God's "jurisprudence" and "Being Bondservants" in the LORD (Exodus 21:1-24:18)

[Jacob Ben Avraham]

PARASHA: “Mishpatim” (Judgments)  

 

We can ask ourselves;  "What constitutes a nation?"  Well, we could very well say:  "The People, professions, religion, and the legal/governmental systems.  "The People" (families)  "Professions" (how the people make their living)  "Religion" (how does faith play a role in a nation)  "Legal and governmental system"  (Jurisprudence, laws, courts, judges, etc) Every nation on earth is made up of those aspects.  Israel was no different.  

 

Israel left Egypt with millions of family members.  They arrived at Mt. Sinai to be united as "Am Echad" (One People, One Nation) their jobs consisted of two areas;  Agriculture/farming and animal husbandry.  They grew crops and raised animals.  Their faith was in ONE GOD, "Adonai-Elohim" just as we believe in the same ONE God, represented by Yeshua/Jesus, "God in the flesh" and then, the legal system of laws and "answers to legal situations" The "judgments" were those "answers" to legal situations in the jurisprudence of Israel.  In Hebrew, the word is "Mishpatim" .

 

In this section, there are about 50 commandments, so, space does not permit an explanation of each one.  I did do a YouTube video on this section, which ended up being 3 videos.  But I will concentrate on a few. 

 

EXODUS 21:1-24:18

 

     This parashah involves the giving of a variety of commandments, that Elohim gave to Moshe to give/write down and teach to “The children of  Israel” The first has to do with slaves and the treatment of slaves. The system of slavery in Israel back in Biblical times was much different from the cruel slavery of Africans in the United States, The Caribbean islands, and South America starting from the 1600s, into colonial days, up until the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. (in the United States). England, Spain, Portugal, and France were all involved in this "slave trade" 

 

     Unfortunately, the slave owners used the bible as a “reason” to own slaves, as they said, “The Bible permits slavery!”  Yes, but only in extreme circumstances when one could not pay one's debts. The person was only a slave for 6 years, in year 7, the master had to release the slave and give the slave gifts of oil, wine, and wheat, so he or she could start a life over again.  The slaves could not be abused, like slaves were whipped and abused under American slavery.  But if the slave wished to remain with the master, the master could make a hole in the slave's ear and put in a ring, indicating that the slave was a slave for life, (being the choice of the slave) but “life” was up to 50 years, until the year of “Jubilee” if the slave chose to be with his or her master for “life” and the year, let's say was “40” then, “Life” was 10 years more, and then the slave would be released. 

 

     It is interesting to read that the scripture says in Exodus 21:6 “Then his master will bring him before Elohim, and shall bring him to the door or the doorpost and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl”

 

     The word, Elohim, can not only mean “God” but also, “Those who represent God” perhaps Levites, officials of the Tabernacle, the temple, city, etc.  The word “Master” is a form of “Adonai” in this part, it is spelled; “Adonav” (his master).  The doorpost was the official place of doing business, like at the county clerk’s office.  So, the person who loved his master made his love for him official, before “Adonav” (His master) before “Elohim” (God himself and before those who represent Him.

 

     If the slave was hurt in any way, say the master hit the slave and knocked a tooth out, or put an eye out, the slave was to be released immediately, and with compensation.  Not so in America during the years of slavery.

 

     Rav Shaul/Paul the Apostle talks about being “bondslaves” or "Bondservants" to Messiah Yeshua, and that is our state.  Would we want to be “released” from following HIM? Would we want to be under a “different master?” There are only two that claim our lives; Yeshua or HaSatan. We were “bought with a price” the price of blood, and we were released from Satan's bondage, to follow and subject ourselves to a new master, “Adonai” which means; “my master” We are “servants” to the Most High God. The Hebrew word for “slave” and “servant” is the same in Hebrew; “Eved” slaves/servants were not considered “objects of purchase” or “property” they were considered “human beings” just like we are considered in the eyes of YHVH his “servants’ “children” “adopted sons and daughters”.  Do not sons and daughters serve their parents?

