"The Anchor Holds In Spite of the Storm"
Pastor: Gaylen Jones
Sunday Service 10:30 A.M.
Wednesday Evening Bible Study and Prayer 7:00 P.M.
PO Box 1926
Clute, Texas 77531
[Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:1-13; Mathew 28:18-20; I Corinthians 10:1-33]
Pastor: Gaylen Jones
Sunday Service 10:30 A.M.
Wednesday Evening Bible Study and Prayer 7:00 P.M.
PO Box 1926
Clute, Texas 77531
[Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:1-13; Mathew 28:18-20; I Corinthians 10:1-33]
An Anchor, when properly placed, holds a marine vessel securely in one location and keeps it from drifting away from the captain’s desired position. Under the teachings of the Holy Spirit of God, what in Hebrew is called the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), the Five books of Moses serve us as an Anchor to keep us from drifting away from God's good, acceptable and perfect will for our lives.
(Romans 1:1-17; Romans 5:1-2; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-8; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:1-13
At the Anchor, we have come to the understanding, that the daily study of these books, along with the rest of the Scriptures, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit is the way God promised and systematically does place His Word (the oracles of God – see Romans 3:1) in our minds according to the covenant promise. As we go about practicing what He says for us to do, and not practicing what he says for us not to do, these same words become attached or grafted into our hearts. We discover that as we hear and practice doing what we hear [The shema of God - Mark 28:28:34, James 1:21-25), He becomes more and more pleased with what He does through us. Therefore to Him (יהוה) , LORD, YHVH, Yahveh, Jehovah be all the glory for the things He is doing.) As followers of Jesus the Christ (Hebrew – Yehshua Ha Mashiach), our desire is to regard the Law of God (the Torah) in the same way Jesus (Yeshua) did; when he was here. And learn to teach the same specific instructions that his disciples received from him. To continue to practice the same works that he taught them, until he returns. [I John 2:1-16] His disciples were commanded to go into all nations and make disciples. Jesus/Yeshua did not say go into all the nations and make Christians and build churches. Jesus/Yehshua said; "go and make Disciples, teaching them to do what so ever I have commanded you to do." (Mitzvot = "good works")
(Romans 1:1-17; Romans 5:1-2; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-8; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:1-13
At the Anchor, we have come to the understanding, that the daily study of these books, along with the rest of the Scriptures, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit is the way God promised and systematically does place His Word (the oracles of God – see Romans 3:1) in our minds according to the covenant promise. As we go about practicing what He says for us to do, and not practicing what he says for us not to do, these same words become attached or grafted into our hearts. We discover that as we hear and practice doing what we hear [The shema of God - Mark 28:28:34, James 1:21-25), He becomes more and more pleased with what He does through us. Therefore to Him (יהוה) , LORD, YHVH, Yahveh, Jehovah be all the glory for the things He is doing.) As followers of Jesus the Christ (Hebrew – Yehshua Ha Mashiach), our desire is to regard the Law of God (the Torah) in the same way Jesus (Yeshua) did; when he was here. And learn to teach the same specific instructions that his disciples received from him. To continue to practice the same works that he taught them, until he returns. [I John 2:1-16] His disciples were commanded to go into all nations and make disciples. Jesus/Yeshua did not say go into all the nations and make Christians and build churches. Jesus/Yehshua said; "go and make Disciples, teaching them to do what so ever I have commanded you to do." (Mitzvot = "good works")
|
Shemot (Exodus)
mishpatim 21:1-24:18 |
Meaning
judgments |
Day One
18th day of 11th Month 5785 16 February 2025 
|
Haftara
Jeremiah 34:8-22; 33:25-26 |
B'rit Hadashah
Matthew 5:38-48 |
1 Our Father, we receive Your Words and hide Your commandments with us; 2 we incline our ear unto wisdom, and apply our hearts to understanding; 3 We cry after knowledge and lift up our voices for understanding; 4 we seek it as silver; and search for it as for hidden treasures; 5 We declare that we shall understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. Declaration of Proverbs 2:1-5
Modeh Ani (ּמודה אני)
Pronounced moe-DEH ah-NEE, this Hebrew phrase literally means "I give thanks" and refers to the prayer traditionally recited upon awaking in the morning.
Pronounced moe-DEH ah-NEE, this Hebrew phrase literally means "I give thanks" and refers to the prayer traditionally recited upon awaking in the morning.
