Tag Archives: Justice

Leviticus 19 on Welfare, GMOs, Beards

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Leviticus 19:2 and 3, Be holy…revere. Reverence for or fear of parents is part of walking in holiness. The Jewish sages say that this commandment prohibits, for example, children from sitting in their parents’ favorite chair, from interrupting them, contradicting them in a discourteous manner or otherwise showing them disrespect. Honoring one’s parents, as mandated in the Ten Commandments, also refers to caring for their personal needs. This is sometimes easier said than done, but it is part of the walk of holiness and a fulfillment of Torah. How would our society be improved were all members conscious of this one commandment alone? Though the Scriptures admonish children to obey their parents, obeying YHVH’s commandments (e.g., the Sabbath) takes precedence over the wishes of parents should these be contrary to the Word of Elohim. Observing the seventh day Sabbath is a way of honoring our Heavenly Father, as well, since he is our Creator. This is one reason that the instructions of verse three follows verse two.

Leviticus 19:3–4, You shall fear/revere…sabbaths. What is the relationship between children revering (or honoring) their parents, observing YHVH’s sabbaths (including the annual appointed times or festivals) and shunning idols? Is there a cause-and-effect chain reaction relationship between these three things? If so, what does this teach parents about how to raise their children to help keep them in the paths of righteousness later on? Honoring our parents teaches us to fear and reverence Elohim who gifted us with life through our parents, while keeping YHVH’s weekly and annual sabbaths (the biblical feasts) helps us to stay in the paths of righteousness and, hence, in a right spiritual relationship with our earthly parents and our Heavenly Parent.

Leviticus 19:7–8, Not be accepted. What are rejected offerings? The Torah teaches that offerings can be disqualified because YHVH’s protocols for making the offering were not followed. The peace offering was a voluntary offering where the offerer’s expresses thanks to Elohim and seeks friendship or communion with him. It celebrated a good relationship between YHVH and the offerer who had repented of his sin, and was now at peace with his Maker. (Actually, this is a prophetic picture of and the Torah basis for the New Testament communion or the Lord’s supper ritual.) What lessons are in this for us? In the larger picture, for example, YHVH has given us specific instructions to come into a spiritual relationship with him and to obtain his free gift of eternal life. How is this relationship achieved? (See John 3:15–18, 36; 5:24; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 1 John 1:9; Rom 10:9–10,13; 16:31.) Who is the doorway into that forever relationship with our Father in heaven? (Read John 10:7–10.) What does Yeshua say about those who invent self-styled religious systems in an effort to obtain immortality while circumventing YHVH’s spiritual door? (See John 10:1.) YHVH sets the rules, and it is up to man to follow them. Those who don’t will be rejected.

Leviticus 19:6–7, It shall be eaten…the third day. In Scripture, the terms first, second and third day can have prophetic significance (e.g., Hos 6:2; Gen 22:4; Luke 13:32; Exod 19:11, 15) by referring to the salvational work of Messiah Yeshua that occurred at his first coming, and which will continue through the first, second and third millennia after his first coming. Day three would correspond to the beginning of the seventh millennia from the creation of man—a date we must be very near. 

If Torah reveals that the peace offering was not accepted on the third day, what is this suggesting prophetically? Leviticus 7:17–18 says of the same offering that the portion of the sacrifice which remains until the third day shall be burnt with fire, while Leviticus 19:6–8 says that the person who eats the peace offering on the third day will “bear his iniquity” and “will be cut off from his people.” That is, the peace offering will be of no avail to that person, and they will not have peace with their Redeemer. What is this seem to be telling us prophetically?

Is a day coming when the door of opportunity for salvation will be shut (as was the case when the door of Noah’s ark was shut before Elohim brought judgment upon the earth by the flood, Gen 7:16)? That is, in the end times, will the period of grace that we are now in end just prior to that time when the wrath of Elohim will be poured out upon the unregenerate (Rev 15–16) just prior to the return of Yeshua? If so, this begs the following question: Are you saved by the blood of Yeshua, the Lamb of YHVH? Have you repented of your sins (violation of YHVH’s Torah-laws [1 John 3:4]), and are you walking in a righteous and obedient relationship with your Heavenly Father through Yeshua the Messiah by the power of the Ruach Kodesh (Set-Apart Spirit)?

