Joy in the Messiah

Mishpatim / Judgments
Exodus 21:1-24:18
HafTorah portion Jeremiah 34:8-22
Brit Chadasha Matthew 5:20-42

     Mishpatim is an interesting Torah portion in that it continues with slavery right after freeing the people from slavery. We witness slavery, freedom, then slavery again.  The Israelites in Numbers 11:5 speak of ‘no cost ‘- “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.”   The commentary from Rashi points out, the phrase “at no cost” [chinam] cannot be understood literally. They paid for it with their labor and their lives. “At no cost” means “free of mitzvot,” of commands, obligations, and duties. Freedom carries a highest price, namely, moral responsibility.
    The first few Torah portions of Exodus lead up to the great and awesome departure from bondage in Egypt. We read where God sends the miraculous plagues, leads the Israelites with fire and cloud, parts the great Red Sea and delivers His people from slavery.  So, it would assume that slavery is to be abolished. How ironic that Mishpatim does not abolish slavery, but mentions it and then sets in motion a series of fundamental laws that will lead people, however at their own pace, to abolish it of their own accord. Here are the laws:
     In Exodus 21:2-6 we read: ‘If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything . . . But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.’ 
     The idea of a doorpost and an ear are found throughout Scripture. When we think of doorframes/doorposts in the Bible, we immediately think of these last Torah portions of the Exodus. This was the moment when the Israelites were released from bondage and into freedom to worship God, His way, (from something for something), to enter into a covenant with their God – to follow His commandments. Blood on the doorframe is one of the most famous and visual images of this transfer from slavery into following a new Master in freedom. The blood of the Messiah from His pierced flesh on the stake, the blood of the Passover lamb, and the blood on the doorpost of the slave who for love agrees to serve his master willingly.
    Staying with a master must be voluntary. Just like the Exodus, it was voluntary to place blood on the doorposts. Yeshua presents us with that opportunity. He is that portal – He is the door to the Kingdom of Heaven. It is no accident or mere matter of convenience that the servant is brought to a door for this ritual.
    Part of this process is to truly listen. In Exodus 23:21-22 we read: ‘Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. ²² But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.’
     Hearing and doing is part of the walk with God. The Israelites repeat this in Exodus 24:7 ‘Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do and be obedient.”
     Other translations use the word ‘hear’ instead of obedient. This difference in the English word comes from the Hebrew word: Na’aseh. It means, “We will do.” It is about action, behavior, and intent of deed. But the word nishma is anything but clear. It could mean “We will hear.” But it could also mean, “We will obey.” Or it could mean “We will understand.” These suggest that there is more than one way of interpreting na’aseh ve-nishma.  This verse contains an amazing revelation concerning Yeshua Messiah. It is His voice we are to hear and obey.
     It is taught that: “Hearing is a passive, involuntary, and sensory process in which we perceive sounds. It is a physiological response that involves our perception of sound. It does not require focused attention.  For example, if you’re watching television, you can still hear the sound of traffic or sirens outside, your neighbor’s dog barking, and people laughing in the hallway.  Listening is an active, voluntary, and intentional process that involves making sense of the words and sounds you hear; it requires your attention. In turn, you may develop an emotional response to what you hear. Listening with the intent to understand is referred to as active listening."  Medical Review.
      We can hear the voice of God, but we have to ‘listen’. Many are those that hear His voice and then interpret the instructions the way they ‘heard’ it. But we have to teach ourselves to hear His voice, and really listen to the Words He says and then process them according to His character, not our interpretation of His character. And where do we find this? In the beginning, in the Torah.
 Psalm 95 
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
² Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
³ For the Lord is the great God,
And the great King above all gods.
⁴ In His hand are the deep places of the earth;
The heights of the hills are His also.
⁵ The sea is His, for He made it;
And His hands formed the dry land.
⁶ Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
⁷ For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand.
Today, if you will hear His voice:
⁸ “Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion,
As in the day of trial in the wilderness,
⁹ When your fathers tested Me;
They tried Me, though they saw My work.
¹⁰ For forty years I was grieved with that generation,
And said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts,
And they do not know My ways.’
¹¹ So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’ 

