August 19, 2023: Parashat Torah Portion Shoftim
This week’s Parashah Torah Portion Shoftim is taken from Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9. Join Dr. Jeffery Myers, as he clarifies the fact that no one is above ELOHIM’S Torah because no one is above ELOHIM!! The Word of YAH is a transcript of His conversations, the living voice of ELOHIM, concrete spiritual direction, revealing the past, present and future. We are to take heed, submit and obey His Word!
Follow along in the AUDIO PODCAST, by clicking on the play button below, and reading along with the notes, as you listen to today's Parashah Torah Portion:
Lion of Judah Speaks: Parashah Torah Portion Shoftim - Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9
As we look at this Torah portion, we see an obvious overview of the narrative that addresses fundamental issues pertaining to the leadership of the Hebrew people regarding; judges, kings, prophets and priests. Many commandments are introduced such as appointing judges, the obligation to follow Rabbinic law, the words of the prophets, the obligations of a king, the punishment for perjury, the laws of war and dealing with unsolved murders. These are all important especially since they are entering the Land that Elohim has given them. These are His laws so that they will succeed in this endeavor.
The first Aliyah principle is that they need to appoint judges in every city to judge fairly. Capital punishment is prescribed for idolatry and various idolatrous practices are banned. The second Aliyah principle deals with the king and his instructions. The commandment for the king to write a copy of Torah commandments demonstrated the WORK of MESSIAH! He Himself is the Word made flesh. He is the copy of the Torah in human form. He writes a copy of Torah as Yeshua writes the Torah upon our hearts. In II Cor. 3:3 it says, The Torah of King Messiah is “written not with ink, but with the Ruach of the living Elohim, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.” This is called simply relationship!
The title Messiah is an ancient Hebrew title for the king of Israel. The Torah commands that a fellow Jew must be a true king over Israel. Yeshua was a Jew with an impressive genealogy…King David. What is amazing is that some say, “Yeshua was a Jew until resurrection: they refuse to say He was Jewish then and is Jewish when He returns! Why is this important? Because if we diminish the Jewishness of Yeshua, we diminish His claim to the Throne of Israel! In addition to being Jewish, the true Messiah must be Torah observant. In Deut. 17:18-20 it tells the king to not to multiply horses or wives, to write a copy of Torah for himself and to keep it with him at all times, studying it all the days of his life, he is to observe it not turning left or right. These laws of Deut. 17 especially apply to Messiah. Remember that Messiah, in essence, means king. Every king of Israel was called an anointed one, that is “Messiah.”
Yeshua is the King, Anointed One, the Son of David so therefore the laws of Deut. 17 apply to Messiah as much as they applied to King Solomon. If Messiah did not keep or uphold the laws of the king in Deut. 17, then He would not be a worthy King of Israel. As the ultimate King of Israel, Messiah must be completely Torah observant! Only Yeshua perfectly fulfilled the requirements of the King of Israel. By virtue of being sinless, only Yeshua can claim to have NOT turned aside from the Torah. He alone is worthy to be King of Israel!
We affirm that Yeshua kept Torah and admit that if He did not, He would have been a sinner. Yet, while we hold up to the Master to the “Rule of Law”, we still find means to exempt ourselves. In doing so, we hold our King to a higher level of accountability than we are willing to submit to ourselves. Even for the king, the Torah of Elohim is the standard. It is the measure against which the king must compare himself. This will ensure that the king himself submit to the whole “rule of Law” and not become a leader without accountability or boundary. Pay attention to this word boundary! In other words, the king is subject to the laws of Torah just like everybody else in the kingdom. He has no royal exemption or special immunity! By writing a copy for himself he is reminded that he is NOT above Elohim’s laws.
In Elohim’s economy, the Torah is the constitution which mitigates Israel’s government. No one is above Elohim’s Torah because no one is above Elohim! WOW…GET IT? His Word is final authority and even the king is NOT to transgress it. Yet, we somehow assume that the “Rule of Law” does not apply to us, in so doing, we place ourselves even above the King of Israel. In Deut. 17:20 implies that Yeshua was NOT above the “Rule of Law”, even though He Himself is the Son of Elohim, the author of the Law. Our job is to endeavor to imitate Him!
Today, we are not left without spiritual direction. The written Word which was spoken and rendered by prophets, Moses being the greatest is still valid today. His Word is a transcript of Yah’s conversations, the living voice of Elohim, concrete spiritual direction, revealing the past, present and future.
The greatest of the prophets is Moses, therefore the Torah is the greatest source of revelation. Yet, the Torah speaks of another prophet, a prophet equal to Moses…Messiah! Therefore, the life and ministry of Moses serves as a Messianic prototype that the ultimate Messiah is expected to reflect. Because Moses spoke with Elohim face to face—not in riddles, dreams, visions or mysteries—his voice was the equivalent of the voice of Elohim. No other prophet obtained this level of prophesy in which Moses operated.
The writer of Hebrews demonstrates that Messiah’s revelation supersedes even that of Moses. Therefore, it is a mitzvah to listen to and obey the Words of the Messiah as if they were the words of Moses—and even greater. By calling Him a prophet like unto Moses, and instructing us to heed Him, the Torah grants its own authority to Messiah. A true prophet does not council against the commandments of Elohim which is why Yeshua spoke in Matt. 5:17-20 about Torah saying, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Yeshua is a legitimate kosher prophet/king!
This brings me to the word I told you to remember…boundary! Boundary lines are important to Elohim. Deut. 19 :14 says, “Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor’s landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that Adonai they Elohim giveth thee to possess it.” In ancient times boundary stones were used to mark someone’s territory. During settlement of America territories, a similar method was used—drive in stakes to indicate parcels of land, this is where the idiom came from, “staking a claim.” Elohim pours out His wrath like water on those who move boundary stones (Hosea 5:10). “Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary mark.” (Deut. 27:17). This prohibition can be applied to many situations in life. It reminds us that Elohim deems it healthy and appropriate to maintain proper boundaries and distinctions. Such as: distinction between genders, private life and public life, family and friends, parent and child, husband and wife. When the lines become fuzzy, confusion and conflict ensue. If we put this all together…Elohim has set boundary stones, laws for our lives…STOP REMOVING THEM!
Shabbat Shalom Mishpocha,
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What a glorious day to gather and worship our Kosher prophet/King Yeshua HaMashiach. He is worthy to be magnified and honored. May this day be filled with the blessing and shalom of Adonai. He must increase and I must decrease. See you at the altar!
Shalom Aleichem