 

     ”An eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe; (21:24....) if you read on, we see that it doesn't mean, “if you knock out my tooth, I have a right to knock your tooth out too” or “if you blind me in on eye, I have the right to put out your eye” or in modern terminology, “If you break my stereo, I have the right to go into your house and smash your stereo” how, I ask you, does that solve the problem? It doesn't, it just creates more problems.  If we look at this situation in light of scripture, it is saying in other words; “just compensation for hurt or damage received”

 

     How would that work? If I broke your arm accidentally or on purpose, I would be responsible for taking you to the doctor and paying the medical bill, and even, paying you “lost wages” if you couldn't work.  It doesn't mean that the other guy could break “my arm too”.  If you broke my stereo, then I would expect you to either pay to have it fixed or buy me another one of equal value, (arm for arm, stereo for stereo, etc.)

 

     We continue to read about many rules, commandments, and judgments, that make very good sense, even today, yet many of these judgments are not practiced today, everyone is off to the lawyers for a lawsuit.  My opinion is that if the legal system today, was set up to reflect the Biblical standards of criminal justice in accordance to God's Word, there would be a lot less crime.  The criminals would think twice before committing crimes.  An example would be the following; A man goes to prison for stealing a car, sells it, and spends the money, so the prisoner has to work in prison and the money he would make would be sent to the victim to compensate the loss.  His sentence would end only when the sum is completed.  Or...the court system would pay the victim the money lost in the theft, and the thief would have to work to pay back the court.  This type of punishment would reflect more the Torah standard of criminal justice.

 

     We come now to Exodus 23:19. “You shall bring the first fruits of thy land unto the House of YHVH, thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk” One commandment does not even reflect the other.  It would be like saying, “Turn out the lights when you leave the house, hey, don't forget to check the mailbox for mail”. What has one got to do with the other?  G-d is saying is saying here to bring your tithe to the House of YHVH but then goes on to a different subject.  Would this; “seething a kid in its mother's milk” be taken literally? To break this commandment, one would have to take a kid goat, butcher it, cut up the meat, then take the mother goat, milk her, then boil the meat in the mother's milk.  Who would go to the trouble to do all that? Today, when people make stew, the meat is usually boiled/seethed in water with condiments, not in milk. But if we look at this commandment in a Derashic sense, (the moral and spiritual sense) we could get this understanding; 

 

     It may be all about the separation of life and death, of the clean from unclean (Tamei from Tahor) good from bad.  In “Basar v'chalav” (meat and milk) we can see that the word “Chalav”(milk)  spelled in Hebrew is “Chet, Lamed, Beit  (ch+l+v) yet the word “fat” is also spelled (ch+l+v) yet pronounced “Chelev” They are related, “milk” is a form of “fat”, and the fat of an animal was offered up on the altar to YHVH, as a “sweet savor” a “pleasant smell” unto YHVH, this was part of the worship service.  We worship G-d with our full “heart” and the word “Ch+l+v” contains the letters “lamed” and “beit” (l+v) (Lev) which means “heart” Milk symbolizes “life” a baby is nurtured by its mother's milk to live, to have life.  Yet the flesh (Basar) symbolizes death, as a believer, to be in the “flesh” is the opposite to being “in the spirit, full of life”.  Once the animal is cut up, if not used, the flesh sits and rots, flies come around, and it becomes “Tamei” (unclean) when we are in the “flesh” we are in a way of speaking, “unclean” spiritually, until we confess our sins, and become as “milk” (full of life) again, walking in the spirit, and, like the fat of a clean animal, being a “sweet savor unto YHVH” .

