Why did God allow slavery?

tonychanyt said:

Israelite slavery was different from the modern kind of slavery, Exodus 21:

16 Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.​

These were serious offenses: capital punishment. According to this Moses law, the Americans who stole black human beings from Africa should be executed and those who bought them and worked them on the US soil should be executed. The Bible does not condone this kind of slavery.

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Paul condemns this kind of slave trader in 1 Timothy 1:

8 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.​

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Slave traders were men-stealers.

The slavery of OT Israel was composed of two groups:
1) voluntary,
2) captured enemies (no men stolen).

Hebrews could be only temporary slaves.

Even when an Israelite acquired a slave legally, there was a way out for the slave, Deuteronomy 23:

15 You shall not give up to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. He shall dwell with you, in your midst, in the place that he shall choose within one of your towns, wherever it suits him. You shall not wrong him.​

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If a slave didn't like his master, he could try to run away. Moses' law was on his side.

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That refers to a foreign slave (v.16) seeking refuge in Israel.

Why did the Bible allow any form of slavery at all?

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It was ordained by God as fulfillment of
1) Noah's prophecy (curse) that Canaan would be slaves to Shem (Ge 9:25), the father of the Hebrews (Ge 10:21, 24-25, cf Lk 3:35),
2) Isaac's blessing (prophecy) on Jacob that the nations (Gentiles) would serve him (Ge 27:29, Heb 11:20),
3) both of the above pointing to Jacob's blessing (prophecy) on Judah, that his descendant (Christ) would rule over the nations (Ge 49:10).

Slavery was part of the ancient system of economy. The Bible focused on the redemption story, obedience, and righteousness.
Jesus' concept of freedom was deeper, John 8:

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32and you will know the truth, and **the truth will set you free**.”​

The Jews thought Jesus was talking about outward freedom.

33 They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”​

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.​

The opposite of freedom was not slavery but sin. Jesus focused on a deeper meaning of freedom. If a slave believed in Jesus, he was free indeed.

Further, I suspect that God would reward many of the slaves with eternal life while many of the ungenerous slave owners would be punished, Luke 16:

25 But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.​

In the end, God is just when justice is considered from the eternal perspective.

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