Exodus 21:1-27 (NASB)1
1 "Now these are the ordinances (judgments) which you are to set before them: 2 "If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment. 3 "If he comes alone, he shall go out alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 "If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out alone. 5 "But if the slave plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,' 6 then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently. 7 "If a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to go free as the male slaves do. 8 "If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people because of his unfairness to her. 9 "If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. 10 "If he takes to himself another woman, he may not reduce her food, her clothing, or her conjugal rights. 11 "If he will not do these three things for her, then she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money. 12 "He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death. 13 "But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint you a place to which he may flee. 14 "If, however, a man acts presumptuously toward his neighbor, so as to kill him craftily, you are to take him even from My altar, that he may die. 15 "He who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. 16 "He who kidnaps a man, whether he sells him or he is found in his possession, shall surely be put to death. 17 "He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. 18 "If men have a quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but remains in bed, 19 if he gets up and walks around outside on his staff, then he who struck him shall go unpunished; he shall only pay for his loss of time, and shall take care of him until he is completely healed. 20 "If a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod and he dies at his hand, he shall be punished. 21 "If, however, he survives a day or two, no vengeance shall be taken; for he is his property. 22 "If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman's husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide. 23 "But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise. 26 "If a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave, and destroys it, he shall let him go free on account of his eye. 27 "And if he knocks out a tooth of his male or female slave, he shall let him go free on account of his tooth.
Welcome to a new week and a new portion! Now it appears that we're going to have stress on 'teachings' as much as events in the life of Moses and the journey to Canaan.
Verses 2-11: The protocol for men and women servants (slaves or bond-servants). Now why would these be the very first instructions after the ten commandments? Perhaps it was because slavery and people being pressed into service to another because of debt or stringent circumstances was so very common in society in those days. It would encompass the last six commandments that related to how Israel would treat “each other”.
Men servants: Would enter into service for six year and be released in the seventh year. If they married, then their wife would go out with them. If they had children, however, the wife and the children would remain with the master. But after six years, the man could be free and if he had married and had children, then he had a choice. He could surrender out of love and devotion to his master, and remain with his family OR he could simply, leave. At first I thought it was a harsh thing that the man could leave and his wife and kiddies would stay in servitude. Some men could do that and walk away without a care. But, if he did walk away, then the wife and her children would be guaranteed a safe haven with food and 'care' for clothing and needs of living. The master would not, or could not just throw them out to eke out a living on their own. Then, I thought it wasn't so harsh. It could actually be considered a blessing. Yes, the husband could be a rat for leaving them, but at the same time, the remaining family would be cared for. But I'd like to think, in most cases, the man wouldn't want to leave. He would love his wife and children so that it wouldn't be a hard thing for him to remain, simply, as he was, as a bond-servant, keeping them all together. And during those years, he may well have developed a loyalty and affection for his master and add to that, his master's family.
Woman servants were to be treated differently as outlined in verses starting at seven of the eleven. The man servant or 'bond-servant' Albert Barnes summed up those verses as follows:
“If he do not these three unto her - The words express a choice of one of three things. The man was to give the woman, whom he had purchased from her father, her freedom, unless
(i) he caused her to be redeemed by a Hebrew master Ex 21:8; or,
(ii) gave her to his son, and treated her as a daughter Ex 21:9; or,
(iii) in the event of his taking another wife Ex 21:10, unless he allowed her to retain her place and privileges.
These rules Ex 21:7-11 are to be regarded as mitigations of the then existing usages of concubinage.”
Indeed, we've seen this already about this business of concubinage. The concubine, as was Hagar to Avraham, and Zilpah and Bilhah were the same to Jacob, had certain status in the family. This wasn't God's original plan but because mankind as a society did these things anyway, Messiah explained why God allowed it, or actually, perhaps, worked around these issues of “putting a wife away”.
3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. Matthew 19:3-8.
This business is what made Leah and Rachel so adamant about leaving with Jacob. They didn't feel like daughters of Laban, but the way he treated them. They felt treated more like servants and not daughters.
15 Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. Genesis 31:15.
Ellicott's Bible Commentary for English Readers states:
“He hath sold us.—There is a marked asperity towards their father in the answer of Jacob's wives, and not only the petted Rachel but the neglected Leah joins in it. Now, though his sale of them to Jacob had been more open than Oriental good manners usually allowed, and though he seems to have acted meanly in giving no portion with them, yet these were old sores, long since healed and forgiven. Laban must have been stingy, grasping, and over-reaching in recent times, to have kept the memory of old wrongs so fresh in the minds of his daughters.”
It appears that even old Laban was stretching the societal rules for his own benefit. In God's economy, He doesn't 'stretch' anything so that it over-rides a person's dignity. After all, mankind is made in HIS image. In their future, Israel failed to keep these instructions as to servants/bond-servants. Like Laban, they stretched the practice to suit them. When Jeremiah the prophet brought it to their attention, they complied. But after time, they simply resumed their old practices and nobody went free in that seventh year.