 

This is just one way one can look at this prohibition of boiling a kid in its mother's milk, from a Derashic (moral and spiritual) standpoint. (watch “Basar v' Chalav/Meat and Milk” on YouTube “Kehilah Melech Yisrael”)

 

     ”if you meet an enemy's ox or his ass going astray, you will bring it back to him again” (Ex 23:4) This is one way to make your enemy, your friend, make peace with him.  Would not this be for today as well, of course, it would!   “Do not oppress the stranger, seeing you were strangers in the land of Egypt” Other Bibles say “foreigner” The USA used to welcome all immigrants, but now many are being oppressed, being deported, being cheated in wages, we must turn this around and start helping those who come to this country to seek a better life, thus turning a curse into a blessing.  If you read from chapters 21 to 24, and look carefully at the commandments/judgments, you will see that most make perfect sense even in our modern days.  God's Word is right on the money! 

 

     Let's all serve as "bondservants" in service of our LORD and Savior.  Our life and rewards in Heaven will reflect how we served the LORD here on earth.  Let's be in HIS SERVICE every day of our lives.  

[David Koberstein]

On 2/12/2024 at 10:16 PM, Jacob Ben Avraham said:

PARASHA: “Mishpatim” (Judgments)  

 

We can ask ourselves;  "What constitutes a nation?"  Well, we could very well say:  "The People, professions, religion, and the legal/governmental systems.  "The People" (families)  "Professions" (how the people make their living)  "Religion" (how does faith play a role in a nation)  "Legal and governmental system"  (Jurisprudence, laws, courts, judges, etc) Every nation on earth is made up of those aspects.  Israel was no different.  

 

Israel left Egypt with millions of family members.  They arrived at Mt. Sinai to be united as "Am Echad" (One People, One Nation) their jobs consisted of two areas;  Agriculture/farming and animal husbandry.  They grew crops and raised animals.  Their faith was in ONE GOD, "Adonai-Elohim" just as we believe in the same ONE God, represented by Yeshua/Jesus, "God in the flesh" and then, the legal system of laws and "answers to legal situations" The "judgments" were those "answers" to legal situations in the jurisprudence of Israel.  In Hebrew, the word is "Mishpatim" .

 

In this section, there are about 50 commandments, so, space does not permit an explanation of each one.  I did do a YouTube video on this section, which ended up being 3 videos.  But I will concentrate on a few. 

 

EXODUS 21:1-24:18

 

     This parashah involves the giving of a variety of commandments, that Elohim gave to Moshe to give/write down and teach to “The children of  Israel” The first has to do with slaves and the treatment of slaves. The system of slavery in Israel back in Biblical times was much different from the cruel slavery of Africans in the United States, The Caribbean islands, and South America starting from the 1600s, into colonial days, up until the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. (in the United States). England, Spain, Portugal, and France were all involved in this "slave trade" 

 

     Unfortunately, the slave owners used the bible as a “reason” to own slaves, as they said, “The Bible permits slavery!”  Yes, but only in extreme circumstances when one could not pay one's debts. The person was only a slave for 6 years, in year 7, the master had to release the slave and give the slave gifts of oil, wine, and wheat, so he or she could start a life over again.  The slaves could not be abused, like slaves were whipped and abused under American slavery.  But if the slave wished to remain with the master, the master could make a hole in the slave's ear and put in a ring, indicating that the slave was a slave for life, (being the choice of the slave) but “life” was up to 50 years, until the year of “Jubilee” if the slave chose to be with his or her master for “life” and the year, let's say was “40” then, “Life” was 10 years more, and then the slave would be released. 

 

     It is interesting to read that the scripture says in Exodus 21:6 “Then his master will bring him before Elohim, and shall bring him to the door or the doorpost and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl”

 

     The word, Elohim, can not only mean “God” but also, “Those who represent God” perhaps Levites, officials of the Tabernacle, the temple, city, etc.  The word “Master” is a form of “Adonai” in this part, it is spelled; “Adonav” (his master).  The doorpost was the official place of doing business, like at the county clerk’s office.  So, the person who loved his master made his love for him official, before “Adonav” (His master) before “Elohim” (God himself and before those who represent Him.

 

     If the slave was hurt in any way, say the master hit the slave and knocked a tooth out, or put an eye out, the slave was to be released immediately, and with compensation.  Not so in America during the years of slavery.