Mishpatim/Ordinances
Exodus 21:1-24:18
HafTorah Jeremiah 34:8-22
Brit Chadasha Matthew 5:38-42

     In the beginning of this parsha, Mishpatim there are the complex instructions regarding servants, slaves, violence, animals, property, trespassing, moral and ceremonial principles. In Exodus 23 Mishpatim contains four life changing concepts. Justice for all in Exodus 23:1-9, the Torah of Shabbat, Exodus 23:10-13, the three pilgrimage annual feasts, Exodus 23:14-18, and God’s Messenger, His promise and the fear of Adonai, Exodus 23:20-33. 
    In Exodus 23:1, God instructs His people to not repeat or circulate a false report. This is about a wrong report, a wrong account. This is akin to a lie about another, degradation and self-serving. Otherwise, why spread the false report. God likens this to following evil, ‘You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. ² You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.’ Exodus 23:1-2.
     Exodus 23:9 repeats Exodus 22:20, ‘Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.’  This repetition is important to note. God wraps the stranger within His people because His people have always been strangers. His people were different than the tribes they lived amongst. We are different, set apart from the world. To be in His Torah is to be a stranger to the world. We are taught to include the stranger in Exodus 12:49 ‘One law shall be for the native-born and for the stranger who dwells among you.” Leviticus 24:22 ‘You shall have the same law for the stranger and for one from your own country; for I am the Lord your God.’ and Numbers 15:16 ‘One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who dwells with you.’ 
     In between the Torah of Sabbaths and the three pilgrimage festivals, an instruction seems out of place, yet leaps from the page, ‘And in all that I have said to you, be circumspect and make no mention of the name of other gods, nor let it be heard from your mouth.’ Exodus 23:13. Other translations use the word ‘invoke’ (call on, entreat, summon). What is the connection? If we do not honor the Sabbaths, we honor and live by a code of other gods, we invoke their ways. If we deny any of His High Holy days, including and especially the moedim of Unleavened Bread, Shavuot and Sukkot, we deny Him again thus honoring the other gods in our lives. It may not be so obvious to us, but looking deep into the concept we are either in or out, and if we are out, what are we ‘out’ in? The world.
   In Exodus 23:20-24 God sends His Messenger, Yeshua before the people and with the people. We are told that He will keep us in the way, to beware and to obey His voice. Exodus 23:27-33 God promises His people that He will send His fear before them causing confusion among the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite.  Note that God will not drive these tribes out in one year; ‘lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.’  But rather: ‘Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land.’
     In our lives today, we have Yeshua walking before us, guiding us among the world – if we beware and obey His voice, which then sets in motion: ‘So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.’ Exodus 23:25. 
     Our enemies are those that are within us; the idols of our heart, the baggage we carry, and gods we once served. Little by little, Adonai reveals those to us, removing the enemies from our lives. 
  Mishpatim ends with Israel confirming the covenant; ‘And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has said we will do.’ Exodus 24:3. 

Mishpatim / Judgements
Exodus 21:10-24:18
HafTorah Portion Jeremiah 34:8-22
Brit Chadasha Matthew 5:38-42

     The Torah of Justice and Mercy…

     This Torah portion begins with the rulings for the Hebrew slave and the righteous judgment. Throughout Mishpatim we can’t help but realize that the Torah of God, His teachings and instructions are that of justice and mercy.
     Exodus 21 continues with judgements concerning violence towards people and care of animals. Chapter 22 has the statutes regarding property and moral and ceremonial principals. Exodus 23:1-9 are the rulings for justice for all and continues with the importance again of Shabbat. Exodus 23:14-18 contains the three pilgrimage moadim.
     Exodus 23:20-27 contains an amazing revelation concerning Yeshua Messiah. It is His voice we are to hear and obey. Exodus 23:21-22 ‘Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. ²² But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.’
     Hearing and doing is part of the walk with God. The Israelites repeat this in Exodus 24:7 ‘Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do and be obedient.”
     Other translations use the word ‘hear’ instead of obedient. This difference in the English word comes from the Hebrew word: Na’aseh. It means, “We will do.” It is about action, behavior, and intent of deed. But the word nishma is anything but clear. It could mean “We will hear.” But it could also mean, “We will obey.” Or it could mean “We will understand.” These suggest that there is more than one way of interpreting na’aseh ve-nishma.
     The Israelites first agreed to the covenant in Exodus 19:8 and then God revealed to them the Ten Words in Exodus 20.  Moses then outlined many of the details of the Torah in Exodus 21-23, which is this parsha. This is the point and only then did the Israelites say na’aseh ve-nishma, by which time they had already heard much of the Torah.
     The Israelites accepted the covenant three times. But the three verses in which these acceptances took place are significantly different:

