[Sorry, due to technical difficulties, the audio recording for this lesson is not available. -MRW]

Highlights from previous lesson about Abigail and David

• David sends men ahead to ask Nabal for some help.
• They’re snubbed, David and lineage insulted.
• David determined to avenge the insult via mass capital punishment.
• Abigail finds out and intercedes, David relents
• Abigail tells Nabal the next day and he goes catatonic – dies 10 days later
• David takes Abigail as his wife

Discussion

• Don’t procrastinate
• Be honest and don’t hide things from husband, wife, family member, etc.
• Don’t seek vengeance, leave it to God – Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30
• Could David’s throne have been destroyed by his transgression just as Saul’s throne had been?
  • Saul’s reaction to sin
  • David’s reaction to sin
• It is good and right for a woman to be decisive
• Courage is facing real fear rather than running from it
• You can respond to a fool without dishonesty or manipulation
• Speaking diplomatically can work better than being brash
  • You can do so respectfully rather than patronizingly
• Abigail did not rely on her beauty to bail herself out
  • Got on her knees and put her face in the dirt
• Her gentle, humble, respectful honesty dissuaded a young, brash warrior from an ill-conceived fight
• When action was the right thing to do, she disregarded the danger
  • Could have just run off
  • Could have thrown Nabal under the bus
• Her mainstay appeal was God’s righteousness
• You can do right no matter your marital or familial situation
• A woman can function properly and righteously in any situation
• Her beauty is mentioned, but it does not play into any real part of the situation

Onesimus

• Philemon 1:1-25
• What we know:
  • Has Roman (Latin) name – maybe given that name as a slave
  • Philemon’s slave – who’s run away
  • Maybe took something from Philemon or owes him (Philemon 1:18-19)
  • Was converted in Rome by Paul
  • Was Paul’s valued helper
• As for Paul:
  • Makes no excuses for Onesimus – realizes he did wrong
  • All things must be made right
  • What to do is up to Philemon
  • Onesimus is now much more than a slave
    • Had become useless to Philemon
    • His usefulness is by proxy now
  • Paul defers from his authority to Philemon’s heart

What are the implications of Paul’s letter?

• Converted slave – new kind of servitude
  • Service to Christ is better when unhindered
    • I Corinthians 7:21
  • At the same time, not impossible or wrong
  • Slavery was very much a fact of life in Rome during the first century

How did one become a slave under Roman law?

• Being captured during warfare and sold
• Being captured by pirates and sold
• Selling oneself into servitude to pay a debt
• Being born into slavery

Once a slave, what was the job?

• Found in every endeavor – household, government, business
• Domestic help was the most common
  • Educated slaves taught children
  • Some were cooks – specialty
  • Even hairdressers
• Some took civic positions (just as Jews in Babylon)
  • Librarians
  • Government Administrators

At the other end of the scale

• Some did hard manual labor
  • Jobs around large estates (senatorial class)
  • Ag work
  • Mine workers – high “turnover”
  • Construction workers – like Israelites in Egypt
• The most unfortunate were pressed into work as prostitutes
  • Both male and female

Roman law enforce slavery – favored the owner over the slave

• Masters – life and death
• Runaway – harsh punishments
• Assault or kill master
  • Often, death
  • Also, deaths of associated slaves

How were they treated?

• Made economic sense – treat fairly
• Many gained allowances (peculium)
• Marrying
• Even made wills
• Property holders
• Some became close to master’s family members
• Cicero and Tiro – personal secretary
  • Cicero’s brother: “I am truly thankful for what you have done with regard to Tiro, in judging his former status to be below what he deserved and preferring us to have him as a friend rather than a slave.”