Mishpatim “Judgements”
It is customary for religiously practicing Jews to read from an annual cycle of weekly Old Testament readings called Torah Portions. This is said to be the same reading schedule that was taught every Sabbath in the Synagogues during the times of Jesus in the first century.
As Christians who profess our faith in Jesus, we study the Old Testament to understand the historical, cultural, and contextual background of the history of our heritage in Jesus. This is commonly known as the Messianic teachings of Christianity and is a part of our Saturday Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Dallas, TX.
While customs are not commandments, there is beauty for believers in Jesus (Yeshua) to understand their identity as grafted into the covenants with Israel. As descendants of Abraham, all Christians are heirs according to the promise given to Abraham even before Sinai. Christians should study and learn the Torah and show respect for their Jewish brothers and sisters. It is through the study of the law that we see another level of greatness in Jesus who is the lawgiver and the greatest Torah teacher of all time.
MIshpatim is the Hebrew title for “Judgements” and is the name for the weekly Torah portion reading for the Book of Exodus starting in chapter 21 verse 1 and going through chapter 24 verse 18.
It is also important to point out that along with the Torah portion readings and teachings, there are what are called Haftarah portions which are readings from the Bible in the books of the prophets. This week’s haftarah readings come from the book of Isaiah in chapter 66 verse 1 through verse 24.
The gospel readings incorporated with the weekly Torah portion readings come from the book of Mark in chapter 9 with verses 40 through 50.
As Christians exploring the Torah portion cycle we must maintain a balance of including the Old Testament, the prophets, and the gospels in our weekly bible study.
Torah Portion Overview-
The eighteenth Torah Portion reading is called MIshpatim. Mishpatim is derived for the first words of the first verse of the portion meaning “judgments.” Exodus 21:1 reads, “And these are the judgments which you will place before them.” In this Torah Portion we see legal codes of law and commandments that create a baseline for the Mosiac Covenant laws. In the last chapter it tells the story of Israel’s response and commitment to uphold the laws to establish their willingness to enter into a relationship with God.
Torah Portion Scriptural Highlights-
Exodus 21:1 The law in regards to slavery
Exodus 21:12 The law in regards to violence
Exodus 21:28 The laws concerning property
Exodus 22:1 The laws of restitution
Exodus 22:16 The laws for social and religious activity
Exodus 23:1 Justice for all people
Exodus 23:10 The Sabbath and Sabbatical Year
Exodus 23:14 The annual Feasts and Festivals
Exodus 23:20 The promise of the conquest of Canaan
Exodus 24:1 The blood of the covenant
Exodus 24:9 With God on the mountain
Haftarah (Prophets) Scriptural Highlights-
Isaiah 66:1 Judgment and Hope
Brit (Gospel) Scriptural Highlights-
Mark 9:40 Who is for us?
Mark 9:42 Dangers of causing one to stumble
The Book of Exodus “Misrayim” which means “Departure from Egypt”
The Old Testament is commonly referred to as the Torah. It is the most sacred of all of Israel’s Scriptures. Most of our modern Bibles include the Old Testament “Torah” as the first five books in the Bible. The name in Hebrew of the first book of the Bible (Genesis) is B’reisheet. The name “B’reisheet” comes from one of the opening phrases in the book of Genesis which means “In the Beginning.”
The Greek Septuagint is where we find the English name for “Departure from Egypt” called “Exodus.”
The English name for Exodus comes from the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. Exodus means "Departure from Egypt." The term Exodus is abbreviated from Exodus Aigyptou. The book of Exodus gives us the story of the children of Israel. It outlines their enslavement, their deliverance, through the idolatry of the golden calf, the giving of the Torah, and the Tabernacle. As we study the book of Exodus, we will learn a great deal about God but even more about ourselves. After all, this is the story of our ancestors. When properly understood, the story of our ancestors journey with God we see glimpses into how God works with us today.
As Messianic Christians, we find the book of Genesis and the stories therein, as a historical account of how we as believers are grafted into the covenants and promises of God with our forefathers and how we can learn to walk and learn from their actions.
To Watch an overview of this week’s Torah Portion CLICK HERE
