Torah Portion Mishpatim – The Book of the Covenant

The video version is available at: https://youtu.be/H6x9KF3ywME

Reading – Exodus 24:1-18

 

By Dan & Brenda Cathcart

The Torah portion for this week contains the section of the Torah commonly called the Book of the Covenant. After the children of Israel heard and saw God’s voice flash with light and roar with thunder from Mt. Sinai, they were so afraid that they implored Moses to speak to God for them. Moses could, then, relay God’s words to them and they would do all that Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD. Moses agreed to be their intermediary with God. As we continue through the book of Exodus, we will see that Moses frequently went out to meet with God and always did things “according to the word of the LORD.”

The instructions given in these chapters were written down by Moses. When he presented them to the people, he called them the Book of the Covenant.

Exodus 24:7 NKJV 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."

What instructions were included in the Book of the Covenant? There are actually not many instructions included in this book. Additional details and other statutes were added later. So, why were these particular provisions chosen in this initial set of instructions and judgments? What does this reveal about their covenant with God?

After the thunderings and lightnings of God’s voice finished speaking the ten words which would later be inscribed on the tablets of stone, God’s presence remained over Mt. Sinai. The children of Israel remained standing at a distance from the mountain, but Moses drew near entering into the thick cloud that surrounded the mountain.

Exodus 20:21 NKJV 21 So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.

God had stated earlier that He came to Moses in the thick cloud so that the people would know that God spoke to Moses and that they would believe all the words that he spoke came from God. The children of Israel saw that Moses once again entered the thick cloud. The words that God spoke to Moses at this time were written in the Book of the Covenant. The first words were about their worship of God, specifically about building an altar to God.

Exodus 20:24-25 NKJV 24 'An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you. 25 'And if you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it.

The altar they were to build for God was not to be an elaborate structure such as the pagans built. It was to be built only with earth or unworked stones. These materials were not to be carved or formed by any work of man; they were to be made solely with the materials of God’s creation. In the Ten Words, God declared that there should be no image made to represent Him.

An altar that had been improved upon by the works of man would take the focus away from God and divert it to the altar itself. The children of Israel had just come out of Egypt with her multitude of gods and idols. God’s people needed to learn that their God, Yehovah, was not a God to be worshipped through carved images or likenesses of creation.

After the instructions about the altar, God turned to judgments about how the children of Israel were to treat each other.

Exodus 21:1 NKJV 1 "Now these are the judgments which you shall set before them:

The word “judgments,” is the Hebrew word “mish-pawt,” number 4941 in Strong’s Concordance, meaning a verdict, or a judicial sentence or decree. A verdict or decree is usually in response to a specific situation or question that comes before the court. In these chapters, God declares His ruling about specific situations that set the tone for their dealings with each other.

The first situation is that of slavery. Remember, the backdrop of these rulings is that God had just taken the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. The subject of slavery was a sensitive topic. Should Israel continue the common practice of slavery to deal with crimes and debt? In our culture, we deal with crimes by sentences of prison and deal with debts by confiscating property and future earnings. What method would God enact to deal with these issues?

Exodus 21:2 NKJV 2 "If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing.

Slavery or servitude was to be allowed in Israel, but the term of the slavery was limited to six years. Further, all the Hebrew servant’s debts at that time were to be considered as paid. He would go out from servitude owing nothing. In fact, when the servant is freed, he is to be provisioned with all he needs to get a fresh start.

Deuteronomy 15:13-15 NKJV 13 "And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed; 14 "you shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. From what the LORD has blessed you with, you shall give to him. 15 "You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today.

When God freed the children of Israel from Egypt, He made sure that they were provisioned by the Egyptians when they were freed.

Exodus 12:35-36 NKJV 35 Now the children of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, and they had asked from the Egyptians articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing. 36 And the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

God will later expound on the conditions of this servitude stating that all Hebrews who sell themselves into servitude because of a debt will be set free on the year of Jubilee whether or not they have served the full six years or not.

