8.10.26 – Judge Me

This week's Torah portion is Shoftim / "Judges" (Deut. 16:18–21:9), a topic often viewed as taboo in today's society. Within the text, we are commanded to appoint judges—those who determine justice—and officers—those who enforce justice—at each of the gates (Deut. 16:18). This was not only applicable to walled cities with multiple gates, but also implies that we should place judges and officers at every "gate" of our lives (the gates of the eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth). Hence, the more time we spend boldly approaching the throne of grace to find mercy and help (Heb. 4:16), the more we are seeking the foundation of His throne—justice and judgment—and relying on His determinations, which are saturated with mercy and truth (Ps. 89:14).

The Apostle Paul reiterates the command for us to have judges and officers at every gate of our lives when he instructs us to take every thought captive to the obedience of Messiah (2 Cor. 10:4–6). This is directly connected to our past two Torah portions, Re'eh / "To See" and Ekev / "Because."

Seeing the judges (shoftim), who bring judgment (mishpatim), in these verses is easy for Paul to instruct the Corinthian church, but more often than not, we miss the officer (shotrim) portion of the verses: "…being ready to take vengeance [mishpat / judgment] on every act of disobedience, when your obedience is complete" (2 Cor. 10:6). What does that mean?

God's instructions—the Torah—are the standard for righteousness and justice. The "vengeance" that Paul speaks of refers to the responsibility of the community to uphold God's honor by enforcing the law against those who are in covenant yet disregard His judgments (mishpatim).

Why confront the offenders? Why judge them? Why punish them? Ultimately, it is for one reason: to keep the sacred camp free from contamination and to prevent the individual from living a life bogged down in curses. This is not retribution on behalf of the judges (shoftim); rather, it is about upholding the honor of God and the holiness of His law/instructions/Torah.

Looking back on my life's journey with perfect hindsight, I am so grateful that people stepped forward to hold a mirror to my face. I needed that wake-up call. I needed to escape the doldrums of life. Their love got me out of the quagmire I was in! The timing was right. And most importantly, they made sure they did not have a log in their own eye when they removed the speck from mine (Matt. 7:1–4).

Sometimes a stern realignment is needed for an individual, but more often than not, a clear boundary must be established. And if that boundary is crossed, punishment becomes the vehicle that leads to repentance and restoration. Is this not how every successful society functions? Is that not how every championship team operates? Is that not how every successful business is run? Should it be any different in the spiritual realm?

What is clear in every walk of life is that unless there is a healthy "immune system," disease will run rampant. This is not about becoming the entire judicial system (judge, jury, prosecutor, defense attorney, bailiff, or court reporter); it is about the willingness to take a firm stand against those who, through their actions, invalidate the honor of God—and to carry out the role of an officer (shoter) if needed.

Enjoy this second day of the week, as many will return to work today. Give Yahweh your best (Deut. 17:1).

Shalom.
Alan

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4.4.26 ~ Can You Count to Three?

Image
Today, Saturday 4/4/26, many will celebrate the day that Yeshua was visibly seen risen from the grave (John 20:1; Matt. 28:1–10; Luke 24:1–10)! The day after His resurrection, Yeshua would be out ministering to the doubts of His disciples, helping them realize that He is alive and that the purpose of His resurrection would be catalyzed by their lives. For the disciples closest to Yeshua and those who stood at a safe distance away, it was a time of doubt. The enemy was in hot pursuit. They were fearful for their lives, but just at the God-appointed time, their salvation appeared.  Does that sound vaguely familiar? It should. Earlier this week, on the day after Passover—the 15th of the first month—the natural-born Israelites and those who joined them through the blood of the Lamb exited Egypt and headed toward the sea. In just a few days, during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pharaoh would not be happy that he let the Israelites go; he felt betrayed, and he was hot (Ex. 14:5–9). Mose...
Read more

3.20.25 ~ Pray for Boldness, Not Escape

Good morning! Yesterday, we learned some essential truths about how to 'be still and know that He is God (Psa. 46:10). Today, I want to ask you a different question based on life's ability to throw a wide variety of circumstances at us!  One of the most difficult situations is when we are threatened by someone or some circumstance. Have you ever been threatened?  Oh, maybe no one came up to you with a gun, or shouted at you with malice, or told you that you were going to be tortured or punished.  Maybe all the threat you ever had was the innuendo of rejection, or the social snub or something much less violent than jail time.  But my guess is that if you are traveling the road with Yeshua, living a Torah lifestyle, you know what it means to be threatened. Every time the circumstances of your life look as though they are about to cave in, you are threatened.  It might not be a threat from a physical enemy, then again...but we all know that in one form or another t...
Read more

3.22.25 ~ Zeal Without Boundaries: The Sabbath and the Golden Calf

Shabbat shalom! Although the portion of Vayakhel/and he assembled is almost entirely focused on the construction of the tabernacle, it begins by reminding the children of Israel that no work may be done on the Sabbath (Ex. 35:2,3). Why does it begin here rather than jumping right into how to construct the Tabernacle? Enquiring minds want to know :-) By placing the topic of the Sabbath against the construction of the Tabernacle it's God's way of defining the boundaries of the Sabbath...that even the most intimate work for the Lord needs to be put aside for His 'Date Day'. However, upon further investigation, there’s another layer to understand that connects us back to the golden calf (Ex. 32). As we know, while Moses was up on the mount getting the instructions from God the children of Israel decided to make an object that would replace Moses, their deliverer; The object, later known as the golden calf, originally intended as a 'necessary' means to have God in th...
Read more