The Bored Ear

by J.M. Lindsay, Edinburgh, U.K. | Category: General | Oct 1983

On the tombstone of a man called John Govan, in the Dean Cemetery in

Edinburgh, the words are engraved, "I love my Master... I will not go out free."

The quotation is, of course, from Exodus 21. The man, I understand, was one of

God's warriors.

Every Israelite was freeborn, but in certain specific circumstances God was prepared to envisage a man becoming a slave or a bond servant. Here's a man in such a situation, perhaps through poverty, debt or even crime. The maximum period of his enforced service will not exceed six years. If the year of jubilee intervenes he will win his freedom sooner. Another man who had been married when he became a slave and whose wife had elected to share her husband's bondage would, with his wife and any children of the marriage, thereafter enjoy freedom together. But this man has married a wife provided by his master and together they have children. When the day of freedom comes, the choice is an agonizing one for him. The wife and children remain within the ownership of the master, and if he leaves he does so alone.

The man loves his wife and family, but he also has a deep love and respect for his master. He knows what he has to do. He consecrates himself to the service of his master not for a further seven years, but for the rest of his life. In fulfilment of God's requirement his master takes him to the doorpost of the family house and bores a hole in his ear lobe - permanent evidence for all to see of his lifelong commitment to an existence of selfless service. Given the options which existed, the love behind such an action had to be genuine.

We're all slaves. We either are, or have been at some time in our lives, slaves to sin1. Christians, at the time of the new birth, change ownership. They have been bought with a price the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Thereafter the reasonable expectation is that they will voluntarily yield themselves to become slaves of Jesus Christ. The requirement in service is that they will glorify God in body AND in spirit2. That requires disciplined living and a deep awareness and understanding of the purposes of God as revealed in His Word. It requires the translation of that knowledge into everyday living so that our lives and conduct are in conformity with the Word of God. The motive has to be love for the master, the service has to be undertaken willingly and with joy. This expectation of us, though reasonable, is not an easy one to fulfil as many have found and, as a result not all can truly claim as Paul did, to be true bondservants of Jesus Christ.

David conveyed the sense of what God looks for in consecrated lives in words which found their ultimate fulfilment in the life of the One who was the greatest ever exponent of consecrated living. "Mine ears hast Thou opened (the word carries the thought of "bored")... Then said I, Lo, lam come; in the roll of the book it is written of Me: I delight to do Thy will, 0 My God; yea, Thy law is within My heart"3.

When the Punjab was annexed by the British in 1849, the property of the State was confiscated by the East India Company. This included a very large and famous diamond known as the Koh-i-noor diamond which became the possession of Queen Victoria. Years afterwards, a successor of the Rajah from whom the precious stone had been taken had an audience with Queen. She produced the diamond and handed it to her visitor who handled the beautiful stone, admired it and handed it back with the words "This was taken by force from my ancestors; now I give it freely to my Sovereign."

The hymn writer says about the sacrifice of Calvary: "Love so amazing, so divine, demands my heart, my life, my all."

The Man of Calvary said, "If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me"4. You have a choice today, Christian. You can save your life for yourself, to do whatever you feel like doing. Many Christians keep some part of their lives for themselves. Jesus said, "whosoever would save his life shall lose it."5 The extent to which we keep Jesus out of any area of our lives will reflect the measure in which we appreciate or fail to appreciate His sacrifice for us at Calvary. Which areas of your life are out of bounds to Christ?

Appreciation and love these are the keywords in Christian service. Aim for the spirit of the consecrated slave "I love my master... I will not go out free." Give your life in its totality to Him and His service, willingly, freely and joyfully - these are the hallmarks of the bored ear. Therein lies true freedom6 - therein lies the route to finding one's life and its purpose. Therein lies the certainty of eternal blessing and the assurance of hearing that coveted accolade, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

References:

1 John 8:34

2 1 Cor. 6:20

3 Psalm 40:6-8

4 Mark 8:34

5 Mark 8:35

6 Gal. 5:1

J.M. Lindsay, Edinburgh, U.K. | Oct 1983
General