1. Exodus 19:8 ‘The people all responded together, “We will do [na’aseh] everything the Lord has said.”
2. Exodus 24:3 ‘When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do [na’aseh].”
3. Exodus 24:7 ‘Then Moses took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do and hear [na’aseh ve-nishma] everything the Lord has said.” 

     Only the third of these contains the phrase na’aseh ve-nishma.

     The instructions in Exodus 23:20-24 stresses the point of hearing His voice and completing that with obeying.  Is there a difference between hearing and listening?

HEARING                                                                        LISTENING

PASSIVE                                                                          ACTIVE
INVOLUNTARY                                                              VOLUNTARY
REQUIRES NO EFFORT                                                 REQUIRES EFFORT
SENSES SOUND                                                             WILL INTENTIONALLY SENSE SOUND                                                                                                          
    It is taught that: “Hearing is a passive, involuntary, and sensory process in which we perceive sounds. It is a physiological response that involves our perception of sound. It does not require focused attention.  For example, if you’re watching television, you can still hear the sound of traffic or sirens outside, your neighbor’s dog barking, and people laughing in the hallway.  Listening is an active, voluntary, and intentional process that involves making sense of the words and sounds you hear; it requires your attention. In turn, you may develop an emotional response to what you hear. Listening with the intent to understand is referred to as active listening."  Medical Review.
      We can hear the voice of God, but we have to ‘listen’. Many are those that hear His voice and then interpret the instructions the way they ‘heard’ it. But we have to teach ourselves to hear His voice, and really listen to the Words He says and then process them according to His character, not our interpretation of His character. And where do we find this? In the beginning, in the Torah.
     John 10:27-30 ‘My sheep listen to/ hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and My Father are one.”
     This takes us back to Exodus 21:5-6 ‘But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ ⁶ then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.’ Why the ear? This is repeated in Deuteronomy 15: 12-18.
     There are two main interpretations to this passage:
     The sages teach that this bondsman chose to be the servant of a servant, a human rather than the Almighty. The doorway is a symbol of freedom for it was against this doorpost that the Hebrew people were to place some of the blood of the Pesach offering just before they were freed, causing the angel of death to pass – over. Thus, the slave who prefers to be a servant of a human master rather than owe his allegiance entirely to The One Master has rejected the lesson of the doorpost in Egypt. 
     By not hearing and listening to the complete and only voice of God, he chose to hear his own voice, and the comfort of his bondage. His desire was to stay with the ‘cucumbers’. God says His children are His servants in Leviticus 25:55; ‘For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.’  By not hearing and listening to the complete and only true voice of God, he chose to hear his own voice of comfort. 
          The second interpretation in the Messianic era is quite the opposite and relates to Psalms 40:6-8 and Hebrews 10:5-7.
       Psalm 40:6-8 ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have pierced/opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.⁷ Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book, it is written of me. ⁸ I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart.”
     The word translated “pierced” literally means “to dig or excavate.” Scripture commonly uses this word for digging a well as in Genesis 26:25 or for cutting out a tomb in the rock in 2 Chronicles 16:14. Thus “to dig through an ear” has been translated “to open” or “to pierce an ear.” To have your ear “opened” means you are receptive to instruction.
     The author of Hebrews repeats this in Hebrews 10:5-7 ‘Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. ⁶ In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. ⁷ Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come— in the volume of the book it is written of Me— to do Your will, O God. ”
      If we listen and obey His voice, we are free from the law of sin and death. We are free from the bondage of Egypt, of the liturgy of man and man's church. We are free in our choice to hear, listen and obey the very Divine Word of God.