We have had a great week here in Costa Rica.
To find out what we have been doing click here.
Now, on to the Portion!
This is the eighteenth reading in the Torah Portion.
It is named Mishpatim (משפטים), which means “right-rulings.”
The title comes from the first words of the first verse of the reading,
which could be literally translated to say,
“And these are the right-rulings which you will place before them” (Exodus 21:1).
This Torah Portion is the continuation of the
10 Words(Commands) that were given in the last chapter.
The 1st 10 where to give the backbone to the covenant.
The rest of these instructions is what fills the rest
of the covenant and makes it so that
we can understand better what YHVH wanted.
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Chapter 21 begins with the right-rulings of a Hebrew servant.
When you read the 1st 11 verses of this chapter, understand that
YHVH wanted to make difference between what they were
in Egypt(slaves) and what He is instructing here(servants).
In Leviticus 25 it goes into more detail
on how we should treat our brothers.
Leviticus 25:39-43
"And when your brother who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, do not make him serve as a slave.
40 ‘But as a hired servant, as a settler he is with you,
and serves you until the Year of Jubilee.
41 ‘And then he shall leave you, he and his children with him, and shall return to his own clan, even return to the possession of his fathers.
42 ‘For they are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, they are not sold as slaves.
43 ‘Do not rule over him with harshness,
but you shall fear your Elohim."
Remember, this can still apply today. If there is a brother in Messiah
who is poor and needs work, and you want him to work for you,
you cannot just treat him like the rest of the nations. He is a part of you in Messiah and YHVH will not allow you to talk and act harshly with him.
Continuing on in chapter 21,
it goes through each circumstance of striking.
Understand that YHVH is very serious about this,
whether it is man or beast. It doesn't matter.
That is why He gives several different circumstances of this matter.
Any strike is punishable.
And remember, any strike that produces death can only be
punished by one thing: DEATH. Whether in the physical or spiritual.
Remember, YHVH will know what you did even if now one else knows.
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Going to chapter 22, it now gives details about stealing.
Again, YHVH cares about this and gives us
several different examples on this subject.
Stealing is very serious, no matter what it is and
will be punished, whether in the physical or in the spiritual.
Again, remember that YHVH knows what you do,
even if no one else knows.
Continuing on in chapter 22 it gives a lot of instructions that
are short and to the point, without any additional details.
But that doesn't mean they are not important.
Take for example the one about witchcraft.
That is so important because people see it all the time
on TV and don't even realize what they are watching.
It is in all the children channels, and in most of the children movies.
This is against what YHVH wants but because we
have been taught that the "law" has been done away with,
something like this could come in and take over!
Another instruction I would like to point out is in verses 22-24.
Exodus 22:23-24
“Do not afflict any widow or fatherless child.
23 “If you do afflict them at all – if they cry out to Me at all,
I shall certainly hear their cry,
24 and My wrath shall burn and I shall slay you with the sword,
your wives shall be widows and your children fatherless.
This is very serious, as you can see by the words that YHVH used. The word afflict here could mean the literal afflict(to hurt or harm), to look down on them as if they were less than yourself, or in the term of not helping them. Either way, YHVH does not like it and will punish severely. Remember the widows and orphans are part of the true religion:
James 1:26-27
If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is worthless.
27 Clean and undefiled religion before the Elohim and Father is this:
to visit orphans and widows in their affliction,
and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
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Now, going on to chapter 23, it has a lot of different instructions.
Again, remember that every one of them is EXTREMELY
important and that if we take away one the rest
will collapse and the covenant will be broken.
But let us look at one of them that I would like to point out:
Exodus 23:14-17
“Three times in the year you are to observe a festival to Me:
15 “Guard the Festival of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed
in the month of Aḇiḇ – for in it you came out of Egypt–
and do not appear before Me empty-handed;
16 and the Festival of the Harvest,
the first-fruits of your labors which you have sown in the field;
and the Festival of the Ingathering at the outgoing of the year,
when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field.
17 “Three times in the year all
your males are to appear before the Master YHVH.
This is the 1st time in Scripture that it mentions the feast of the harvest
(Shavuot, feast of Weeks) and the feast of the Ingathering(Sukkot).
YHVH put these in place to be times and seasons for Yisra'el to come together and worship Him as well as to meet our family in Messiah.
HalleluYAH!!
In verses 20-33 of chapter 23, it goes into YHVH sending a messenger before them and how if they obeyed Him they would be blessed.
But who is the messenger? It may sound like Moses or Joshua,
but if you read verse 21, it sounds like someone else...
“Be on guard before Him and obey His voice.
Do not rebel against Him, for He is not going to pardon
your transgression, for My Name is in Him."
Clearly this must be about Yahshua!
This is part of a future prophecy for Yisra'el.
Remember they didn't get all the land(from the Euphrates to the Nile), and they went and worshiped the gods of the nations.
So this must be for the future!
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In chapter 24 we see how Yisra'el again goes
into accepting the right-rulings which YHVH gave Moshe.
I find it very interesting that Moshe repeats the covenant again to them.
He must of been very unsure that they were going to obey,
and may of been making sure that they were ready.
Note: As we see later on, they really, REALLY weren't ready!!
Then, in verses 9-11, Moshe takes the elders of Yisra'el
to the point to where they can literally see YHVH.
Or was it YHVH?
Remember, no man can see Him and live... WAIT!
Could it have been Yahshua?? It sounds a lot like Revelations 21-22! This is just another time that Yahshua came down,
but this time He brought what probably was the throne room with Him. WOW!! Imagine the day when we will be able to see that too.
HalleluYAH!!
This chapter ends with Moshe going up into the cloud.
He tells the elders to stay there and that if they had any matters
that needed to be discussed to go to Aaron and Hur.
Of course, as we see later in Exodus 32, that wasn't such a good idea! But remember, it was done for a reason, so that we, Yisra'el today could learn from the past and so that future prophecies could be fulfilled.
It ends in verse 18:
And Moshe went into the midst of the cloud
and went up into the mountain.
And it came to be that Moshe was
on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
40 days and 40 nights. It says it over and over again in Scriptures.
It signifies a time of testing, judgement, and right-ruling.
YHVH was using this time to test Yisra'el's patience(they failed badly).
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Have a blessed Shabbat!
If you want to comment on something that I said, have any questions,
or want to point out something that you have learned this week,
it would be greatly appreciated.
Remember, we are family in Messiah Yahshua,
we are part of the same body and there is
no one more or less than one another.
Until next time...
Shalom!
Christian Montanez Dodd
Servant and Emissary of Yahshua, Child of YHVH
HalleluYAH!!