Few Old Testament passages disturb modern readers more than Exodus 21:20–21, which addresses the beating of a slave:

“When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money.” (Exodus 21:20–21, ESV)

This verse, and others like it, raise hard questions:

• Why didn’t God abolish slavery outright?
• Why regulate unjust systems instead of replacing them?
• Why didn’t He implement universal human rights from the start?

But perhaps these are not the deepest questions. A better question might be:

Why do humans enslave each other in the first place?

And what is God really doing in history to redeem us from ourselves?

The Real Problem Isn’t God—It’s Us

The Bible doesn’t present humanity as innocent victims of a cruel deity. It presents us as rebellious stewards of a broken world.

From the moment Adam and Eve grasped for autonomy in Eden, human beings have:

• Turned against each other
• Instituted hierarchies of dominance and exploitation
• Built systems of inequality, war, and greed

Slavery, war, patriarchy, and injustice aren’t divinely ordained—they’re human inventions. The real scandal isn’t that God allows injustice; it’s that humans keep choosing it, again and again.

So instead of a God who endorses cruelty, the Bible shows us a God who enters our mess and says:

“Let me work with you. Let’s begin the long road back.”

Covenant, Not Control

From the beginning, God has tried to establish covenants with humanity—not coercion.

A covenant is relational. It’s an invitation to transformation, not domination. But covenants require human participation, and participation requires time, trust, and growth.

In the Old Testament, we don’t see a God snapping His fingers to create utopia. We see a God who:

• Finds Abraham and makes a promise
• Delivers Israel from slavery in Egypt
• Gives them laws—not as a final moral standard, but as a training ground for justice and mercy
• Calls prophets to challenge their failure to care for the oppressed
• Ultimately sends His Son, not as a political reformer, but as a sacrificial Redeemer

This is not divine laziness or indifference. It’s divine longsuffering, working with fallen people to redeem them—not just their institutions.

Why Regulation Instead of Revolution?

The laws of Exodus, including those on slavery, often regulate existing institutions rather than abolish them. But this is not God endorsing oppression—it’s God:

• Containing human evil, like putting boundaries on a wildfire
• Limiting cruelty in a cruel world
• Preparing people for a greater law to come

When Jesus finally arrives, He doesn’t just tweak the rules—He fulfills the law entirely and reframes the moral universe around two commands: love God and love your neighbor (Matt. 22:37–40).

That’s the trajectory of Scripture: not static rules, but a redemptive arc from regulation to transformation.

Why Weren’t Human Rights Immediate?

Modern readers forget that universal human rights are a recent development in human thought—largely emerging from:

• Enlightenment philosophy
• Christian abolitionist theology
• The moral reckoning of the 20th century

In the ancient world:

• Hierarchy was assumed.
• Social status was fixed.
• Rights were granted by position, not personhood.

To expect the Torah to read like a 21st-century UN charter is to misunderstand both the Bible and history. The real miracle is not that ancient Israel regulated slavery—it’s that they began sowing the seeds of its undoing.

Was Slavery Sometimes the Lesser Evil?

In many cases, yes. In a world with no safety nets, few jobs, and constant tribal conflict, servitude could be:

• A way to pay off debt
• A means of survival for the poor
• A more humane alternative to execution for prisoners of war

Biblical slavery wasn’t ideal, but it was often less brutal than the practices of surrounding nations. And crucially, the Torah placed real limits and protections around it:

• Release after six years (Ex. 21:2)
• Freedom if harmed (Ex. 21:26–27)
• Death penalty for kidnapping someone into slavery (Ex. 21:16)

The Bible’s laws didn’t invent slavery—they mitigated it.

The Fulfillment of the Law in Christ

The Old Testament sets the stage. The New Testament flips the script.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28)

This is not a new moral system—it’s a new creation.

In Jesus:

• Slaves are called brothers.
• Women are the first witnesses of resurrection.
• The poor and marginalized are brought to the center.

Rather than controlling behavior through external law, Christ’s Spirit transforms the heart. That’s how genuine justice takes root—not just through legislation, but regeneration.

Conclusion: Don’t Point the Finger—Follow the Thread

To judge Exodus 21 as divine cruelty is to miss the bigger point of the Bible.

It’s not the story of a harsh God with morally confused laws. It’s the story of a patient God dealing with morally confused people, trying to lead them from brutality to blessing, from bondage to belonging.

The question is not:

“Why didn’t God fix everything immediately?”

But rather:

“Why does He keep working with us, even when we break everything He gives?”

The Bible is not just about rules. It’s about covenant—God’s relentless pursuit of a people who keep running from Him.

From regulation to redemption, from slavery to sonship, that’s the greater message.