2.20.25 ~ Breadcrumbs
Good morning!
Misconceptions about the Lord our God/YHVH Elohim, the creator of the universe and all that is about Him, abound in many realms. And yes, they should. How can the 'created' know the infinite details of their creator?? It's impossible.
However, in our quest to know Him more, which is His desire, He gives us daily bread, aka 'bread crumbs' to make sure we are on the right path (Ex. 10:2; 11:7; 14:4). For the enquiring mind, we have to be careful of feeding on GMO bread crumbs. Counterfeits...looks like bread. Tastes like bread...no nutrients of bread.
A major counterfeit bread crumb that many have swallowed is the purpose of God's judgments/mishpatim and how they function in our lives. Too many think of God's judgments as 'rules'. In my personal opinion, if we continue to hold that concept, we will be led down the wrong path.
The modern definition of a rule/mishpat is a principle or regulation that carries the power to enforce stipulations on our behavior...whether it's be at the airport 2 hours before your flight, be home by 10:00 p.m., brush your teeth and floss after every meal or pay your government taxes by a certain date...rules are determined by the powers that be to enforce compliance, but Scriptural judgments/mishpatim are different :-)
But mishpatim, often translated 'rules' or 'judgments' in our bibles are not rules the way we view rules. Rules/Mishpatim/judgments are for those within a certain culture. They are ways that people within the culture live to model the character of the One Who gives the mishpat.
They are the values of the culture, not the legislation of the culture. If I belong to God's family, He sets the parameters for how the culture should behave; which are always expressions of His character that I am to align myself with.
God's bread crumb judgments/mishpatim are not a list of dos and don'ts. They aren't to regulate my behavior. They are to demonstrate my values that mirror His values.
Later in Leviticus we are told to follow His rules/mishpatim and not participate in the abominations/to'evot of the nations (Lev. 18:26).
Let me throw out some more bread crumbs for you...an abomination is fundamentally not some immoral, outlandish behavior like the 'Texas chainsaw murder', 'human trafficking', or 'hijacking a flight'. Feeding on the breadcrumbs of the ancient Near East definition of Scripture, something that's abominable, loathsome and detestable is determined within the culture and community.
For us, who are followers of The Way (2 Pet. 2:2; Isa. 35:8; Jer. 6:16; Acts 24:14) our cultural guidelines for behavior are established by what God defines and what He finds offensive within the community of His people.
Whether the world finds these behaviors offensive or not, doesn't matter. They are not regulations/mishpatim of the world, they are mishpatim to the Hebraic, biblical way of life. If we want to demonstrate with our behavior the values that God expresses with His words to His chosen community, then these abominations/to'evot will not be part of our actions...or at minimum, they will become less and less a part of our behavior.
The 53 judgments/mishpatim in this week's Torah portion help us understand the culture God wants to establish. Within those community values we begin to understand that homosexuality, slander and human sacrifice are on the same plane; as well as eating 'porky pig' and dishonest business practice. Ritual prostitution is the same as false weight and measures. Obviously, God's guidelines for acceptable behavior within a community are completely different from our 21st century norms.
In our modern day society we are accepting abominable behaviors within God's family. When apparently innocent behaviors are ranked near the top of the 'food chain' of abominable practices, we have to start looking at our life and lifestyles with God's lenses, not 21st century lenses. If we want to be in God's community, then we have to behave in ways that mirror His character and blue print for His family.
How will I know, you may be asking? Let's start nibbling, digesting and assimilating the breadcrumbs of Exodus 20-24 and before we know it, we'll be identified as a Kingdom of Priests, a holy/set apart nation, a special treasure (Ex. 19:5,6)...I want that title! How about you?
Happy 5th day of the week!
Shalom
However, in our quest to know Him more, which is His desire, He gives us daily bread, aka 'bread crumbs' to make sure we are on the right path (Ex. 10:2; 11:7; 14:4). For the enquiring mind, we have to be careful of feeding on GMO bread crumbs. Counterfeits...looks like bread. Tastes like bread...no nutrients of bread.
A major counterfeit bread crumb that many have swallowed is the purpose of God's judgments/mishpatim and how they function in our lives. Too many think of God's judgments as 'rules'. In my personal opinion, if we continue to hold that concept, we will be led down the wrong path.
The modern definition of a rule/mishpat is a principle or regulation that carries the power to enforce stipulations on our behavior...whether it's be at the airport 2 hours before your flight, be home by 10:00 p.m., brush your teeth and floss after every meal or pay your government taxes by a certain date...rules are determined by the powers that be to enforce compliance, but Scriptural judgments/mishpatim are different :-)
But mishpatim, often translated 'rules' or 'judgments' in our bibles are not rules the way we view rules. Rules/Mishpatim/judgments are for those within a certain culture. They are ways that people within the culture live to model the character of the One Who gives the mishpat.
They are the values of the culture, not the legislation of the culture. If I belong to God's family, He sets the parameters for how the culture should behave; which are always expressions of His character that I am to align myself with.
God's bread crumb judgments/mishpatim are not a list of dos and don'ts. They aren't to regulate my behavior. They are to demonstrate my values that mirror His values.
Later in Leviticus we are told to follow His rules/mishpatim and not participate in the abominations/to'evot of the nations (Lev. 18:26).
Let me throw out some more bread crumbs for you...an abomination is fundamentally not some immoral, outlandish behavior like the 'Texas chainsaw murder', 'human trafficking', or 'hijacking a flight'. Feeding on the breadcrumbs of the ancient Near East definition of Scripture, something that's abominable, loathsome and detestable is determined within the culture and community.
For us, who are followers of The Way (2 Pet. 2:2; Isa. 35:8; Jer. 6:16; Acts 24:14) our cultural guidelines for behavior are established by what God defines and what He finds offensive within the community of His people.
Whether the world finds these behaviors offensive or not, doesn't matter. They are not regulations/mishpatim of the world, they are mishpatim to the Hebraic, biblical way of life. If we want to demonstrate with our behavior the values that God expresses with His words to His chosen community, then these abominations/to'evot will not be part of our actions...or at minimum, they will become less and less a part of our behavior.
The 53 judgments/mishpatim in this week's Torah portion help us understand the culture God wants to establish. Within those community values we begin to understand that homosexuality, slander and human sacrifice are on the same plane; as well as eating 'porky pig' and dishonest business practice. Ritual prostitution is the same as false weight and measures. Obviously, God's guidelines for acceptable behavior within a community are completely different from our 21st century norms.
In our modern day society we are accepting abominable behaviors within God's family. When apparently innocent behaviors are ranked near the top of the 'food chain' of abominable practices, we have to start looking at our life and lifestyles with God's lenses, not 21st century lenses. If we want to be in God's community, then we have to behave in ways that mirror His character and blue print for His family.
How will I know, you may be asking? Let's start nibbling, digesting and assimilating the breadcrumbs of Exodus 20-24 and before we know it, we'll be identified as a Kingdom of Priests, a holy/set apart nation, a special treasure (Ex. 19:5,6)...I want that title! How about you?
Happy 5th day of the week!
Shalom
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