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Post by alon on Feb 26, 2020 4:15:30 GMT -8
I've broken the commandments into categories so they are easier to find. Here they are for your perusal:
Actual Commandments by Scripture:
General:
Isaiah 41:10 (ESV) fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I take this as a command and a promise. (fear not)
Exodus 3:15 (ESV) God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. This gives the Name by which the Almighty is to be known.
Genesis 1:26-27; 2:15 (ESV) Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created *man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. … The Lord God took the *man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. *The Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind, and becomes the proper name Adam. We have a responsibility before God to care for our environment.
Exodus 15:26b (ESV) “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” This is a promise from our Eloah, our Mighty One (Neh 9:17), and He will not fail us. This could be taken as a commandment for us too. Listen to Abishter, and do right in His eyes.
(Calendar)
Genesis 1:5 (ESV) God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. This sets the calendar, dividing it into days and weeks at this point. This will later be extremely important as HaShem’s moedim, His appointed times must be kept on God’s calendar.
Genesis 1:14-15 (ESV) And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons [Or appointed times], and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. The commandment to use the heavenly lights to know when His appointed times are is implicit here. Again, sets the calendar.
Exodus 12:2 (ESV) “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Hebrew calendar month of Nissan.
Marriage:
Genesis 2:24 (ESV) Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And here we have the model for marriage: 1 man, 1 woman, 1 marriage, making 1 new family. God allowed multiple wives at times, but looking at the examples where there were more than one wife, it caused a lot of problems.
Exodus 20:14 (ESV) “You shall not commit adultery.” The Hebrew term is נָאַף nâʼaph. It includes having relations with a married woman, but it also carries the connotations of apostatizing. This might be analogous to what we would call “alienation of affections.” We are responsible not only for our own families, but for our neighbors as well.
Halacha:
Genesis 17:1b (ESV) “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless,” Pretty clear. (obedience)
Exodus 23:19b (ESV)“You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.” Jews today take this to mean they do not mix meat and dairy. I disagree. Historians tell us this refers to a pagan practice of taking a goat as it is born, milking the mother and boiling the infant animal in her milk. This was an especially cruel religious practice. So I’d take this more as an injunction against cruelty to animals.
Genesis 17:11-12 (ESV) You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, If you are male and joined to God’s family, you must be circumcised.
Genesis 32:32 (ESV) Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip on the sinew of the thigh. It clearly says that God’s people do not do this (eat sinew).
Exodus 13:1-2, 12-13 (ESV) The Lord said to Moses, “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.” … you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord's. Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. We are to kill or redeem all firstborn. “Sons” often means “sons and daughters.” So this could be taken either way (“sons” or “sons and daughters”), but contextually it would seem to mean “sons” as the distinction was made. "Sons" are redeemed with a price.
Exodus 13:14-15 (ESV) And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ We are to understand what this all means and teach it to our children.
Exodus 13:16 (ESV) It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.” Fulfilled by the mitzvah of teffillin.
Exodus 20:12 (ESV) “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” To honor our parents is to obey them, also do not speak ill of them. It can mean to forgive them. “That your days may be long” speaks not only of our immediate parents, but our entire family lineage.
Exodus 20:13 (ESV) “You shall not murder.” Some translated this “Thou shalt not kill.” The Hebrew term here is רָצַח râtsach, meaning to murder. However the Hebrew understanding of this concept includes things we call manslaughter- causing human death through carelessness or negligence.
Exodus 20:15 (ESV) “You shall not steal.” Pretty clear.
Exodus 20:16 (ESV) “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Obviously in a court of law, but also work, home, community; this is a comprehensive commandment not to spread falsehoods against others.
Exodus 20:17 (ESV) “You shall not covet … anything that is your neighbor’s.” Meaning anyone in your community, or that of greater Israel. For our purposes, I think it means anyone else, period. חָמַד châmad, to delight in, desire, lust after. It’s theirs, be happy for them and move on.
Exodus 22:29-30 (ESV) “You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me. You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.” All tithes should immediately go to God. We should not wait to give as a lump sum. The firstruits of our crops and the firstborn of out livestock, even of our children belongs to God.