For he says, “I have heard you in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured you: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor 6:2)

Leviticus 19:9, Corners of your field.Leaving the corners of the fields unharvested, and leaving the gleanings in one’s field for the poor was a wonderful way to help the impoverished and disadvantaged—the poor that Yeshua declared would always be among us (John 12:8). There was no government welfare system in the Torah for those who were able to work. Moreover, YHVH commands us to work for six days and then to rest on the seventh day or Sabbath (Exod 20:8–11), and that if a man doesn’t work, neither should he eat (2 Thess 3:10), and that a righteous man provides for his household (1 Tim 5:8). However, just because a person is poor doesn’t mean that they are lazy. They may be poor for a variety of reasons other than slothfulness. So, since there will always be poor people (John 12:8), helping the poor is a timeless principle of how YHVH expects his people to show love for those who are less fortunate. The Torah here, as understood by the Jewish sages, teaches that we are first obligated to help the needy of our immediate physical family, then our extended family, and finally the poor in general (Deut 15:7–8 cp. Deut 14:28–29 and 26:12–13). What do you do to help the poor? When was the last time you extended your hand of love to a person in need? (Let’s not forget what Yeshua teaches us in Matt 25:31–46. Also note Jas 1:27; John 3:16.)

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Don’t Give Up…Justice Is Coming for the Oppressed Righteous!

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Luke 18:2, A judge. In this parable of the Persistent Widow and the Unjust Judge, Yeshua is using a Hebraic form of reasoning or argument called kol v’khomer where a point is made from a lesser weight to heavier weight. In other words, if premise A is correct, then how much more so is premise B correct? In the Jewish religious thinking of the first century, this is one of the seven laws of biblical interpretation of Hillel the Great (ca. 32 b.c. to a.d. 7) who was one of the greatest Jewish religious leaders of Yeshua’s day. In this parable, Yeshua is making the point that if an ungodly, secular judge who cares little about the needs of a widow will grant her wishes because of her persistent pleas for justice against her enemies, how much more will Elohim hear and answer the prayers of his elect saints who have faith in him and cry out to him continually to avenge them of their enemies.

A day of judgment is coming when the scales of justice will be balanced in favor of the saints of the Most High Elohim, the Just Judge of the universe. Certainly Elohim presently attends to the needs of his servants and gives them victory over their enemies in many small ways. But many believers are still suffering greatly at the hands of the wicked who don’t fear Elohim. However, the day is coming when YHVH will move with a mighty hand and universally avenge his servants of all their enemies small and great. Until then, the righteous martyrs continue to cry out asking Elohim, “How long, O YHVH, holy and true until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Rev 6:10). His answer to them is to wait just a little longer (verse 11), for the great day of YHVH’s wrath, the wrath of the Lamb, which is coming upon the wicked (verse 17) is coming soon. Until then, YHVH promises to never leave nor forsake his servants (Heb 13:5), so be strong in him!

 

What was John the Baptist really preaching? A Lesson for Us…

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John the Baptist was no politically correct, mealy-mouthed, sissified, panty-waist, Ahab-ized preacher! He grew up outside the religious system so that his perspective and preaching wouldn’t be jaded when it came to calling those inside the system to repentance. We need more preachers like him today!

Luke 3:7–17, Then he said to the multitudes. What’s really going on in this exchange between John the Baptist and the religious folks of his day? Let’s step back and look at the bigger picture.

The multitudes of Jews had to make the long, hot and arduous journey through the Judean mountains down to the Jordan River, which was the lowest spot on earth, to hear John the Baptist who was the latest fad preacher to come on the scene. However, when they arrived at his lonely wilderness pulpit, instead of stroking their egos by complimenting them for their religious zeal, he excoriates them and calls them a brood of vipers. John confronts them when he says that if they don’t repent, the fires of YHVH’s judgment will consume them (John 3:7–9). John’s preaching pierces their hearts, and lays them low spiritually, and they ask him what he expects them to do (John 3:10). John then preaches a message of social justice involving giving to the poor, being fair and honest in your business dealings, and if you’re a government worker, treating the citizens you serve with respect (John 3:11–14).

Interestingly, he doesn’t instruct these religious Jews in what many might consider to be the specificities and dos and don’ts of the Torah-law, although it could be reasoned that Continue reading →

 

Leviticus 26: Some Thoughts on Divine Judgment

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Divine judgment is not a popular topic, and few Bible teaches discuss it because it disturbs the status quo of what people think about themselves. However, for those who are true followers of YHVH Elohim, who are serious students of the Scriptures, and who are intent on pursuing biblical standards of holiness and righteousness, this subject must not be avoided.

Lady Justice Stature n Germany, Frankfurt

The dictionary definition of judgment: “a decision of a court or judge; a misfortune or calamity viewed as a divine punishment.”

The Bible speaks a lot about judgment. When we read about the subject of judgment in the Bible, it usually pertains to the “other guy”: someone in the past, or someone in the future, or someone that we consider to be more sinful than we are. The problem is that our pride prevents us from thinking that it is something that could happen to us.

