Lesson date: 12/5/5855AA
Verses 1-4 – These verses expound on the 8th and 10th Words. We see a difference between the theft of a sheep and an ox. Why?
If a thief is found stealing at night and killed there is no sin against the person who killed him but, if the sun comes up and the thief is killed by the homeowner then there is sin. This is expounding on the 6th Word. We see the contrast between light and darkness, knowledge and truth as the opposite of paganism. Maybe this verse is referring to more than just stealing material goods.
Psa_82:5 They do not know, nor do they understand, They walk about in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
Pro_2:13 Those who leave the paths of straightness To walk in the ways of darkness;
Pro_4:19 The way of the wrong is like darkness; They do not know at what they stumble.
Pro_20:20 Whoever curses his father or his mother, His lamp is put out in deep darkness.
We see darkness compared to darkness, walking in the way other than Torah.
But now we see Torah compared to Light: Psa 119:105 Nun Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
For those who walk in darkness the penalty is death. But for those walking in the Light there is repentance to restore us to the Truth.
Verse 4 refers us back to verse 1, the difference being that in verse 1 the animals are found sold or slaughtered whereas in verse 4 the animals are recovered alive. In this verse we see the owner have his animals restored plus a restitution of 2 more.
Verse 5 – When we lease or rent a field we are required to be good husbandmen of the other person property in addition to the rent. We must remember that the land belongs to Elohim and we will ultimately be judged for its use or misuse.
Verse 6 -Once again I must ask myself if this is just talking about a field? Why would I think this?
Jas 3:5 So too the tongue is a little member, yet boasts greatly. See how a little fire kindles a great forest!
Jas 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, the world of unrighteousness. Among our members the tongue is set, the one defiling the entire body, and setting on fire the wheel of life, and it is set on fire by GěHinnom.
Jas 3:7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.
Jas 3:8 But no man is able to tame the tongue. It is unruly, evil, filled with deadly poison.
Jas 3:9 With it we bless our Elohim and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of Elohim.
Jas 3:10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brothers, this should not be so.
When we speak maliciously against someone, are we not kindle a fire? We used to use fires to burn off the weeds and briers so that we could plant good crops or better pasture for our animals, to make the land more fruitful. But when we let the fire burn out of control or, the fire was set when the winds were high and was sure to be spread, it can also destroy the good that we wanted to preserve. We see an example of this in Scripture: Mat 18:15 “And if your brother sins against you, go and convict him, between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
Mat 18:16 “But if he does not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word might be established.’
In the above example the word or tongue is used judiciously, the entire field is not set ablaze with the hope that the good that the fire does will outweigh the bad. It is what we would call a controlled burn, especially with the help of one or two witnesses who can make sure that the “fire” was used correctly.
Just a thought.
Verses 7-15 – These verses teach us that there is a responsibility inherent when we are the caretaker of another person’s property. When a person comes to us and asks us to care for their property while they are on a trip or away or, if we go to a person and ask the use of the property we have taken it upon ourselves to be responsible for that property.
Verses 16-17 – These verses teach us that “free love” is not free at all. It comes with a price. Just as we are made in the image of Elohim, so marriage represents the relationship between Elohim and His Bride. The act of consummation is the very thing to take place in the betrothal process, not the first. It is first to be taken with the mantle of responsibility and not lightly or trivially.
Deu 22:28 “When a man finds a girl who is a maiden, who is not engaged, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out,
Deu 22:29 then the man who lay with her shall give to the girl’s father fifty pieces of silver, and she is to be his wife because he has humbled her. He is not allowed to put her away all his days.
We see that in this instance the family is compensated 50 pieces of silver for seducing a virgin. He must pay the bride price of 30 pieces of silver and in addition he must pay 20 pieces for injuring the reputation of the family.
Verse 18 – A “practiser” of witchcraft cannot live: H3784 – כּשׁף – kâshaph– BDB Definition: 1) (Piel) to practice witchcraft or sorcery, use witchcraft 1a) sorcerer, sorceress (participle). This word also has the meaning “to whisper” as in a spell, to enchant: Rev 2:20 “But I hold against you that you allow that woman Izeḇel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and lead My servants astray to commit whoring and to eat food offered to idols.
Rev 2:21 “And I gave her time to repent of her whoring, and she did not repent.
Rev 2:22 “See, I am throwing her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction, unless they repent of their works.
Rev 2:23 “And I shall slay her children with death. And all the assemblies shall know that I am the One searching the kidneys and hearts. And I shall give to each one of you according to your works.
Rev 2:24 “And to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not possess this teaching, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they call them, I am not putting on you another burden.
Izebel enchanted the qahal in Thyatira into eating what they were not supposed to eat and committed adultery (worshiping false gods) and this worship produced children (followers). Just like the rabbinical Jews had their false doctrine, found in the Babylonian Talmud, Mishnah and also the Kabbalah, Christianity has taken many false doctrines in rebellion to Torah from the Babylonian and Egyptian mystery religions.
Verse 19 – Bestiality is still practiced today and is LEGAL in many places including the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice). Once again we see a law of man that in is direct conflict with YHVH’s Law. It was, in ancient times a form of a fertility ceremony that insured a plentiful increase in the herds and flocks.
Verse 20 – slaughtering to another god is to be killed: H2763 – חרם – châram – BDB Definition: 1) to ban, devote, destroy utterly, completely destroy, dedicate for destruction, exterminate.