 

     Rav Shaul/Paul the Apostle talks about being “bondslaves” or "Bondservants" to Messiah Yeshua, and that is our state.  Would we want to be “released” from following HIM? Would we want to be under a “different master?” There are only two that claim our lives; Yeshua or HaSatan. We were “bought with a price” the price of blood, and we were released from Satan's bondage, to follow and subject ourselves to a new master, “Adonai” which means; “my master” We are “servants” to the Most High God. The Hebrew word for “slave” and “servant” is the same in Hebrew; “Eved” slaves/servants were not considered “objects of purchase” or “property” they were considered “human beings” just like we are considered in the eyes of YHVH his “servants’ “children” “adopted sons and daughters”.  Do not sons and daughters serve their parents?

 

     ”An eye for an eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe; (21:24....) if you read on, we see that it doesn't mean, “if you knock out my tooth, I have a right to knock your tooth out too” or “if you blind me in on eye, I have the right to put out your eye” or in modern terminology, “If you break my stereo, I have the right to go into your house and smash your stereo” how, I ask you, does that solve the problem? It doesn't, it just creates more problems.  If we look at this situation in light of scripture, it is saying in other words; “just compensation for hurt or damage received”

 

     How would that work? If I broke your arm accidentally or on purpose, I would be responsible for taking you to the doctor and paying the medical bill, and even, paying you “lost wages” if you couldn't work.  It doesn't mean that the other guy could break “my arm too”.  If you broke my stereo, then I would expect you to either pay to have it fixed or buy me another one of equal value, (arm for arm, stereo for stereo, etc.)

 

     We continue to read about many rules, commandments, and judgments, that make very good sense, even today, yet many of these judgments are not practiced today, everyone is off to the lawyers for a lawsuit.  My opinion is that if the legal system today, was set up to reflect the Biblical standards of criminal justice in accordance to God's Word, there would be a lot less crime.  The criminals would think twice before committing crimes.  An example would be the following; A man goes to prison for stealing a car, sells it, and spends the money, so the prisoner has to work in prison and the money he would make would be sent to the victim to compensate the loss.  His sentence would end only when the sum is completed.  Or...the court system would pay the victim the money lost in the theft, and the thief would have to work to pay back the court.  This type of punishment would reflect more the Torah standard of criminal justice.

 

     We come now to Exodus 23:19. “You shall bring the first fruits of thy land unto the House of YHVH, thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk” One commandment does not even reflect the other.  It would be like saying, “Turn out the lights when you leave the house, hey, don't forget to check the mailbox for mail”. What has one got to do with the other?  G-d is saying is saying here to bring your tithe to the House of YHVH but then goes on to a different subject.  Would this; “seething a kid in its mother's milk” be taken literally? To break this commandment, one would have to take a kid goat, butcher it, cut up the meat, then take the mother goat, milk her, then boil the meat in the mother's milk.  Who would go to the trouble to do all that? Today, when people make stew, the meat is usually boiled/seethed in water with condiments, not in milk. But if we look at this commandment in a Derashic sense, (the moral and spiritual sense) we could get this understanding; 

 

     It may be all about the separation of life and death, of the clean from unclean (Tamei from Tahor) good from bad.  In “Basar v'chalav” (meat and milk) we can see that the word “Chalav”(milk)  spelled in Hebrew is “Chet, Lamed, Beit  (ch+l+v) yet the word “fat” is also spelled (ch+l+v) yet pronounced “Chelev” They are related, “milk” is a form of “fat”, and the fat of an animal was offered up on the altar to YHVH, as a “sweet savor” a “pleasant smell” unto YHVH, this was part of the worship service.  We worship G-d with our full “heart” and the word “Ch+l+v” contains the letters “lamed” and “beit” (l+v) (Lev) which means “heart” Milk symbolizes “life” a baby is nurtured by its mother's milk to live, to have life.  Yet the flesh (Basar) symbolizes death, as a believer, to be in the “flesh” is the opposite to being “in the spirit, full of life”.  Once the animal is cut up, if not used, the flesh sits and rots, flies come around, and it becomes “Tamei” (unclean) when we are in the “flesh” we are in a way of speaking, “unclean” spiritually, until we confess our sins, and become as “milk” (full of life) again, walking in the spirit, and, like the fat of a clean animal, being a “sweet savor unto YHVH” .

