Bible Truths – “How To Treat Your Servants”

“Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.”  Colossians 4:1

Every one of us, at some time, is in a position of authority over someone else.  There are times that we hire someone to work for us; to fix our car, to mow the lawn, to shingle the roof, etc.  There are also those of us that are in authority over other people at our place of employment, or we may own our own business and have employees that work for us.  The Bible gives some instructions to us when we are in these ‘master/servant’ situations.  How should we treat those that are working for us?

First of all, we are to pay those that work for us “that which is just and equal”(Colossians 4:1).  We are to pay a just, or a fair, wage.  Question:  If you could find someone who would use their own lawn mower and their own gas to mow your lawn for just $5, should you hire them?  (Is that a fair wage for the services provided?  Would you mow someone else’s lawn for that?)  As Christians, we should not be trying to get a ‘steal of a deal’.  We are told not to steal.  We must pay a fair wage.  We should also pay a wage that is equal to the job performed.  Obviously, an open heart surgeon performs more serious, more difficult work than one who mows your lawn.  The surgeon is, and should be, paid a higher salary.  This is Biblical.  We should always seek to pay a wage that is equal to the task performed.  As Christians we don’t need to trust in our own shrewdness to make a living, our trust is in our Lord.  We must pay those that provide services for us a “just and equal” wage.

Ephesians 6:9 reads “And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.”  Just because you are placed in a position of authority over another person does not give you the right to yell at them, scream at them, or threaten them.    If you, as a Believer, are in a position of authority, you must remember that you are always a servant of the Lord, and that “the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves…” (II Timothy 2:24,25a).  You should be a gentle, patient, meek, non-threatening supervisor.

Leviticus 19:13 tells us “Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbor, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.”  Here, the Israelites were commanded to not defraud their neighbor.  What was considered defrauding him or her?  Keeping the wages of that person who has worked for them until the next day.  They were to pay those that worked for them, immediately.  Now, we are not under this law, but we can glean this principle from His Law:  pay those that work for you quickly.  This lines up with New Testament teaching, as well, where we are told to “owe no man anything…” (Romans 13:8).  I believe that we, as Christians, can never go wrong by paying those that work for us immediately.  I have never seen a person upset at being paid too quickly!  If we pay what we owe quickly, we leave a good impression with that person whom we paid.  If we are sharing our faith in Jesus Christ openly, we can impart a favorable view of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ to that person, planting seeds that may result in the salvation of their soul, which is infinitely more important than anything else we could do in this life.   Ultimately, whether we are in authority or under authority at work, we are all “labourers together with God…”(I Corinthians 3:9) and our “labour is not in vain in the Lord” (I Corinthians 15:58).  God is watching and He will “not…forget your work and labour of love” (Hebrews 6:10).  Let us work faithfully for Him at home, at church and at work!

Pastor Lee Smith