Exodus 22:31 (ESV) “You shall be consecrated to me. Therefore you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall throw it to the dogs.” Our diet is a witness that we are set apart to God. We don’t eat meat killed by other animals.
Exodus 25:2 (ESV) “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me. So as the Spirit moves our hearts we should contribute of our money, time, and talents to the work of sharing the besorah of Yeshua.
Moedim:
Exodus 23:10-11 (ESV) “For six years you shall sow your land and gather in its yield, but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the beasts of the field may eat. You shall do likewise with your vineyard, and with your olive orchard.” The Shemittah year, when fields rest just as we do on our Sabbath. What grows may be eaten by the poor, but they must harvest it themselves.
Exodus 23:14-15 (ESV) “Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to me. You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you shall eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before me empty-handed. You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the firstfruits of your labor, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labor. Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God.” We should have a holy convocation on eac of the three Shalosh Regalim: The beginning (Pesach) and end of Unleaven Bread, Shavuot, and Sukkot on the first and last day.
(moed of Shabbat)
Genesis 2:3 (ESV) So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. Shabbat, the first of the moedim! God made it holy; and what God declares set apart, we keep set apart!
Exodus 16:23b-26 (ESV) “‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.’” … Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.” On the 6th day we are to prepare meals for the 7th, Shabbat, so there will be no need to work. This is a commandment for us as well.
Exodus 16:29 (ESV) See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.” This is the only commandment Rabbinical Judaism takes from this reading. They interpret it to be a commandment not to leave the boundaries of one’s city. It sounds here like they couldn’t leave their tents, but that could be more a drudgery than a blessing. And what about having a holy convocation on Shabbat? I interpret this as a command to not travel any farther nor any more than is absolutely necessary.
Exodus 20:8-11 (ESV) “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” The most oft repeated commandment, Shabbat, and the first one we are given in scripture. Note here too not only are we not to work, but we are not to cause others to work in our stead. This is a day of rest for everyone, and a witness to those around us.
Exodus 23:12 (ESV) “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.” Again, the Shabbat rest is commanded for your entire household, including your beasts.
(moedim concerning Pesach, First-fruits, Unleavened Bread)
Exodus 12:3-6 (ESV) Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. Today we don’t eat the Korban Pesach קרבן פסח. It’s korban, a sacrifice to HaShem– something that can only be done in the Temple/Tabernacle. But when the Temple is rebuilt, this sacrifice will be resumed.
Exodus 12:8-10, 46 (ESV) They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. … It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. Not universally practiced. But it is a commandment- roast the meat, eat it all that night, burn what remains. And take care not to break any of the bones.
Exodus 12:11 (ESV) In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. This is generally taken to be specific to those eating the original Passover meal. But that is not how it is stated. We might want our sidurim to reflect this by eating at least part of the meal in this manner.
Exodus 12:14, 24-27 (ESV) “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. … You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped. Simple. Keep Pesach forever, and explain what it means to your children.
Exodus 12:15 (ESV) Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. Check everything, including any prepackaged or prepared foods, cans, etc. Leavening agents are in most. Get rid of them. And we should not try to cheat God by selling them to a neighbor for a dollar and buying them back later.
Exodus 12:16 (ESV) On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. Unleavened Bread, Pesach to the 7th day, is bookended by Shabbaton. Only food preparation and serving is allowed on these days.
Exodus 12:17-20 (ESV) And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.” The phrase “from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening” speaks of the twilight time, when the days turn. So the 14th is a preparation day, then at twilight the seder starts the Sabbath. Then at twilight when the 21st starts is another Sabbath.
Exodus 12:42 (ESV) It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations. My wife informs me that Messianic Pesach remembrances are way too short. Jews are usually up into the wee hours of the morning. That’s how the parent synagogue here did theirs when I was privileged to attend.
Exodus 12:43-45, 47-48 (ESV) And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, but every slave [servant] that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. No foreigner or hired worker may eat of it. … All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. To partake, as I read this a person should be Torah Observant, or at least a God-fearer. And if a male he must be circumcised.
