Surrender

I've been reading a book "Surrender"  by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.  


Chapter 3 is called  "A Hole in the Ear:  bondslaves forever".


Christian surrender means that a person lifts his or her hands and says to God, "Here I am; I surrender;  You take over;  I belong to You"!


Josef Tson says:  One (of the subtle changes) came quietly, almost unobserved, through the new versions of the Bible.  Translators did not like the term 'bondslave" to be applied to people.  Who wants to be called somebody's else's slave?  Therefore, they replaced it with "servant".  In the Greek, 'slave' is doulos; and 'servant' is diakonos.   In the Greek Bible one never, never 'diakoneo' to God--one never 'serves' God; one only 'douleo' to God--that is, one 'slaves' to God.
According to Webster's dictionary, a servant is defined as a person employed to perform services for another.  A slave on the other hand, is a human being who is owned as property by and is absolutely subject to the will of another.


Interesting!


In Exodus 21 we are given an interesting example of a bondslave.  On occasion, poverty stricken Jews were forced to sell themselves into service to their fellow Jews.  The law required that they be set free at the end of six years.  In this passage, however, there is an unusual option provided for a servant who had fulfilled his obligation to his master and was due to be released from servitude.


The servant was free to leave.  If, however, he had developed a strong, loving relationship with his master and did not wish to be released from his master's service,  he could make a voluntary choice to become his master's bondslave.  In doing so, he was making a lifetime commitment.  He was surrendering himself and giving up his rights to his master.


The transformation was made in a public ceremony where the surrender was recognized in a visible- and painful way.  A sharp instrument was used to pierce a hold in the servant's ear, signifying obedience to the voice of his master.  


In the New Testament, the apostles Peter and Paul, along with James and Jude all followed in the steps of Jesus and identified themselves as bondslaves (doulos).  


There is no greater calling than to be marked as God's slave-- to choose to give my life in service for the Master I have grown to know, love, and trust.


Can people around me tell who I belong to?