Daily Devotional for Wednesday 16th October
An example to follow
For us the idea of slavery is abhorrent, but for those to whom Peter was writing, it was a reality. It wasn’t all cruelty and flogging as is depicted in some films; in fact, some were managers of farms and tutors. The word used here suggests domestic slaves who were often seen as part of the family and may have only been enslaved to work to pay off a debt. Of course, in this country it was Christians that initiated the abolition if the slave trade.
So whatever the view of slavery among first century Christians, Peter here is not addressing slave owners, or the lawmakers, but is specifically writing to those who are slaves. So, he is speaking to those with limited choices and without any meaningful power or control. What he writes seems to be aimed at helping them cope with any hardships they might be enduring.
What he writes in this passage seems to build on Jesus teaching about turning the other cheek (Matt 5:39). The injustice may be wrong, but non-retaliation is a powerful response by a victim.
As an example of this, when Kenneth Bae, a US/Korean national, was wrongfully imprisoned in North Korea, to start with it was tough and he had resentment for those who were imprisoning him. Although he rightly wanted freedom, after much personal struggle, he accepted that it was God’s plan for him to be in that place at that time and so he started to engage with the prison staff. From that point on, things for him started to improve and after two years he was released.
Time to reflect…
In the UK over 12,000 victims of modern slavery were referred to the authorities with an estimated of some 130,000 victims in total. Are there things we can do to avoid buying goods and services that support this exploitation?
Pause to pray…
Almighty God, we thank you for Christians like William Wilberforce who were instrumental in abolishing the slave trade. We pray now for those organisations who aim to bring release and justice for those trapped in slavery today. Increase our awareness about how the goods and services we use are produced, so that we don’t inadvertently support exploitation of others. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