Laws About Indentured Servants
Exodus 21:2 (ESV) When you buy a Hebrew slave [bond-servant], he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. According to the footnotes, the Hebrew term ‘ebed designates a range of social and economic roles. In terms relevant to today, I’d say this means do not treat employees as slaves. They owe you an hours work for an hours pay, and at the end of the day they go home and live and do as they want.
Exodus 21:3-6 (ESV) If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out alone. But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever. A bit tougher, because today we do not “own” anyone in most western countries. Even in Israel then, those “slaves” were considered part of the masters household and not as we understand the term today. The principle seems to be that all the produce of the time spent in the employ/service of another belongs to him. Then it included the produce of a marriage.
Exodus 21:7-10 (ESV) “When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she shall not go out as the male slaves do. If she does not please her master, who has designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has broken faith with her. If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her as with a daughter. If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, or her marital rights. And if he does not do these three things for her, she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money. This speaks to fair treatment of those in our charge.
Exodus 21:12-14 (ESV) “Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die. Again, do not commit murder, including manslaughter. However self defense is excusable if the assailant dies.
Exodus 21:15,17 (ESV) “Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death. … “Whoever curses [Or dishonors, reviles] his father or his mother shall be put to death. The seriousness of honoring your father and mother is here emphasized in these extreme examples. Practically, today they should be disinherited by family and disfellowshipped in our assemblies.
Exodus 21:16 (ESV) “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death. Law against human trafficking. This should be reflected in our own laws, including the penalty; death!
Exodus 21:18 (ESV) “When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but takes to his bed, then if the man rises again and walks outdoors with his staff, he who struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed. You are to be held responsible for the harm you do to others.
Exodus 21:20 (ESV) “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged. But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money. Even bondservants (not “slaves”) should be avenged if killed by their master. No one because of position or title is above the law.
Exodus 21:22 (ESV) “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm [so that her children come out and it is clear who was to blame, he shall be fined as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he alone shall pay. If it is unclear who was to blame], then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. Protection for the unborn and for the mother is absolutely required under the law.
Exodus 21:26 (ESV) “When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye. If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth. We are held accountable for damages done to those in our charge.
Exodus 21:28-32 (ESV) “When an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox shall be stoned, and its flesh shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall not be liable. But if the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has been warned but has not kept it in, and it kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner also shall be put to death. If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed on him. If it gores a man's son or daughter, he shall be dealt with according to this same rule. If the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned. No owner should benefit when his ox (or other property) kills another. He should be held accountable under our laws to both correct the problem (stone the ox) and for damages, and in the case of negligence for murder, if applicable.
Laws About Restitution
Exodus 21:33-34 (ESV) “When a man opens a pit, or when a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall make restoration. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead beast shall be his. Either the owner and the aggrieved parties must agree on damages, or the courts must adjudicate the damages. And the owner must pay. I’d say this applies to much more than a pit.
Exodus 21:35-36 (ESV) “When one man's ox butts another's, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live ox and share its price, and the dead beast also they shall share. Or if it is known that the ox has been accustomed to gore in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall repay ox for ox, and the dead beast shall be his. We may not have many oxen today, but apply this law to a poorly maintained vehicle, or to a pet, such as a large dog.
Exodus 22:1 (ESV) “If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. Courts must implement heavy punitive actions as well as criminal charges against a thief.
Exodus 22:2-4 (ESV) If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. [The thief] shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double. Thieves typically work at night, so I would interpret this as you have the right to protect your property as well as the lives entrusted to your care when someone is caught in the act. But you do not have the right to hunt them down later and kill them. That is a matter for the law. The law should also impose heavy criminal and civil actions against the thief.
Exodus 22:5 (ESV) “If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his beast loose and it feeds in another man's field, he shall make restitution from the best in his own field and in his own vineyard. Courts must determine damages caused by another’s carelessness, such as allowing an animal to get out, and impose them on the guilty party.
Exodus 22:6 (ESV) “If fire breaks out and catches in thorns so that the stacked grain or the standing grain or the field is consumed, he who started the fire shall make full restitution. This would probably be for a carelessly set fire. Arson would, I should think be a much more serious crime.
