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Godly and Ungodly Employers -- Deuteronomy 24:14-15
In this small passage (2 verses), Moses gives the people rules that involve a master and his servant. Servants are not to be oppressed. And we notice here that Moses, speaking for God, does not distinguish between a Hebrew servant or an alien servant. The servant it to be paid regularly and on time. And you as a master must consider that most of your servants (read employees) are usually much poorer than you are and thus you must treat them well, because they depend on you. If a servant feels he/she is being treated unfairly by you, he/she will cry out to the Lord and then watch out, because if he/she does and God agrees, that my friend becomes a "sin in you". Wow.
First of all, Robert Jamieson gives us a historical perspective on this subject when he writes:
"Hired servants in the East are paid at the close of the day; and for a master to defraud the laborer of his hire, or to withhold it wrongfully for a night, might have subjected a poor man with his family to suffering and was therefore an injustice to be avoided ( Lev 19:13 )."
As a management consultant, I can't tell you how many times I have come across employers (masters) who actually oppress their workers. And yes some of them call themselves Christians. I've seen people play favourites between employees who have similar backgrounds as the boss, and treat others, perhaps of a different color, or faith, very differently.
Many a union is established in smaller organizations because management fails to pay employees on time. Even after unions are put in place, the number of grievances that are filed due to late payments or wrong calculation of wages (always in favor of the employer somehow) is high. There seems to be little consideration given in treating lower level employees with the same respect and dignity owners often treat their professional or management staff. Little do they realize how the ones on top can achieve nothing without the ones at the bottom.
David Guzik reminds us that an employee can be 'oppressed' in many ways. One way we often overlook is the fact that we often require our employees to work under brutal (in some countries) or unsafe (in our country) working conditions. All because we want to cut corners, cut costs, etc., in order to increase our profit margins. Thank God there are now laws, but sometimes really oppressed employees don't have access to ways they can safely pursue their rights. For others, who may be permanently injured or even die on the job, relying on those laws is too late. God expects us to look out for our employees.
Matthew Henry adds to the list of oppressions by employers. He includes overloading them with work (the Israelites would be familiar with that if they just stopped long enough to think of how their forefathers were treated by the Egyptians when they were making bricks for them while they were slaves there).
But Henry goes beyond that. To the list of oppressions he adds giving them undue and unreasonable rebukes, or withholding them from their proper 'maintenance'. By that one can assume he meant their payment or their food or shelter or whatever had been agreed to and was in order. Let me take maintenance one step further and include today the maintenance of the equipment and tools they work with -- they need to be in good working order and above all, totally safe.
I don't know how some employers who are Christians can go before God in their worship, in their prayers, or in their taking of communion, or serving on church leadership teams, if they are guilty of treating any of their employees as described above.
What a shame it must be for employees to leave the employee of a company owned and operated by a Christian because of the poor way their employees have been treated. And oh by the way, that goes for church employers as well.
Guzik has more to say on this. I would suggest a Christian employer should read James chapter 5 on this whole topic. But let's hear Guzik:
"The LORD hears the cry of the oppressed. James 5:4 warns the rich man who oppresses his workers: Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth [sic]."
Henry reminds us that the Israelite employers must remember that they too were slaves once in the land where they were strangers. Remember your roots. We are to remember our roots. People born in rich families have a hard time remembering their roots today and often they become the prime candidates for the role of an unfair or ungodly employer. Henry goes on:
". . . what a grievous thing it is to be oppressed by a task-master, and therefore, in tenderness to those that are servants and strangers, and in gratitude to that God who set thee at liberty and settled thee in a country of thy own, thou shalt not oppress a servant.' Let not masters be tyrants to their servants, for their Master is in heaven. See Job 31:13."
If we fail in this, we will suffer the guilt and the consequence. Henry, like Guzik, also reminds us,
"The injured servant will cry against thee to the Lord; since he has no one else to appeal to, he will lodge his appeal in the court of heaven, and it will be sin to thee.' Or, if he do not complain, the cause will speak for itself, the "hire of the labourers which is kept back by fraud will itself cry,' Jam. 5:4. It is a greater sin than most people think it is, and will be found so in the great day, to put hardships upon poor servants, labourers, and workmen, that we employ. God will do them right if men do not.
Reader, if you are reading this and you are an employer, I pray that you will review your company's practices and make any corrections you need to make. Do this not only for the sake of your employees, but also for your own sake and for the long-term benefit of your company. God is no fool. He blesses when you follow His instructions. He remembers when you don't.
And you don't have to be the CEO of an organization to check out how people are being treated. You may be a Vice-President of a big Unit, or a Director of a Division, a Manager of a Department, or a Supervisor of a sub-unit. No matter your level, you have an opportunity to be a fair and godly 'boss'. I pray you'll do this.
If you are an employee who is being mistreated, please find the assistance you need. If you have the courage, talk to your boss, explain how you feel, and suggest how the matter may be corrected. Failing that, today there are many helplines from local and provincial or state governments, as well as federal agencies, that will help you confidentially if you reach out to them. Last but not least, and in fact something you should be doing all along is -- cry out to God with your need. Seek His help and trust Him for an answer. He will show you the way.
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