Judgment is nothing more than suffering the consequences of our actions. It’s simply a function of the law of cause and effect. If you jump off of a building, you’ll suffer the consequences of your actions when you hit the ground. Similarly, when we break YHVH’s commandments, we will suffer the consequences. It’s a matter of degrees. To the degree that we obey his commandments, we’ll reap the blessings of obedience. Conversely, to the degree we disobey them, we’ll reap the negative consequences (Lev 26:3ff cp. 14ff). For most of us, our actions with regard to obedience to YHVH’s laws are a mixture of both good and evil, so we’re reaping both blessings and curses at the same time.

As a result of coming out of the mainstream church, most of us have been so indoctrinated with the concept of YHVH’s love and grace, that we have a skewed view of his judgments. Few preachers ever talks about divine judgment. Add to this the fable of the pre-tribulation raptures, and the idea of divine judgment is shoved further into the back of many believers’ minds. If a preacher does talk about divine judgment, they’re often accused of being judgmental, and this accusation, whether accurate or not, tends to shut down the conversation on the subject of divine judgment. No one wants to talk about it since it messes with people’s false view of an Elohim that is so loving and gracious that he would never judge anyone for anything. Any discussion of the subject of divine judgment also forces people to face the reality of their own sinfulness and wickedness and the fact that they deserve Elohim’s judgments for their disobedience.

Beyond this, most of us have contrived a our own personal theology whereby we excuse and justify ourselves to maintain the comfort zones of our sin. Our hearts become hardened as we justify our sin, and we often excuse our own sinfulness by comparing Continue reading →

 

The Secular Judge and the Persistent Widow—An Encouraging Story

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Luke 18:2, A judge. In this parable of the Persistent Widow and the Unjust Judge, Yeshua is using a Hebraic form of reasoning or argument called kol v’khomer where a point is made from a lesser weight to heavier weight. In other words, if premise A is correct, then how much more so is premise B correct?

Giudice - graffiti

In the Jewish religious thinking of the first century, this is one of the seven laws of biblical interpretation of Hillel the Great (ca. 32 b.c. to A.D. 7) who was one of the greatest Jewish religious leaders of Yeshua’s day. In this parable, Yeshua is making the point that if an ungodly, secular judge who cares little about the needs of a widow will grant her wishes because of her persistent pleas for justice against her enemies, how much more will Elohim hear and answer the prayers of his elect saints who have faith in him and cry out to him continually to avenge them of their enemies.

A day of judgment is coming when the scales of justice will be balanced in favor of the saints of the Most High Elohim, the Just Judge of the universe. Certainly Elohim presently attends to the needs of his servants and gives them victory over their enemies in many small ways. But many believers are still suffering greatly at the hands of the wicked who don’t fear Elohim. However, the day is coming when YHVH will move with a mighty hand and universally avenge his servants of all their enemies small and great. Until then, the righteous martyrs continue to cry out asking Elohim, “How long, O YHVH, holy and true until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Rev 6:10). His answer to them is to wait just a little longer (verse 11), for the great day of YHVH’s wrath, the wrath of the Lamb, which is coming upon the wicked (verse 17) is coming soon. Until then, YHVH promises to never leave nor forsake his servants (Heb 13:5), so be strong in him!

 

An unjust judge vs. the Just Judge of the universe

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Luke 18:2, A judge. In this parable of the Persistent Widow and the Unjust Judge, Yeshua is using a Hebraic form of reasoning or argument called kol v’khomer where a point is made from a lesser weight to heavier weight. In other words, if premise A is correct, then how much more so is premise B correct.

Justice 19981147

In the Jewish religious thinking of the first century, this is one of the seven laws of biblical interpretation of Hillel the Great (ca. 32 b.c. to a.d. 7) who was one the greatest Jewish religious leaders of Yeshua’s day.

In this parable, Yeshua is making the point that if an ungodly, secular judge who cares little about the needs of a widow will grant her wishes because of her persistent pleas for justice against her enemies, how much more will Elohim hear and answer the prayers of his elect saints who have faith in him and cry out to him continually to avenge them of their enemies.

A day of judgment is coming when the scales of justice will be balanced in favor of the saints of the Most High Elohim, the Just Judge of the universe. Certainly Elohim presently attends to the needs of his servant and gives them victory over their enemies in many small ways. But many believers are still suffering greatly at the hands of the wicked who don’t fear Elohim. However, the day is coming when YHVH will move with a mighty hand and universally avenge his servants of all their enemies small and great. Until then, the righteous martyrs continue to cry out asking Elohim, “How long, O Lord, holy and true until you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” (Rev 6:10). His answer to them is to wait just a little longer (verse 11), for the great day of YHVH’s wrath, the wrath of the Lamb, which is coming upon the wicked (verse 17) coming soon. Until then, YHVH promises to never leave nor forsake his servants (Heb 13:5), so be strong in him!