Psa 107:22 And let them slaughter slaughterings of thanksgiving, And relate His works with rejoicing.
Psa 116:17 I slaughter You a slaughtering of thanksgiving, And call upon the Name of יהוה.
Hos 14:2 Take words with you, and return to יהוה. Say to Him, “Take away all crookedness, and accept what is good, and we render the bulls of our lips.
Heb 13:15 Through Him then, let us continually offer up a slaughter offering of praise to Elohim, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His Name.
We are not necessarily talking about killing an animal in sacrifice to another god but offering up prayers, songs and thanksgiving to another god.
Verses 21-24 – The treatment of widows, orphans and the stanger usually are found together in Scripture: Zec 7:10 “Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the stranger or the poor. And do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’
I want to first talk about the topic of stranger, who is a stranger in terms of the 21st century?
Widows and orphans:
While widows, orphans and strangers are found together sometimes it is only widows and orphans, the treatment of which YHVH deems so serious that even the angels will be tried because of their mistreatment of them: Isa 1:17 “Learn to do good! Seek right-ruling, reprove the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Learn to do good: H3925 – למד – lâmad – BDB Definition: 1) to learn. teach, exercise in
2Ti 2:15 Do your utmost to present yourself approved to Elohim, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly handling the Word of Truth.
Seek right-ruling: H1875 – דּרשׁ – dârash – BDB Definition: – 1) to resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require. It is from this word that we get the word “midrash’ and what we are doing right now is midrash’ing the Scripture.
Mat 6:33 “But seek first the reign of Elohim, and His righteousness, and all these shall be added to you.
Lam 3:25 יהוה is good to those waiting for Him, To the being who seeks Him.
Reprove the oppressor: H2541 – חמוץ – châmôts – BDB Definition: 1) the oppressor, the ruthless. H2541 comes from H2556. Notice the meanings of H2556. Does it make you think of anything? H2556 – חמץ – châmêts – BDB Definition: 1) to be leavened, be sour 1a) (Qal) to be leavened 1b) (Hiphil) to taste something leavened 1c) (Hithpael) to be embittered, grieved 2) to be cruel, oppress, be ruthless
Defend the fatherless: H8199 – שׁפט – shâphaṭ – BDB Definition: 1) to judge, govern, vindicate, punish
The KJV translates this word as judge. I think a better word would be advocate but vindicate comes close. I equate fatherless in this context with those who have no knowledge of YHVH and don’t know who it is that they serve.
Plead for the widow: H7378 – רוּב רִיב – rı̂yb rûb – reeb, roob -A primitive root; properly to toss, that is, grapple; mostly figuratively to wrangle, that is, hold a controversy; (by implication) to defend: – adversary, chide, complain, contend, debate, X ever, X lay wait, plead, rebuke, strive, X thoroughly.
We talked about Sha’ul’s exhortation of Timothy about the conduct and service of widows.
Jas 1:27 Clean and undefiled religion before the Elohim and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
Jer 7:5 “For if you truly make your ways and your deeds good, if you truly do right-ruling between a man and his neighbour,
Jer 7:6 if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other mighty ones to your own evil,
Deu 24:17 “Do not twist the right-ruling of a stranger or the fatherless, nor take the garment of a widow.
Deu 24:19 “When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, do not go back to get it. Let it be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow, so that יהוה your Elohim might bless you in all the work of your hands.
Deu 24:20 “When you beat your olive trees, do not examine the branch behind you. Let it be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
Deu 24:21 “When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean behind you. Let it be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
Now stop and consider the blessing that Boaz received for his good treatment of widows. Can a woman be a widow with her husband still alive and living in the same house?
Verse 25 – Lending for interest: Psa 15:1 יהוה, who does sojourn in Your Tent? Who does dwell in Your set-apart mountain?
Psa 15:2 He who walks blamelessly, And does righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart.
Psa 15:3 He has not slandered with his tongue, He has not done evil to his neighbour, Nor lifted up a reproach against his friend;
Psa 15:4 In whose eyes a reprobate one is despised, But he esteems those who fear יהוה; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
Psa 15:5 He has not put out his silver at interest, And has not taken a bribe against the innocent. He who does these is never moved.
Luk 6:34 “And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive back, what favour have you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.
Verses 26-27 – This is given so that the borrower must each day to get his outer garment at sunset so that he may keep warm and each morning he must bring it back to remind to whom he owes the money and that he must work to repay the loan. Also, think of the outer garment as Torah which keeps us safe and warm in dark and perilous times and also a reminder to the lender that he must not cause his brother to stumble and break Torah to repay the debt.
Verse 28 – Those appointed over us are put there by YHVH, some to bless us and others to judge us. We must show care not to speak against those in authority. Pro 24:21 My son, fear יהוה and the sovereign; Do not mingle with those who change;
1Ti 5:19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.
Verses 29-31 – Do not delay – Here is an example: I decide that if I sell a piece of property that I will give a tithe and I sell the property for $20,000.00 so my tithe should be $2,000.00. Instead of giving my tithe immediately I wait and because of unforeseen breakdown of equipment and my truck I have to spend all of my profit plus $500.00 of the amount of my tithe. All I have left for the rest of the month is $1,500.00 and I will need at least half of that before I get another check so all that leaves is at $750.00. so I give $750.00 instead of the promised $2,000.00.
Dedication of the first born is seldom done anymore, unfortunately.
CahalTx 