 

This is just one way one can look at this prohibition of boiling a kid in its mother's milk, from a Derashic (moral and spiritual) standpoint. (watch “Basar v' Chalav/Meat and Milk” on YouTube “Kehilah Melech Yisrael”)

 

     ”if you meet an enemy's ox or his ass going astray, you will bring it back to him again” (Ex 23:4) This is one way to make your enemy, your friend, make peace with him.  Would not this be for today as well, of course, it would!   “Do not oppress the stranger, seeing you were strangers in the land of Egypt” Other Bibles say “foreigner” The USA used to welcome all immigrants, but now many are being oppressed, being deported, being cheated in wages, we must turn this around and start helping those who come to this country to seek a better life, thus turning a curse into a blessing.  If you read from chapters 21 to 24, and look carefully at the commandments/judgments, you will see that most make perfect sense even in our modern days.  God's Word is right on the money! 

 

     Let's all serve as "bondservants" in service of our LORD and Savior.  Our life and rewards in Heaven will reflect how we served the LORD here on earth.  Let's be in HIS SERVICE every day of our lives.  

WHY DID BONDSLAVES HAVE THEIR EAR PIERCED?

There was a song we used to sing about God piercing our ears as a mark of willingly becoming a bondslave, according to the process laid out in Deuteronomy 15. At the time, I was going through a protracted debate with my parents, who felt I was not old enough for pierced ears, so I really liked that song, and sang it defiantly. I did not understand it then, but that particular part of the Torah was not about jewellry. The meaning of this ear-piercing ritual that God outlines in the law is much more profound than I could possibly have imagined.
The instructions for making a regular slave into a bondslave are laid out twice in the Torah: Exodus 21, and Deuteronomy 15. As a rabbi once pointed out to me, it is highly interesting that right after the Ten Commandments, when God launches into his law, this the very first thing he says:
Exodus 21:1-6 “When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing… 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.”
Right after the dramatic Exodus from slavery in Egypt, God tells them that the first thing you should know about slaves is that they should go free. For nothing. That the Hebrew people should not be indefinitely enslaved, but offered the chance to go free after a limited time of service. After that, the slave might choose to stay – out of love for the master – but that should be a matter of free choice. Deuteronomy 15 reiterates the principle:
“If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today. But if he says to you, ‘I will not go out from you,’ because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you, then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever.” (Deut 15:12-17)
Why piercing?
Why a door?
Why an ear?
It does seem a slightly strange ceremony, doesn’t it? But as is so often the case with the Bible, if you scratch a little beneath the surface, there are all manner of truth treasures to be found. It’s a matter of asking the right questions and steady observation.

Take the principal ideas to start with: Nails driven through flesh? Blood on doorframes? Permanent piercing, with holes and scars forever? Does it sound at all familiar?! If you are starting to see the parallels, good.

WHY PIERCING?

The process was this: The slave, who for the reason of love wished to serve his master voluntarily, would be taken to a doorframe. Then a martzayah – something that is used to bore a hole (the word is only used in these two descriptions in the Bible) would pierce or bore a hole through the skin of the earlobe, marking the flesh permanently.
Paul says in Galatians, “I carry the scars of Jesus on my own body.” (Gal 6:17 ISV) The word for scar here is στίγμα – stígma. Here is the Strong’s Definition: from a primary στίζω stízō (to “stick”, i.e. prick); a mark incised or punched (for recognition of ownership), i.e. (figuratively) scar of service:—mark. The description continues;

A mark pricked in or branded upon the body. To ancient oriental usage, slaves and soldiers bore the name or the stamp of their master or commander branded or pricked (cut) into their bodies to indicate what master or general they belonged to, and there were even some devotee’s who stamped themselves in this way with the token of their gods.[1]

Paul is talking about scars, marks, stigmas in his own body that mark him out as a bondslave to Yeshua. But Yeshua also has permanent scars. His scars also came about from having his fleshed pierced on wood, as a result of love, and willing submission to serve. “Not my will, but yours”, he said. “The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve”. Yeshua is the ultimate servant, whose glorious scars all other scars can only be a shadow of.
“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.” (John 20:19-20)
He still has scars on his hands to this day, and forever – a permanent mark of his great love and willing servanthood, far beyond any conceivable call of duty.

