Tag: slavery

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Discussions Torah

Torah answers for modern life: A call to justice and mercy (Exodus 21–24)

Torah answers for modern life: A call to justice and mercy (Exodus 21-24). Lady Justice holding scales stands opposite a dove in flight.

Despite its ancient origins, the Torah’s guidance on ethics, justice, and compassion remains pertinent today. Faith must be wedded to obedience in applying Heaven’s teachings to contemporary life. This study of Torah reading מִּשְׁפָּטִים Mishpatim (“judgments,” Exodus 21–24) delves into legal interpretations of the Ten Commandments, stressing fairness and impartiality in legal proceedings. The Torah’s stance on issues like slavery underscores principles of compassion and equitable treatment. Drawing from biblical and historical contexts (Paul’s letter to Philemon, Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) in Matthew 20), we advocate for justice, mercy, and societal transformation guided by Torah’s timeless wisdom.

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Discussions Jubilee Prophets and Writings Sabbatical Year

What happens when we take Heaven’s mercy for granted (Jeremiah 16–17)

What happens when we take Heaven's mercy for granted (Jeremiah 16-17)

“It’s good to be king!” Except when invaders are about to conquer your kingdom because of your predecessors forgot Who put the crown on their heads and Who gave them the Land they ruled. The closing chapters of the Bible book of Vayiqra (Leviticus) foretell of Israel’s dystopian future, but it didn’t have to be that way. The companion passage to the Torah reading בְּהַר Behar / בְּחֻקֹּתַי Bechukotai (“on the mountain” / “in My statutes,” Leviticus 25–27), shows a moment just before that horror arrived when a king tried to reverse centuries of oppression in the Promised Land, Heaven’s mercy for Israel and the world.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Prophets and Writings Torah

How Heaven leads families from bondage to freedom (Exodus 21; Romans 6; Mark 10)

How Heaven leads families from bondage to freedom (Exodus 21; Romans 6; Mark 10)

One of the key lessons from Torah portion מִּשְׁפָּטִים Mishpatim (Exodus 21–24) and from the Prophets and Gospels is that God and Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) doesn’t separate religious and civil laws. The reasons for that are encapsulated in the Greatest Commandment and the Golden Rule — and in the Torah laws that restricted and ultimately abolished slavery.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Passover Torah

Humanity invented slavery, but God brings freedom (Exodus 13; 1Corinthians 5; Colossians 2)

Humanity invented slavery; God brings freedom

What does the Passover, an event that happened over 3,500 years ago, have to do with our current lives? Why should we concern ourselves with studying about God’s judgment on Mitzraim (Egypt)? In the Torah reading Bo, we see in the Torah section בוא Bo (“come,” Exodus 10:1–13:16) a battle of wills between Heaven and the king of Mitzraim (pharaoh). Heaven was not just picking a fight with the people of Mitzraim. Heaven was not punching down, so to speak. Heaven was trying to free not just Israel from bondage but also the entire world.

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Apostolic Writings Discussions Prophets and Writings Torah

Why Heaven wants us to master servanthood (Exodus 21)

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28)

“(T)he Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28 NASB). While some see the instructions in the Torah about relationships between masters and slaves as proof of no transcendent Source for the text, others see the context as part of a “poison pill” that Heaven put in the human heart sickness that seeks subjugation of others deemed weaker or powerless.

That’s the surprising lesson we learn from the Torah portion מִּשְׁפָּטִים Mishpatim (Exodus 21–24) and companion passages on the wrong treatment (Jeremiah 34:8–22) and right treatment (Philemon 1–22) of those who are at our mercy.

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Discussions Torah

What does the Bible have to say about socialism and racism? (Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17)

What does the Bible have to say about socialism and racism? (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17)

Socialism and racism are big topics of today’s society. Does the Bible have anything to say about these issues? Torah reading ראה Re’eh (“see,” Deut. 11:26–16:17) gives us Heaven’s insights into these two important matters.

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Discussions Torah

When God shouted 3 times to fight oppression (Exodus 21–23)

When God shouted 3 times to fight oppression (Mishpatim: Exodus 21:1-24:18)

Are “white lies” covered by the Torah prohibition on lying? What does it mean to curse your parents? Does the Torah really contain a time bomb for human slavery? How is that connected to the LORD’s warning about oppression? And was the Angel of the LORD during the Exodus a manifestation of the Messiah? How does this angel compare with Yeshua (Jesus)? These are topics covered in the Torah reading מִשְׁפָּטִים Mishpatim (“judgments,” Ex. 21:1–24:18).