Sermon Tone Analysis

Shoftim

Introduction

Torah Portion

This Torah Portion goes from Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9

In our previous Torah portion we talked about Re’eh (beholding: a blessing, and a curse)

We talked about having two choices related to obedience / disobedience = blessing / cursing

Obedience to blessing

We talked about how the Lord does not want us to cling to a prophet, even when the prophet prophesizes things that come to pass, but to the Lord Himself.

We become what we behold: If we behold evil we will become evil, if good - then good.

Only God is good

Blessings means a gift- the increase of becoming more light like Yeshua

cursings If we depart (turn aside from) the way which HE commands you today after other gods

You must listen, keep - understand and hear all the words which He commands us- this implies studying the law to keep it within you that it should not be forgotten.

Warnings (deception) from Peter, John, Paul also from Jesus about false prophets, leading us to idolatry- which is rebellion through disobedience

Idolatry is not only found in the doctrine, or prophet we cling on to, or the world.

We can also find idolatry in the altars we erect.

Last Torah portion we talked about how to destroy the possibility of falling into the way other nations worship and follow other gods -idolatry

Presentation

In today’s Torah portion, we are going go through some of the verses found in Deuteronomy that speak about the judges/ judging

This is not the kind of judgement we are asked by our Lord Yeshua not to judge by in

This is the kind of judgement that condems.

But there are at least two kinds of judgements:

In Greek: Krino and Diakrino

The first is Diakrino - discern

1252.

διακρίνω diakrinō; from 1223 and 2919; to distinguish, to judge:—decide(1), discern(1),

Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998).

The second one is krino

2919.

κρίνω krinō; a prim.

vb.; to judge, decide:—act as … judge(1), concluded(1), condemn(1), condemning(1)

Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998).

We will be focusing on Diakrino- discernment

We will connect both today’s Torah portion to the idea of the green tree from our last Torah portion

the objective is to understand that we must judge with righteous judgement

that righteous judgement needs to happen with wisdom

that righteous judgement starts with us personally, before we are called by the Lord to judge others

His kingdom cannot have order w/o righteous judgment - not an OT practice but also in the NT

Eg. 1 Cor 1:10; 1 Cor 2:15; 1 Cor 11:27-32

The Lord appointed judges and Officers in all the cities

These judges and officers shall judge among the people

They must use just judgement to judge the people

Where do we get that just judgement to judge the people if we are called to a position of an officer or a judge?

Consider: Abraham speaking to God regarding the judgement of Sodom and Gomorah

Deuteronomy 32:36 a(NKJV)

“For the Lord will judge His people

The Father appoints His son to pass judgment

Acts 10:40–42 (NKJV)

Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly,

not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.

And He has promised to give us the crown of righteousness

So that we can judge in righteousness

If I am righteous, my judgement shall also be righteous, and to be careful not to compromise and distort His words of righteousness

But history tells us that some are not ready to be put in a place of an Officer or a Judge

It seems to me Samuel is the one appointing

Our Torah portion says that we must follow what is altogether just

Do you wonder what is the meaning of all together just?

Who is altogether just?

The Jewish Publication Society translation in the Tanakh says:

Young’s literal Translation

Where then do we find these righteousness by which we shall judge?

The statues and judgements given by God are the the description of the righteousness of Yeshua: the character of God, the basis for just/ righteous judgement

Torah is one complete fabric, unit, message.

We divide it in portion to study and manage, but it is the same thread.

We cannot cut the Torah into pieces and say they are disjointed.

When we consider the idea of EVERY GREEN TREE from last week’s Torah portion found in Deut 12:2

What is it the Lord our God hates?

Deuteronomy 17:2–5 (NKJV)

“If there is found among you, within any of your gates which the Lord your God gives you, a man or a woman who has been wicked in the sight of the Lord your God, in transgressing His covenant,

who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded,

and it is told you, and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently.

And if it is indeed true and certain that such an abomination has been committed in Israel,

then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has committed that wicked thing, and shall stone to death that man or woman with stones.

What does the Lord hate?

Wickedness

Transgression of His love covenant

The serving of other gods (Idolatry)

The worship of created things and nature (sun/moons)

Doing what He has not commanded

The Law of God - description of His righteousness = His love Covenant

Back to the history of Israel:

2 Kings 23:4–7 (NKJV)

And the king (Josiah- righteous) commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the articles that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel.

Then he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, and those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven.

And he brought out the wooden image (ASHERAH) from the house of the Lord, to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and ground it to ashes, and threw its ashes on the graves of the common people.

Then he tore down the ritual booths of the perverted persons that were in the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the wooden image.

What we know about king Joshia

Back to last week’s Torah portion

Deuteronomy 12:3 (NKJV)

And you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and burn their wooden images with fire; you shall cut down the carved images of their gods and destroy their names from that place.

Asherim - wooden images

אֲשֵׁרָה

ST HB842.

אֲשֵׁרָה‎ Asherah (81b); of for.

or.; a Phoenician goddess, also an image of the same:—Asherah(18), Asherim(20), Asheroth(2).1

1 Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998).

Worshiping idols on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree

Idolatry offers convenience

It’s easy, accessible

Offers happiness right now

Something new right now

Offering fake things - trying to imitate that which is authentic