WHY A DOOR?

The concept of bringing your servant to a door in order to carry out the whole operation is also quite interesting. The New Testament word for door appears 39 times, and is a fascinating study in itself. Yeshua says twice, “I am the door” in John 10: “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep”, and again, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture”.

A door is a passageway; a portal. It presents an opportunity to move from one environment to another. Isn’t that exactly what all of this is about? As a metaphor, a door can used to signify opportunity, and “The door of the kingdom of heaven” is said to denote the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God.[2]

When we think of doorframes in the Bible, our mind is whisked back to the Exodus story itself – a pivotal moment in Israel’s history. The moment when the Israelites were liberated from forced slavery, and were delivered into freedom, where they willingly entered into a covenant with their God – to follow his commandments. Blood on the doorframe is one of the most iconic images of this transfer from slavery into following a new Master in freedom. The blood of the Messiah from his pierced flesh on the cross, the blood of the Passover lamb on the lintels, and the blood of the slave who for love agrees to serve his master willingly.
Crossing over the threshold, through the door, must be voluntary. And Yeshua presents us with that opportunity. He IS that portal – he IS the door to the Kingdom of Heaven. It is no accident or mere matter of convenience that the servant is brought to a door for this ritual.

WHY EARS?

We find that earlobes also feature in two other significant places in the Torah – in the consecration of priests, and the cleansing of lepers: Leviticusi 8:1
“Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests… you shall kill the ram and take part of its blood and put it on the tip of the right ear of Aaron and on the tips of the right ears of his sons, and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the great toes of their right feet, and throw the rest of the blood against the sides of the altar.”
Levticus 14:1-4 “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing… the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two live clean birds and cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop…”
Scarlet yarn? Like the colour of blood? And hyssop, you say? Like they used to paint the blood on the doorframes on Passover night? Interesting…
It continues, v14-20: “The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. Then the priest shall take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle some oil with his finger seven times before the Lord. And some of the oil that remains in his hand the priest shall put on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. And the rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed… Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.”
So we have priests made holy to the Lord by their ears, thumbs and big toes being made holy with blood from the sacrifice, and then leprosy, a picture of sin in the Bible, cleansed and atoned for by blood applied to the same places, followed by anointing oil applied on top.
Our hands signify our deeds, our feet represent our walk, and our ears signify obediently hearing and obeying our Lord. It is a double picture of a life thoroughly cleansed and consecrated to God. Sin is atoned for, and the body is ready for service. Ear to the throne, ever ready to hear God’s bidding and carry it out. The Apostle Paul regularly himself a bondservant of Yeshua, using the Greek word doulos (δοῦλος) which means a slave, bondservant, one of servile condition, and we would do well as those redeemed from sin and consecrated as priests to see ourselves in the same way.
We are free – we are completely free to choose, but do you love the Lord so much that you will go to the doorway of decision and opportunity, Yeshua himself, and bear his stigma scars in your own body, surrendering the rest of your life to be God’s willing slave forever? We give up the right to call the shots – instead, we obey His instructions. Our lives are not our own, but then again, we do not have to worry about what we will eat, drink and wear, but our Lord takes care of us, giving us everything we need to carry out his will. If you would like to, why not read again God’s words in Deuteronomy, considering and applying each concept, and offering your life afresh in willing service to your Lord and Master.
“If the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master… 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”.

Shalom

Based on ideas shared in a Bible study with Orit Kramer