Tingting Bilong Bible

Waswe, God Acceptim Slave Trade?

OLKETA dark body wea swet and bend daon isisi muv go ap long ladder and karem olketa hevi bag cotton. Olketa raf boss iusim whip bilong skin bilong buluka for forcem olketa for waka. Olketa man tekem olketa pikinini wea singaotem mami bilong olketa wea krae and sellim long man wea offerim bigfala selen. Hem nao samting wea maet iu lukim long mind bilong iu taem iu tingim wei for slave.

Hem hard for minim hao planti wea baem and sellim olketa slave bifor, olketa strong for followim religion. Man wea raet abaotem history, James Walvin hem sei: “Bifor, planti handred man olsem olketa European and American, praisem Lord for blessing bilong olketa, and talem thankiu for gudfala and sef bisnis long Africa taem olketa tanem ship for kasem olketa trade wind and gogo for datfala Niu World.”

Samfala pipol bin talem hao God acceptim datfala slave trade. Olsem example, long tok wea hem givim long General Conference of the Methodist Protestant Church long 1842, Alexander McCaine talem hao “God seleva appruvim” wei for keepim man olsem slave. Waswe, samting McCaine talem hem tru? Waswe, God appruvim wei for stealim and spoelem olketa girl, separatem olketa famili, and nogud wei for whipim pipol wea olketa duim long olketa slave long taem bilong McCaine? And waswe long planti million slave distaem wea pipol forcem olketa for garem barava raf and nogud living? Waswe, God acceptim nomoa kaen nogud wei for deal witim nara man?

Wei for Slave and Olketa Israelite

Bible talem hao “man hem bossim man and spoelem hem.” (Ecclesiastes 8:9) Diswan hem barava showaot long olketa nogud wei bilong pipol for deal witim olketa slave. Jehovah no ting nating long wei wea bigfala safa kamaot from diswan.

Olsem example, tingim samting wea kamap saed long olketa Israelite. Bible talem iumi hao olketa bilong Egypt “go ahed for mekem laef bilong olketa nogud tumas witim hard waka bilong slave for mekem clay mortar and olketa brik and witim evri kaen wei for slave long field, yes, evri difren kaen wei wea olketa iusim olketa olsem slave anda long raf rul.” Olketa Israelite “go ahed for sorre from olketa nao slave and for singaot witim komplen, and singaot bilong olketa for help go ahed for go ap long trufala God.” Waswe, Jehovah no interest long hard living bilong olketa? Hem barava interest, dastawe “God herem krae bilong olketa and God rememberim covenant bilong hem witim Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” And tu, hem talem pipol bilong hem: “Mi bae tekem iufala kamaot from anda long olketa bigfala hevi wea olketa bilong Egypt putim long iufala and sevem iufala from wei wea iufala slave bilong olketa.”—Exodus 1:14; 2:23, 24; 6:6-8.

So, hem klia hao Jehovah nating appruvim wei wea ‘man bossim man’ thru long raf wei for slave. Bat waswe, God letem pipol bilong hem garem olketa slave bihaen? Yes. Bat, wei for slave long Israel hem barava difren from olketa wei for slave thru long history wea raf tumas.

Law bilong God talem hao eniwan wea stealim wanfala man and sellim hem mas dae. And tu, Jehovah givim olketa instruction for protectim olketa slave. Olsem example, hem talem hao slave wea masta bilong hem mekem hem kasem bigfala garekil savve kamap free. Sapos slave hem dae from masta killim hem nogud, olketa savve killim dae datfala masta. Olketa woman prisoner savve kamap olketa slave, or man savve tekem olsem waef. Bat Law stopem man for iusim olketa woman hia for sex nomoa. Datfala Law bae leadim olketa Israelite wea garem gudfala heart for showimaot kaenfala fasin and respect long olketa slave, tingim olketa olsem man wea olketa peim for waka.—Exodus 20:10; 21:12, 16, 26, 27; Leviticus 22:10, 11; Deuteronomy 21:10-14.

Samfala Jew volunteer for kamap slave long nara Jew mekem olketa savve changem wanfala kaon. Diswan protectim pipol from wei for hangre and givim chance for olketa savve lusim poor living. Narafala samting moa, long olketa taem bilong year wea olketa markem, olketa mas letem olketa slave kamap free sapos olketa laekem.a (Exodus 21:2; Leviticus 25:10; Deuteronomy 15:12) Abaotem olketa law hia for olketa slave, Jew savveman Moses Mielziner talem hao “slave bae nating finis for olsem wanfala man, pipol tingim hem olsem person wea garem olketa raet olsem eni nara man, wea nomata masta, hem no savve againstim.” Diswan hem difren evribit from olketa raf wei for slave wea bin happen insaed full history!

Wei for Slave and Olketa Christian

Wei for slave hem part bilong economic system bilong Roman Empire, wea hem nao olketa Christian long first century stap anda long hem. Dastawe, samfala Christian olketa slave, and samfala garem olketa slave. (1 Corinthians 7:21, 22) Bat waswe, diswan hem minim olketa disaepol bilong Jesus deal long raf wei witim slave bilong olketa? Barava nomoa nao! Nomata wanem law bilong Rome hem letem, iumi savve sure hao olketa Christian no deal nogud witim olketa wea stap anda olketa. Aposol Paul tu encouragem Philemon for deal witim slave bilong hem Onesimus, wea hem bin kamap wanfala Christian, olsem “wanfala brata.”b—Philemon 10-17.

No eni samting insaed Bible showimaot hao wei for mekem olketa man kamap slave hem part bilong firstfala purpose bilong God for olketa man. And tu, no eni profesi long Bible storyim wei wea olketa man bae ownim olketa slave insaed niu world bilong God. Winim datwan, insaed datfala paradaes wea bae kam, olketa wea raeteous “bae sidaon, evriwan anda long vine bilong hem and fig tree bilong hem, and no eniwan bae mekem olketa seksek.”—Micah 4:4.

Hem klia hao Bible nating acceptim wei for spoelem narawan. Bat hem encouragem wei for showimaot respect and hem talem klia hao evri man hem semsem. (Acts 10:34, 35) Hem encouragem pipol for deal witim narawan long wei olketa laekem narawan for deal witim olketa. (Luke 6:31) And tu, Bible encouragem olketa Christian for hambol and for ting long narawan olsem hem winim hem, nomata wanem kaen living nao hem garem. (Philippians 2:3) Olketa principle hia hem barava difren evribit from olketa raf wei for slave wea planti kantri bin duim especially long olketa century wea just go pas finis.

[Olketa footnote]