Mishpatim מִּשְׁפָּטִים - Laws
Exodus: 21:1-24:18
Reading #1 - Exodus 21:1–19
My Thoughts:
Israel is becoming a nation. They have escaped slavery and are being led into the Land of milk and honey. There they will have to have a “constitution” -- the Law -- to keep things in order. And now we see how the Ten Commandments will be applied, in more detail. I find it interesting that Hashem would begin with the treatment of slaves and others. But, that makes sense doesn’t it? That Hashem wants to love Him and to love others. So, now we are learning what will happen if we mistreat others. We serve an Elohim of order.
Challenge:
In verse 17 we read that we are not to “curse” our mother and father. This must be a serious curse, because the punishment is death. Could it be that Hashem wants us to treat our parents as we treat Him? He created us and our parents created us. If we are not going to honor our parents, then it is obvious we are not honoring Him. It is a lesson in life. To respect our parents, because they came from the Father. If you are not doing so, in many ways, then start doing so today. It may affect your (spiritual) life.
Reading #1 - Exodus 21:1–19
21 “Now these are the ordinances which you shall set before them:
2 “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free without paying anything. 3 If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself. If he is married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. 5 But if the servant shall plainly say, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go out free;’ 6 then his master shall bring him to Elohim, and shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.
7 “If a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she shall not go out as the male servants do. 8 If she doesn’t please her master, who has married her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her. 9 If he marries her to his son, he shall deal with her as a daughter. 10 If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marital rights. 11 If he doesn’t do these three things for her, she may go free without paying any money.
12 “One who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death, 13 but not if it is unintentional, but Elohim allows it to happen; then I will appoint you a place where he shall flee. 14 If a man schemes and comes presumptuously on his neighbor to kill him, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.
15 “Anyone who attacks his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.
16 “Anyone who kidnaps someone and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
17 “Anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
18 “If men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone, or with his fist, and he doesn’t die, but is confined to bed; 19 if he rises again and walks around with his staff, then he who struck him shall be cleared; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for his healing until he is thoroughly healed.