This is to remind them that the children of Israel are actually God’s servants whom He brought out of slavery! They are not to be returned to permanent slavery nor are they to be treated harshly.

Leviticus 25:40-43 NKJV 40 'As a hired servant and a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee. 41 'And then he shall depart from you-he and his children with him-and shall return to his own family. He shall return to the possession of his fathers. 42 'For they are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. 43 'You shall not rule over him with rigor, but you shall fear your God.

This slavery or indentured servitude is far different than the slavery practiced by the surrounding nations. It allows for a man to pay his debts or make restitution for a crime and then have an opportunity to have a new start.

The rules for a female servant are different and reflect the dependent nature of a woman in those days. The conditions for her servitude ensure both provision and protection as does the judgment concerning a virgin who had been assaulted.

Exodus 22:16-17 NKJV 16 "If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife. 17 "If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the bride-price of virgins.

Next after the conditions of servitude, God addresses the issue of violence. Premeditated murder requires the death of the murderer.

Exodus 21:12-14 NKJV 12 "He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. 13 "However, if he did not lie in wait, but God delivered him into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee. 14 "But if a man acts with premeditation against his neighbor, to kill him by treachery, you shall take him from My altar, that he may die.

Those who have caused the death of person accidentally can flee to one of the cities of refuge that God appointed in the Promised Land. Right before the children of Israel enter the Promised Land, God gave further details about accidental death and the cities of refuge. Someone who causes the accidental death of a person may flee to a city of refuge and be safe from family members of the victim who would avenge the blood of the slain person. Once in the city of refuge, he must stay within the boundaries of the city until the death of the current high priest.

Numbers 35:25 NKJV 25 'So the congregation shall deliver the manslayer from the hand of the avenger of blood, and the congregation shall return him to the city of refuge where he had fled, and he shall remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the holy oil.

The next set of judgments is about being responsible for one’s livestock and items entrusted to one’s care. This section also addresses how to deal with someone who steals livestock, other items, or misuses another person’s property. Each of these situations requires that restitution be made. If the offender cannot pay the restitution, he is to be sold into servitude and all the rules of servitude then apply.

Not only is the mistreatment of servants and women prohibited, but so is the mistreatment of any vulnerable member of the society.

Exodus 22:21-24 NKJV 21 "You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 22 "You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23 "If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; 24 "and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.

Again, we need to remember that the context of these judgments is that God had brought the children of Israel out of Egypt where they had been oppressed because they were not Egyptian; they were strangers. The children of Israel were not to treat strangers in their as they were treated in Egypt. As for the women and children, in general, their protection would be the responsibility of the head of the family. However, in the case of the widow and orphan without the protection of family, God emphatically states that He is their head and their protector. Those who afflict the widow and the orphan would face the direct wrath of God! This judgment is to remind them that they were once afflicted as slaves in Egypt, and they are not to treat others that way.

Deuteronomy 24:17-18 NKJV 17 "You shall not pervert justice due the stranger or the fatherless, nor take a widow's garment as a pledge. 18 "But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this thing.

Those who are poor, though not quite in the same category as the widow and orphan, are to be treated in such a way so that they can get out of poverty.

Exodus 22:25 NAS95 25 "If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, you are not to act as a creditor to him; you shall not charge him interest.

As a whole, these judgments imply a generosity to those in need, the stranger, widow, orphan, and poor. This generosity is also to apply to God. They are not to hold back in their offerings to God.

Exodus 22:29-30 NAS95 29 "You shall not delay the offering from your harvest and your vintage. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to Me. 30 "You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep. It shall be with its mother seven days; on the eighth day you shall give it to Me.

The next judgments were about the integrity in carrying out God’s judgments. Without this integrity, the judgments set out by God would be no better than the oppression the children of Israel experienced in Egypt. Witnesses were not to bring a false report, and judges were not to show favoritism to the wealthy and powerful.

Exodus 23:1-3 NKJV 1 "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. 3 "You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute.

