Today’s Scripture Reading (January 11,
2014): Hosea 2 & 3
In 1850, the
average price of a slave was $400. It was approximately four times the annual
per capita income (in 1850 that level was around $110.) The economics of
slavery was that the slave had to live and work for at least that length of
time for the slave owner to be able to break even on the purchase. But the hope
was that the slave would live a little longer. So each slave was examined for
health before they were purchased. A young and strong slave might bring a
little more than the average price – indicating that the economic break-even
point would be a little further down the road. Of course, to be able to tie up
that amount of money in a slave was also a status symbol. But you would still want
to make good on your investment. A slave who died before that point would be a
bad economic investment. And a slave who ran away might as well be dead. A
runaway was treated harshly to try and stop future occurrences – or killed as
an example to stop other slaves from attempting to run. But the other variable
was that a good slave was only expected to live between seven and nine years.
The best the slave owner could expect was to get approximately twice the life
out of the money paid.
Hosea paid
fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethek (about 195 kilograms or 430
pounds) of barley. The barley is thought to have been worth about fifteen
shekels of silver bringing the total amount paid for the purchase of Gomer to
30 shekels of sliver. And that number is significant for two reasons.
First, it is
the mandated price for a slave. Hosea was essentially purchasing his wife back
from a slave holder, but that is also the point. Gomer was Hosea’s wife
already. Under ancient law, she was already possessed by Hosea. There was
absolutely no reason for Hosea to purchase her again, and no guarantee that his
wife would not run again. And yet none of this seems to matter to Hosea. His
love is so great for his wife that he is quite willing to pay the price of a
slave to get his wife out of a bad situation. The anticipated symbolism of the
story of Hosea and Gomer is intended to highlight the relationship between God
and Israel. Israel had been God’s possession since the beginning of nation. He
had blessed Abraham, and he had led Moses back into Egypt to free the children
of Israel. And yet Israel had run away from the benevolence of God into the
arms of other gods. Nothing required God to do anything other than walk away
from the situation. But instead, God purposed to buy his wayward children back.
Which brings
us to the second reason that thirty pieces of silver is significant. It was
exactly the price that Judas was paid to turn Jesus over to the Jewish power hierarchy.
Our freedom bought by the life of a man that bore the price of a slave. The
action was not required, but God’s love for his creation continually goes
beyond what might be necessary.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Hosea 4
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