Exodus 22:7-9 (ESV) “If a man gives to his neighbor money or goods to keep safe, and it is stolen from the man's house, then, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. If the thief is not found, the owner of the house shall come near to God to show whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. For every breach of trust, whether it is for an ox, for a donkey, for a sheep, for a cloak, or for any kind of lost thing, of which one says, ‘This is it,’ the case of both parties shall come before God. The one whom God condemns shall pay double to his neighbor. Any breach of trust is a very serious crime before God. It should be so in our courts as well. Theft is also obviously a serious crime.
Exodus 22:10-13 (ESV) “If a man gives to his neighbor a donkey or an ox or a sheep or any beast to keep safe, and it dies or is injured or is driven away, without anyone seeing it, an oath by the Lord shall be between them both to see whether or not he has put his hand to his neighbor's property. The owner shall accept the oath, and he shall not make restitution. But if it is stolen from him, he shall make restitution to its owner. If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence. He shall not make restitution for what has been torn. If property is entrusted to someone and is lost or damaged by fault of the trustee, it is his responsibility to repay the owner. If through no fault of his own, then he is not responsible. If however he steals or intentionally damages it, that would be a breach of trust.
Exodus 22:14-15 (ESV) “If a man borrows anything of his neighbor, and it is injured or dies, the owner not being with it, he shall make full restitution. If the owner was with it, he shall not make restitution; if it was hired, it came for its hiring fee. If you borrow it, you are responsible for it until it is returned. If it is hired out, especially with the owner, then it is the owners responsibility
Laws About Social Justice
Exodus 22:16-17 (ESV) “If a man seduces a virgin [girl of marriageable age] who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride-price for her and make her his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride-price for virgins. A man who seduces a woman is civilly liable for it. Today this would especially apply if he gets her pregnant. This does not apply to an adult seducing a young girl, or if the woman is the seductress, except I’d say in the case of pregnancy provision should still be made for the child’s welfare.
Exodus 22:18 (ESV) “You shall not permit a sorceress to live.” Not sure why the feminine is used in the ESV. According to Strong’s the Hebrew term is כָּשַׁף kâshaph, kaw-shaf'; to whisper a spell, to inchant or practise magic: sorcerer, (use) witch(-craft). So the gender is neutral, meaning male, female, or today even one who is confused about what they are. They are to be put to death, however today it would be more expel them permanently from our fellowship.
Exodus 22:19 (ESV) “Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death.” Bestiality is forbidden, and should be punished by law.
Exodus 22:20 (ESV) “Whoever sacrifices to any god, other than the Lord alone, shall be devoted to destruction [set apart (devoted) as an offering for destruction to the Lord].” Not as a human sacrifice, but either put to the sword or executed by legal decree. Today just permanently removed from fellowship.
Exodus 22:21-24 (ESV) “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.” We are to treat others fairly, as we would wish to be treated; under penalty of God’s wrath.
Exodus 22:25-27 (ESV) “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.” Lend to those less fortunate with a compassionate heart.
Exodus 22:28 (ESV) “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people. The term נָשִׂיא nâsîyʼ could mean anyone in authority over you. However the term “God” here is interesting: אֱלֹהִים ʼĕlôhîym; plural; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:—angels, exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), (very) great, judges, mighty. Contextually this might better be applied to the gods of a land or again anyone in authority. When traveling in ancient times, it was well known one did not insult the gods of that land. Pagans for fear of angering them, but even Jews because to do so might get you killed. Even in this context, I’d say we should still be careful not to anger the God of all creation by reviling His name.
Exodus 23:1-3, 6 (ESV) “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit. … You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit.” Witnesses are responsible to tell the truth, and not to conspire against either party. Judges are to watch for evidence of conspiracy, and they are to be impartial in all ways. None may pervert justice.
Exodus 23:4-5 (ESV) “If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.” Help even an enemy by returning livestock which got out. Help him remove the load of a beast that is down and cannot get up. In doing these things you also help the animals not to suffer or be injured.
Exodus 23:7 (ESV) Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked. Take extra care in capital cases to make a right judgement.
Exodus 23:8 (ESV) And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. Judges, or anyone in the legal system must not take bribes.