8 This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them; 9 That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother. 10 Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go. 11 But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids. Jeremiah 34:8-11.
Apparently, the ordinances (as per NASB) and judgments (as per KJV), continued with the capital crimes, which would be considered so heinous, that death would be the judgment.
But there is one notion that needs to be explained and that is a phrase that so many have taken OUT of context over the years. Inadequate Bible study, which can be thought to be the same as skipping over the Old Testament, perpetuates this notion that follows:
23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, 24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. Exodus 20:23-25.
This doesn't give license to respond back with THE SAME punishment as the behavior. This is a referral to Lex talionis. I'm not sure why we often use Latin for some ideas but, it seems to fit accurately. This is the “law of retaliation” or “retribution”, and if refers to a principle that states the punishment should be directly proportional to the harm or offense that was committed. This was an element of 'justice' that existed in ancient times, most notably in the secular world in the judicial writings if Hammurabi, the sixth best known Amorite king of the first dynasty of Babylon (modern day, Iraq). His code was once considered the oldest coded laws in human history (apart from those given to Moses I would guess). To return to the notion that the punishment should fit the crime, an example of this might be that in some countries in our modern day, a person caught stealing could have their hand cut off. (According to Islamic Sharia law, those convicted of theft can face amputation as a penalty.)
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not interested in punishing a crime by what we could label “over kill”. “Let the punishment fit the crime”. This expression word for word, originated in the opera by Gilbert and Sullivan, The Mikado. That was first performed in 1885. The notion was advanced far earlier, as we've seen in Hammurabi, but also advanced by Cicero De Legibus (On the Laws) in 106 BC. There's also traces in the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution. There it states that “excessive bail, nor fines, nor cruel and unusual punishments” shall be afflicted. Works for me.
We're going to move on in this same vein tomorrow, but for now we shall put a pin right here. It's 17 degrees F and there's been heavy cloud cover all day so far. AND, I might add, it's been snowing since I got up today. It's sort of stormy, but we've seen worse. Thirty-one days closer to spring. Two more weeks to put February, this shortest, yet longest month of my years, into history. The new motto that Mary-Sue initiated will see me through: Occupy and Give Yah Glory!
Verses 2-11: The protocol for men and women servants (slaves or bond-servants). Now why would these be the very first instructions after the ten commandments? Perhaps it was because slavery and people being pressed into service to another because of debt or stringent circumstances was so very common in society in those days. It would encompass the last six commandments that related to how Israel would treat “each other”.
Men servants: Would enter into service for six year and be released in the seventh year. If they married, then their wife would go out with them. If they had children, however, the wife and the children would remain with the master. But after six years, the man could be free and if he had married and had children, then he had a choice. He could surrender out of love and devotion to his master, and remain with his family OR he could simply, leave. At first I thought it was a harsh thing that the man could leave and his wife and kiddies would stay in servitude. Some men could do that and walk away without a care. But, if he did walk away, then the wife and her children would be guaranteed a safe haven with food and 'care' for clothing and needs of living. The master would not, or could not just throw them out to eke out a living on their own. Then, I thought it wasn't so harsh. It could actually be considered a blessing. Yes, the husband could be a rat for leaving them, but at the same time, the remaining family would be cared for. But I'd like to think, in most cases, the man wouldn't want to leave. He would love his wife and children so that it wouldn't be a hard thing for him to remain, simply, as he was, as a bond-servant, keeping them all together. And during those years, he may well have developed a loyalty and affection for his master and add to that, his master's family.
Woman servants were to be treated differently as outlined in verses starting at seven of the eleven. The man servant or 'bond-servant' Albert Barnes summed up those verses as follows:
“If he do not these three unto her - The words express a choice of one of three things. The man was to give the woman, whom he had purchased from her father, her freedom, unless
(i) he caused her to be redeemed by a Hebrew master Ex 21:8; or,
(ii) gave her to his son, and treated her as a daughter Ex 21:9; or,
(iii) in the event of his taking another wife Ex 21:10, unless he allowed her to retain her place and privileges.
These rules Ex 21:7-11 are to be regarded as mitigations of the then existing usages of concubinage.”
Indeed, we've seen this already about this business of concubinage. The concubine, as was Hagar to Avraham, and Zilpah and Bilhah were the same to Jacob, had certain status in the family. This wasn't God's original plan but because mankind as a society did these things anyway, Messiah explained why God allowed it, or actually, perhaps, worked around these issues of “putting a wife away”.
3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? 4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? 8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. Matthew 19:3-8.
This business is what made Leah and Rachel so adamant about leaving with Jacob. They didn't feel like daughters of Laban, but the way he treated them. They felt treated more like servants and not daughters.
15 Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. Genesis 31:15.
