A favored song during any type of youth
devotional is a song titled “Pierce My Ear.” It is a beautiful song but the
meaning behind it can be lost in our current culture. One may understand this
song as being important because he is singing it to the Lord but that one may
not understand what the song is about. For an answer, let us delve into our
Bibles into the book of Exodus. God has just revealed the Ten Commandments and is
now giving other important commands concerning the treatment of slaves, one’s
own family, animals, and in other areas of daily life. There are a few verses near the beginning of
chapter 21 that we would want to examine.
“If thou buy an
Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out
free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he
were married, then his wife shall go out with him. 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. And if the servant shall
plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out
free: 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” (Exo. 21:2-6).
Notice:
·
If a man became a servant, it only lasted six
years (v. 2).
·
If he came in single or married, he’d leave the
same way (v. 3).
·
If he takes one of his master’s female servants
to be a wife, he leave alone (v. 4).
Having noticed
those three points, I really want us to pay close attention to verses five and
six. If the man wanted to stay with his family and master, there was a way.
1. “I love my master.” This is mentioned first in the text and is
important. For those who enjoy stating that God was cruel because He allowed
(thus condoned) slavery do not pay attention to the wording here. The idea of
loving one’s master would mean that the master was one who treated him properly
and with great care.
2. “I love my wife and children.” It would be proper for this man to love
his wife and children enough to keep them by his side for the rest of his life.
3. “I will not go out free.” This was not for another seven years but for
the rest of his life. He was to remain a servant to this master until the day
of his death.
4. He would be brought before the judges and his master shall bore his
ear through with an aul. His ear would be pierced as a sign of the covenant he
has made. He would be a servant until death.
Now, what does this
have to do with the song?
1. When we sing this song, we are expressly saying, “We love The Master.”
2. We do not wish to go free to our own desires or the desires of the
world but the desire of the One Who bought us with His blood.
3. Our desire is to have our “ears pierced.” The song expresses a desire
of servitude to God until the day of our demise.
Have you had your
ears pierced through obedience to the gospel of Jesus of Christ? If not obey
the gospel today (Mark 16:16).