Exodus 23:9 (ESV) “You shall not oppress a sojourner. You know the heart of a sojourner, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” Courts should deal as fairly with sojourners as they do with the native born.
Laws About Worship
Isaiah 42:10a, 11b-12 (ESV) Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see! There is a little doble entendre here. God, through the prophet was speaking of idols of wood and stone facetiously telling them to hear and see. However He is primarily telling us to wake up, put away our idols and worship the One True God.
Exodus 20:2-3 (ESV) “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.” Biblically Egypt represents sin. So for all who Elohim has brought out of sin, all of us who accept Yeshua and are saved, we have only One God, El Elohe Yisroel. Some who call themselves Messianic argue this means we can worship other gods, just do not place them first before Elohei Yisroel. But the word here translated “before” is פָּנִים pânîym, my face. This is strong language; God is saying “keep them out of my face!”
Exodus 20:4-5 (ESV) “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God,” This actually has 2 parts- do not make graven images, and do not worship graven images. Many argue that this means we cannot make images for the purpose of worship. But God explicitly says you shall not make those images! A corollary would be that if you do find them, destroy them.
Exodus 23:13 (ESV) “Pay attention to all that I have said to you, and make no mention of the names of other gods, nor let it be heard on your lips.” This probably means in worship or idle talk, or in an oath. It is allowed to learn of them in order to refute them and their tenets as a witness to others.
Exodus 23:18 (ESV) “You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, or let the fat of my feast remain until the morning. Any time wine or grape juice representing the blood of either the Paschal sacrifice or the blood of Yeshua is present, there should be no leaven present or especially consumed.
Exodus 23:19a (ESV) “The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God.” We bring only our best into God’s storehouse.
Exodus 23:32 (ESV) “You shall make no covenant with them and their gods. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.” We are not to compromise with other religions, nor to make covenants with them. We serve only the God of Israel. And no idolaters should be allowed to reside in the land of Israel.
Sin:
Genesis 2:16-17 (ESV) And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Consider sin and its nature. Every bad habit, every forbidden pleasure, every sin I ever indulged in, loved and was habitually attracted to would have been a whole lot easier never to have partaken of than it was to quit! Don’t eat the forbidden fruit!
Genesis 4:7b (ESV) And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” This just naturally goes with the above commandment. The commandment: speaking of sin, which crouches at the door- we “must rule over it.”
Genesis 3:7,21 (ESV) Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. … And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. Cover it up.
Genesis 9:4 (ESV) But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. Don’t eat blood.
Genesis 12:1 (ESV) Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country [land] and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. Many missionaries (including Messianics) say “If God calls you, go. But if you are not called, it is far better not to force the Lord’s hand.” Go where you are called, not where you want.
Exodus 20:7 (ESV) “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” Cursing using the term “God,” to falsely curse someone in His name, to swear falsely, or even just rashly, impulsively, by His name. Even to make the Covenant Name of Elohim overused and so commonplace. And to profane His name. Any use of any of the names of the Most High which does not glorify Him, representing Him faithfully to a lost world is a violation.
Exodus 25:8 (NASB) Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. We should build a synagogue as soon as we are able. It is much easier to have a regular meeting place where the congregation controls the meeting schedule and access. A place where we can set up for services ahead of time, and prepare for feasts or hold meetings, work on ministries, etc.
Torah:
1 John 3:4 (KJV) Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. Sin is transgression of the law, or Torah! The Greek term here is: ἀνομία anomía, an-om-ee'-ah; illegality, i.e. violation of law or (genitive case) wickedness:—iniquity, transgression of the law, unrighteousness. Clearly this was translated from the Hebrew Torah, meaning law, instruction, teaching; the first five books given to Moshe on Mt. Sinai.
Exodus 12:49 (ESV) There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.” It sounds as if we (gerim) are responsible for the whole Torah when we accept Yeshua. Not talking about the 613 Mitzvoth of so called “Rabbinical Judaism,” but what it actually teaches- the laws, the instructions, the lessons, and the principles. Not 2 Torah, not 2 House, no lists made by man of what parts of Torah we should keep; just 1 Torah for everyone.
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