Ellicott's Bible Commentary for English Readers states:
“He hath sold us.—There is a marked asperity towards their father in the answer of Jacob's wives, and not only the petted Rachel but the neglected Leah joins in it. Now, though his sale of them to Jacob had been more open than Oriental good manners usually allowed, and though he seems to have acted meanly in giving no portion with them, yet these were old sores, long since healed and forgiven. Laban must have been stingy, grasping, and over-reaching in recent times, to have kept the memory of old wrongs so fresh in the minds of his daughters.”
It appears that even old Laban was stretching the societal rules for his own benefit. In God's economy, He doesn't 'stretch' anything so that it over-rides a person's dignity. After all, mankind is made in HIS image. In their future, Israel failed to keep these instructions as to servants/bond-servants. Like Laban, they stretched the practice to suit them. When Jeremiah the prophet brought it to their attention, they complied. But after time, they simply resumed their old practices and nobody went free in that seventh year.
8 This is the word that came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people which were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty unto them; 9 That every man should let his manservant, and every man his maidservant, being an Hebrew or an Hebrewess, go free; that none should serve himself of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother. 10 Now when all the princes, and all the people, which had entered into the covenant, heard that every one should let his manservant, and every one his maidservant, go free, that none should serve themselves of them any more, then they obeyed, and let them go. 11 But afterward they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids. Jeremiah 34:8-11.
Apparently, the ordinances (as per NASB) and judgments (as per KJV), continued with the capital crimes, which would be considered so heinous, that death would be the judgment.
- Murder with intent. Punishment by death.
- Murder by accident and not with intent. There would be places of refuge.
- Patricide (murder of parents), was was punishment by death.
- Kidnapping (stealing somebody) was punishable by death.
- “Cursing” parents carried a death sentence. Cursing is קָלַל qâlal, kaw-lal' a primitive root; to be (causatively, make) light, literally (swift, small, sharp, etc.) or figuratively (easy, trifling, vile, etc.):—abate, make bright, bring into contempt, (ac-) curse, despise, (be) ease(-y, -ier), (be a, make, make somewhat, move, seem a, set) light(-en, -er, -ly, -ly afflict, -ly esteem, thing), × slight(-ly), be swift(-er), (be, be more, make, re-) vile, whet. Verb. Pick your meaning according to context. A verdict of death could be brought down because progeny continually and without regard to counsel, practiced contempt, vile, trifling and loathing behavior focused on afflicting parents.
But there is one notion that needs to be explained and that is a phrase that so many have taken OUT of context over the years. Inadequate Bible study, which can be thought to be the same as skipping over the Old Testament, perpetuates this notion that follows:
23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, 24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. Exodus 20:23-25.
This doesn't give license to respond back with THE SAME punishment as the behavior. This is a referral to Lex talionis. I'm not sure why we often use Latin for some ideas but, it seems to fit accurately. This is the “law of retaliation” or “retribution”, and if refers to a principle that states the punishment should be directly proportional to the harm or offense that was committed. This was an element of 'justice' that existed in ancient times, most notably in the secular world in the judicial writings if Hammurabi, the sixth best known Amorite king of the first dynasty of Babylon (modern day, Iraq). His code was once considered the oldest coded laws in human history (apart from those given to Moses I would guess). To return to the notion that the punishment should fit the crime, an example of this might be that in some countries in our modern day, a person caught stealing could have their hand cut off. (According to Islamic Sharia law, those convicted of theft can face amputation as a penalty.)
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not interested in punishing a crime by what we could label “over kill”. “Let the punishment fit the crime”. This expression word for word, originated in the opera by Gilbert and Sullivan, The Mikado. That was first performed in 1885. The notion was advanced far earlier, as we've seen in Hammurabi, but also advanced by Cicero De Legibus (On the Laws) in 106 BC. There's also traces in the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution. There it states that “excessive bail, nor fines, nor cruel and unusual punishments” shall be afflicted. Works for me.
We're going to move on in this same vein tomorrow, but for now we shall put a pin right here. It's 17 degrees F and there's been heavy cloud cover all day so far. AND, I might add, it's been snowing since I got up today. It's sort of stormy, but we've seen worse. Thirty-one days closer to spring. Two more weeks to put February, this shortest, yet longest month of my years, into history. The new motto that Mary-Sue initiated will see me through: Occupy and Give Yah Glory!
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:38-45.
1 NASB www.lockman.org for daily reading and KJV in commentary unless otherwise stated.
Daily Torah Bites ©
anne@anchorchurchsurfside.com
Ten Commandments
1
2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3
7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
4
8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
5
12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
6
13 Thou shalt not kill.
7
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8
15 Thou shalt not steal.
9
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10
16 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.