"V'ehle ha mishpatim asher tasim lifnehem ohynpl oyst rsa oytpsmh hlav And these are the judgments which you shall set before them" Ex. 21:1

Most of our rabbis are in agreement that these mishpatim or judgments are the continuation of the esseret devarim- the 10 words or commandments. All 613 laws are included in the 10. Yeshua Himself said that the whole Torah is summed up in this "Love the Lord your G-d will all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself."

Mishpatim speak of the laws of treatment of slaves .Slavery still exists today however it more underground. For example, in America and Japan young girls are lured into and kept in a life of forced prostitution upon the threat of death. Man in all these years has not changed but their evil has now become more sophisticated and perfected.

When we obey G-d, we should not do so simply to honor or pay homage to Him; His rules are made for our own sake not for His. G-d's existence doesn't depend on our acceptance or love of Him. Our response to Him should be more out of love for Him honoring all that he has done for us. He doesn't expect anything in return for what He does for us. It is an unconditional giving. We need to be obedient simply because it is the right thing to do, and at the same time G-d will protect us.

Chapter 23:20-33 speaks of an Angel who will guide us and protect us in everyway. As Messianic believers we believe Him to be Yeshua our Messiah. G-d warns us to keep away from the pagan G-ds of the nations and that if we serve the Lord our G-d, he would completely bless us and keep sickness from us. He is demonstrating from the beginning that there are consequences off our disobedience. G-d gave us rules which would protect us because like a loving parent he loves us. When parents discipline a child, it is out of love and the desire to protect the child from harm. When they see their children get hurt after they disobeyed a clear warning, it is the parents who suffer more than they child. Do you think that our G-d doesn't suffer when you are hurting as a result of your own disobedience to his warnings?

What is the difference between legalism and being a believer?

Legalism is doing what is right because we want to make points with G-d or we are afraid of being punished. Meanwhile a true believer chooses to do what is right because he loves G-d. It has been said that it is easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. Many of us we do wrong knowingly and think that we can then ask for forgiveness. The reason we don't ask beforehand is because we really want to do things our own way and we believe that G-d will forgive us. This is playing with G-d. It is not that we do not know what is right or what is wrong. Bottom line, this is SIN.

The believer obeys G-d out of love for Him and with a deep desire to obey Him instead of fear of punishments or making points, the difference lies in the intention of the heart.

Legalists do whatever it takes to get our reward now, here on earth but the believer sees beyond this world to the life that is eternal. Their sight is to an enhanced eternal life.

The fifth commandment is to "honor your father and mother.."…the word for honor is dbk kaved from the same root as kavod which speaks of G-d's glory. "…that your days may be long upon the land….the word for long is [vkray yarichun which is not only length of days but denotes a fulfilled life. Yeshua said the he came to give us life in abundance.

G-d warns that if we curse our parents who have given us of life, it is like cursing G-d, the Giver of all life. If we honor our parents, we are honoring G-d. Most people who have problems today in their relationships and in their lives, it is because they hate their parents.

Can we pick and choose what we want to obey? Do we have the right to keep what we want and discard the rest? Our relationship with G-d is not about feelings. If we don't "feel" the Spirit, does it mean G-d is not with us? Usually the further away we "feel" from G-d, the closer He is to us. G-d chooses us not vice versa and He doesn't separate Himself from us no matter where we are in our lives.

The word "ehle" in the first line has a mystical connotation meaning "I am giving myself as your Torah to help you to walk with me". "Tasim" comes from the same root as to set a table. It is G-d who sets the way for us to walk which is where we get the word "halachah" from holech meaning walk. We know that he is a faithful Father who will never abandon us. There is nothing like having a heavenly Father who even when we fail Him over and over again, He is always there for us. G-d is the G-d of beginning again. In the same way, we need to do what Yeshua said…to forgive each other 70x7 which means without end. If we cannot forgive someone who has done wrong to us, how can we expect G-d to forgive us for all the wrongs we have done by disobeying Him.

Israel failed even after they promised to do all that G-d has said. Did G-d abandon Israel? Never! In the same way, G-d will not abandon us even though we fail daily. Yeshua is the totality of G-d's love. He became flesh to die for the forgiveness of our sins forever!

     Rabbi Percy Johnson
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