This chapter opens with these words,’Now these are the judgments’ and from this we shall consider v.6 the judges that were to try cases of the people represented as though God did dealt with them, 22:8. The wisdom of judges came from God direct. Similarly the nation used urim and thummim for these purpose of finding out divine Will (28:30). God is a Spirit and after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit each believer is anointed with the gift of discernment. St Paul asks “Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?/ If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.” (1 Co.6:3-5) In the Acts of the Apostles we read that St Peter could confront Ananias and Sapphira with their guilt,”Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?(Ac.5:1-5)”
When we study the Law of Moses we are to keep in mind these Laws operating as though God did judge them. He was in their midst and his mighty hand signified such wonders as pillar of the cloud and pillar of fire etc.,The nation of Israel must have had such short attention span that the incident of the golden calf to which we shall come by and by is a case in point.
“If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing(v.2). The Sabbatical Year of seven years is holy. Service of a servant is as though one performed his duties as to God. What is our service? We have it in the Epistle to the Romans:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service./ And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Ro.12:1-2)”.
In v.6 the ear signifies listening. In Eastern tales often the formula of a servant to his sultan or lord is,’Hearing and obeying.’ The servant who has willingly attached to his master lives with the household and this expression, ‘And he shall serve him forever’ is unto God. These judgments in short set the world of the flesh to the world of the Spirit.
3 If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.
4 If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.
5 And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:
6 Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.
GuidetohisWord 