God reminds the people that fairness in carrying out God’s judgments also applies to the stranger!

Exodus 23:9 NAS95 9 "You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt.

The word translated as “feelings” is “neh-fesh,” number 5315, meaning a breathing creature. The children of Israel know what it is like to live as mistreated and oppressed people in Egypt. Since they know what this is like, they are not to use the justice system to mistreat the stranger.

God’s instructions to Moses for the children of Israel now returns to where they started – how they are to worship God. These instructions set aside specific times that are to be observed. The first is the sabbatical year. Like the weekly Sabbath, God tells them to observe a yearly Sabbath every seventh year.

Exodus 23:10-12 NKJV 10 "Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, 11 "but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your olive grove. 12 "Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed.

During this Sabbath year, the fields, vineyards, and orchards are to be open to the poor so that they may eat and be refreshed.

In addition to the Sabbath year, God set aside three times each year that the children of Israel were to hold a festival to the LORD.

Exodus 23:14-17 NKJV 14 "Three times you shall keep a feast to Me in the year: 15 "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread (you shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt; none shall appear before Me empty); 16 "and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field. 17 "Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

The word translated as “feast” in verse fourteen is the Hebrew word “Kwaw-gag,” number 2287, meaning to move in a circle or to march in a sacred procession. Moving in a circle could imply the idea of dance. A sacred procession invokes the image of David bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem accompanied by the procession of priests and the dancing of David. These feasts required the procession of all the males in the land to the place where God would inscribe His name. Because of this, these three festivals are known as pilgrimage feasts.

This concludes the judgments that Moses wrote in the Book of the Covenant. At this point, God explains what He would do to bring the people into the land He had chosen for them. He states that He would send His angel to lead them into the Promised Land.

Exodus 23:20 NKJV 20 "Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.

When the children of Israel enter the land, they are to overthrow the inhabitants and not adopt any of their customs especially those they use to worship their false gods. God then refers to three specific events on their journey from Egypt to Mt. Sinai; healing the waters at Marah, providing manna in the Wilderness of Sin, and providing water at Rephidim.

Exodus 23:25-26 NKJV 25 "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. 26 "No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.

God promised to defeat their enemies like He defeated the Amalekites. God’s presence would surely go with them and lead them!

These are the words that God commanded Moses to write in the Book of the Covenant. To ratify this covenant, God called Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders up onto the mountain where previously they could not go. While there, Moses read the words of the Book to them, and they agreed to do all that God commanded them through Moses. These particular provisions were included to separate them from the practices of the Egyptians. Each judgment included in the book emphasized that they were not to afflict others because they had experienced affliction while in Egypt. They had experienced slavery, so they were not to enslave others. They had experienced injustice, so they were not to be unjust to others. They had experienced poverty and grief, so they were not to oppress those who were going through those same afflictions. They had experienced what it was like to be a stranger and treated unfairly, so they were not to treat the stranger unfairly. They were instead to support and help those going through hard times. They were to worship and honor the One who brought them out of the slavery and affliction of Egypt and had claimed them as His own special people.

Study Questions:

Teaching Questions

 

1.      How do these judgments, including the provisions for slavery, work together to protect vulnerable members of the society?

 

2.      These judgments are qualified repeatedly with the declaration that the children of Israel were once slaves and strangers in Egypt. How is it an essential part of the foundation of these judgments?

 

3.      The judgments included in the Book of the Covenant are sandwiched between instructions for building an altar for God and instructions to observe the three pilgrimage feasts. What could be a reason for placing the judgments between these instructions?

 

General Portion Questions

 

4.      The Book of the Covenant not only included judgments and instructions for the children of Israel, it included God’s promise to send His angel to lead them, bring them into the Promised Land, and drive the Canaanites out of the land. Why is this an essential part of the Book of the Covenant?

 

5.      How do these judgments and instructions encourage generosity towards each other and towards God?

 

6.      What other insights did you gain from this teaching? What indicators are there in this Torah Portion that point to Messiah Yeshua?

 

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