"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom
of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven”.
The
rulings contained in Exodus 21-24 provide us with a big window into the heart
of the Father. How more sensible our world would be if it acknowledged Hashem’s
wisdom in His approach to government. This is the problem today with the Bible:
so few ever tried it! Maybe they will one day, probably out of desperation when
the best of man’s efforts will have only led to catastrophe, as they seem to
presently do.
For
millennia the world has not been able to care for its poor. Even today, with all
our sophistication, at its best, all the world has to offer is a ‘slave-master’
economy based on cruel usury (Proverbs 22:7) which is forbidden in God’s eyes
(Exodus 22:25-27). In the Torah, lending to the poor in need is not an option,
it is a commandment witch Yeshua reiterated in, Give to the one
who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you (Matthew 5:42).
An idea for the Messianic communities would be to emulate Jewish communities
and create interest-free lending funds. As times worsen, we certainly need to
pool our resources. Hashem is the Generous One; He cares for the downtrodden;
He has compassion on the poor and gives freely. As disciples, we should emulate
Him and be the same.
Another
ruling that we should be careful to observe is "You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler
of your people (Exodus 22:28). Miriam was afflicted with Biblical leprosy as a result
of disobeying this commandment (Numbers 12). If the English wording in this
verse seems strange, it is because the original Hebrew in the text of this
whole chapter merges the identities of God and of ‘Judges of the people’ into
one. In essence, in cursing or blessing the spiritual authority Hashem sets
upon us, we curse or bless Him.
This commandment is still relevant and here is an
important precedent for it. After Paul
publicly reviled a corrupt Sadducee High-Priest who was trying to unjustly
condemn him and had even smitten his face, the apostle apologized saying,
"I did not know, brothers, that he was the
high priest”. Paul then justified
his apology quoting
from Exodus, “for it is written, 'You shall not speak evil
of a ruler of your people (Acts 23:5).'"
This is a condition-less commandment.
Even if the ruler seems to you curse-worthy, you
are not to curse him with gossip, criticism, or open challenge. Let’s say you
don’t like the way things are in your congregation, after humbly presenting
your point to the persons involved, if things don’t change, just leave and go
where you can feel happy. It is certainly a sin to openly challenge leaders and
create a mutiny. If you do it, it will surely happen to you in return, either in
your congregation or in your family. Hashem will see to it. May we learn to
live by His rulings; Yeshua did!
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