𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗺/ "𝘖𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴"/ "𝘑𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴"

𝗘𝘅𝗼𝗱𝘂𝘀 𝟮𝟭:𝟭–𝟮𝟰:𝟭𝟴

This week in our Torah portion we begin to see the LORD lay out His ordinances / judgements for newly formed Israel. Basically, He is beginning to expound on how they should live as they prepare to enter the Promised Land (and to any nation they eventually get dispersed to).

Justice is a big part of who I am. It has been engrained in me from my earliest childhood memories, mostly because of all the 𝙞𝙣𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 I saw and even was victimized by. Of course, in those moments it was hard not to see GOD as someone who just dished out hard punishments, maybe even out of pleasure. I had a 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 sense of judgement because it was based on the world around me. Which meant it could shift at any given time based on someone else's viewpoint.

As I read through the Chapters and verses related this week, I couldn't help but recognize that the Creator of all things was trying to put ordinances in place to keep humans from taking justice into their 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 as they themselves saw fit. The problem is we, in today's culture, miss how they apply to our lives today. The lessons of what it truly means to love GOD and love our neighbor. The things the LORD put in place were radical compared to how other nations governed themselves. He was creating a 𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, a special possession for Himself. Shew.

One thing really stood out though - the LORD was very careful to remind Israel of how they were slaves in Egypt. He wanted to bring to their mind the mistreatment they received - and honestly, they still probably had the marks to prove it. But He wasn't asking them to think on it to 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯 on them, but to express that they should not treat others the same way. He wanted to take their 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 and turn it into 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲, so to speak.

You see, the more I learn the more I know that the LORD will take the things of this world, with all of its 𝙞𝙣𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 and bring about true 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚. A balance of the scales, where, yes, there is a fair repayment when a wrong has been done, but we don't get to exceed the 𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 He defined as what justice should look like. An eye for an eye wasn't a means to 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 the harming of another, it was a means to 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦. Think about it, even our laws here in America attempt to do the same thing, at least in part. We didn't come up with it - Yahweh did!

But there is another level to GOD giving His Torah / His instructions for life which we will continue to dive deep into over the coming months. Do you know in the 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 there is a time of judgement for all nations? Do you yet understand the 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 by which we will all be judged? Well friends, if we truly believe the LORD is unchanging, as HIS WORD declares, then we must know we will be judged by the 𝗦𝗔𝗠𝗘 standard as those from the very beginning of time. I mean, isn't that what 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 is at its very core? Measure for measure? Of course it is! One standard of 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 lived out 𝗯𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 in Messiah Yeshua. We, who believe in Christ, do not get to 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗽 this part. Rev 20:13 says, "𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀". Not according to their faith! But by their works (deeds)!

𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗲; 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂. - 𝗣𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝟴𝟵:𝟭𝟰

His Word is unchanging. I love that it is said the New Testament is simply a commentary on the "Old" one. It expounds it, it doesn't abolish it. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀. (Romans 6:18) Don't you think its time we walk like it? Tonight begins the Sabbath - are you ready?!?!? To God be the glory, forever and ever! Amen!