An Open Ear

part five

Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 15:12-17; Psalm 40:6-8; Hebrews 10:5-10

              When we hear the words slavery and servitude we naturally and understandably think of something harsh and imposed by force. We envision a whip and chains. And there is this kind of slavery, to humanities shame. But we can see from our text in Deuteronomy and in the way in which it was applied in Psalms and Hebrews, that this is not the kind of servitude envisioned for the Christian life.

              Jesus was a willing servant of His Father. In an echo of Deuteronomy, Jesus willingly gave up freedom to live in subjection to His Father. As he was coming into the world, he essentially said, “I love my Master. I will not go out free.” And in response, the Father dug or opened his ear. Jesus placed Himself under the Father because He loved Him.

              In following the example of Christ, we put ourselves in submission to God. We place ourselves under the authority of the Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our ears are opened to His voice. Our lives are given over to obedience to Him. We are following the pattern of Jesus in this. But our motives are also meant to follow those of Jesus. We are not slaves to God because we have been forced and coerced. We are not living under the whip and chain.

              We serve because we love our Master and we will not go our free. We see in God a loving Father whose will is for His glory and our good. And we realize those two things (God’s glory and our good) are not in opposition to each other. They are the same. Those who know Jesus, know Truth. And knowing the Truth sets us free. And the follower of Christ, having been set free, turns around and declares, “I love my Master. I will not go out free.” The Christian is one whose ear has been dug.