In the Bible, 'master' identifies the one in authority over a servant or a household, and Les Feldick shows this word is part of a small-letter 'lord' threadwork running through Scripture.
In the clips, 'master' appears in Exodus 21 in the law of Hebrew servants, where the servant says, 'I love my master... I will not go out free.' It also appears in Ephesians 5 in the husband-wife relationship, where wives submit 'as unto the Lord.' Les explains these human master/servant relationships show the Bible is supernaturally woven together.
Exodus 21:5 — The servant's declaration, 'I love my master... I will not go out free,' defines the bond in a master-servant relationship.
Ephesians 5:22-23 — Paul applies the language of headship and 'as unto the Lord' to the husband-wife relationship.
Romans 6:16 — Paul explains that whoever you yield yourself to as a servant is the master you obey.
The word 'master' is used in Scripture to describe a real relationship of authority and loyalty. In the Old Testament law of Hebrew servants, the master could give his servant a wife; if the servant then said, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,' the relationship continued by choice (Exodus 21:4-5). In the New Testament, the same kind of authority appears in the household: 'Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church' (Ephesians 5:22-23). Paul also uses servant/master language spiritually: 'Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey?' (Romans 6:16).
Les emphasizes the small-letter 'lord' in master-servant contexts. He says that whenever that relationship appears in Scripture, 'it won't be capitalized Lord, it'll be the small letter Lord' — and this repeated pattern is one reason he believes the Bible is 'so supernaturally woven together' that it cannot be dismissed as myths (Clip 0). Turning to Exodus 21, Les draws attention to the servant who says, 'I love my master, I love my wife, and I love my children; I will not go out free,' and he says this law fits beautifully with Adam and Christ (Clip 1). He notes that Israel's servitude was not like the awful slavery of bygone days; it was under the Law and equitable (Clip 7). In the husband-wife passages, Les is clear that the wife is never to be the husband's slave or servant; they are one (Clip 2). The husband is head of the wife even as Christ is head of the church, and since Christ died for the church, a husband should be ready to die for his wife (Clip 3). The phrase 'as unto the Lord' keeps the relationship from becoming a taskmaster and slave master situation (Clips 5-6). In Romans 6, Les uses the everyday employer-employee picture to explain that whoever you yield to as a servant is the one you obey and from whom you receive your wages (Clip 4).
According to Les, no. The Bible never gives the husband authority to 'downtrod' his wife; she is not to be his slave or servant but is part of him — they are one (Clip 2). God has still mandated the husband as head of the wife, but that does not make her his gopher or slave girl (Clip 5). The key is the phrase 'as unto the Lord': the husband is to relate to his wife the way Christ relates to the church, and because Christ died for the church, the husband should be ready to die for his wife (Clips 3, 6).
In Exodus 21, if a master gave his servant a wife and children, the wife and children belonged to the master should the servant go free. The servant could choose to stay by saying, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free' (Clip 1). Les says this is hard for modern readers because we are not accustomed to servitude, but Israel's servitude was under the Law and equitable (Clip 7). He also says God instituted this law because it fits beautifully with Adam and Christ (Clip 1).
Les points out that when someone becomes a servant in Scripture, the master-servant term is not the capitalized Lord but the small-letter 'lord.' He uses Isaiah's response, 'Here am I,' as the moment Isaiah becomes the servant. For Les, this repeated word connection is evidence that the Bible is 'so supernaturally woven together' that it cannot be dismissed as Jewish legends or myths.
Small-Letter Lord and the Servant Isaiah
Les shows that in Isaiah's 'Here am I' response the master-servant relationship is marked by small-letter 'lord,' and this pattern is evidence of Scripture's supernatural threadwork.
The Servant Who Chooses to Stay
Les reads Exodus 21:4-5 and says this law about a servant loving his master fits beautifully with Adam and Christ.
A Wife Is Not a Slave
Les clarifies that the Bible never gives a husband authority to downtrod his wife; she is not his slave or servant but part of him — they are one.
Christ's Sacrificial Headship
Les compares the husband as head of the wife to Christ as head of the church, noting that Christ died for the church and husbands should be ready to die for their wives.
Yielded Servants in Romans 6
Les uses the everyday employer-employee picture to show that whoever you yield yourself to as a servant is the one you obey and whose wages you receive.
Submission Is Not Being a Gopher
Les teaches that the husband being head does not make the wife his gopher or slave girl; he is to relate to her as the Lord relates to the church.
God's Ordained Order, Not Slavery
Les says a wife's submission is recognition of God's ordained order, and the husband is not to be a taskmaster or slave master; the phrase 'as unto the Lord' is the key.
Equitable Hebrew Servitude
Les explains the law of the Hebrew servant: if the master gave him a wife and children, they remain with the master, and he notes Israel's servitude was not like bygone slavery but was equitable under the Law.
Exodus 21:3: If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him.
This verse establishes whether the servant leaves alone or with his wife, setting up the master's rights in the relationship.
Exodus 21:4: If his master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters; the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself.
It shows that the master who gave the servant a wife retains the wife and children if the servant chooses to leave.
Exodus 21:5: And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:
The servant's love for his master and family becomes the reason he would voluntarily remain in servitude.
Romans 6:16: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Paul uses the master-servant idea to show that whoever you obey is the master you serve.
Ephesians 5:21: Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
This call to mutual submission sets the context for Paul's instructions about wives and husbands.
Ephesians 5:22: Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
It connects a wife's submission directly to the Lord relationship rather than to slave-like servitude.
Ephesians 5:23: For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
It defines the husband's headship by comparing it to Christ's headship over the church.
No. Les teaches that the wife is not to be a slave, gopher, or servant; she is part of her husband and they are one. The husband is head of the wife as Christ is head of the church, and the wife's submission is 'as unto the Lord' (Clips 2, 5, 6).
Because in master-servant contexts Scripture uses the small-letter 'lord,' not the capitalized Lord. Les sees this repeated pattern as proof the Bible is 'so supernaturally woven together' that it cannot be dismissed as legends or myths (Clip 0).
In Exodus 21, a servant whose master had given him a wife and children could choose to stay in servitude because of love. Les connects this to Adam and Christ, saying God gave the law because it fits beautifully with that relationship (Clips 1, 7).
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