth when their work is based on what God has called them to and sourced from God.

Onesimus had been a LAZY slave. Ungodly. He fled to Rome and took refuge with Paul. But once he had accepted Jesus and submitted himself to the Lord, he sought to make things right. Paul didn’t WANT him to go, but it was the right thing to do. Paul wrote his letter so that Onesimus’ master wouldn’t give into the temptation to treat Onesimus badly. To punish him or require restitution. Paul was willing to provide restitution in Onesimus’ place. Paul wanted his master to see that Onesimus was a changed man. A productive man. A godly man. Someone of value not just as a human being, not just as a worker, but also as a fellow believer in Jesus and a child of the Most High God.

Summary

Our value is not determined by who we are, what we were born into, or what personal characteristics we want to flaunt and/or identify with. Our value is in the Lord. As children of God. THAT is our worth. And from that worth, we are called to and equipped to PRODUCE. Relaxing times are good times, but they have no meaning if we aren’t working the rest of the time. Not slaving away or toiling in futility, trying to make ends meet who don’t even speak the same language. Churning in a pit of debt with no way out and no one to rescue us. No. We are called to find our value in who we are in Jesus. To take what He has given us and do something with it. To work, produce, and be a blessing to everyone around us. Not to act like everyone else, but to seek to see what God sees when He looks at them. To value people by what they are in God’s eyes and not what we see in front of us.