Parashat Shoftim

Due: or right. This does not refer just to animals brought as offerings, but any ox or flock animal (sheep or goat) that an Israelite slaughters to eat. (12:10ff; Lev. 17:3ff; Y'hezq'el 46:24) He does not have to bring them all to the Temple; if it is slaughtered at home, he might give it to the Levitical cities in his region. Why do these belong to YHWH? The foreleg, or arm (Heb., zeroa), including the shoulder--somethiung that can get the job done, and is therefore a symbol of strength (as used of Yoseyf in Gen. 49:24). "YHWH's zeroa" even appears to be a title for the Messiah (Yeshayahu 53:1); this is the shankbone that has been traditionally used by diaspora Jews as a reminder of the entire Passover lamb, and indeed YHWH says it was by His mighty zeroa that He delivered Israel from Egypt and judged Pharaoh (Ex. 6:6 et al). So part of the inheritance of those who are attached to YHWH and His service is strength and deliverance. The jawbones (alt., cheeks or jowls) symbolize their guardianship of Israel by controlling the words that flow from their lips. (Mal'akhi 2:7) Letting one's cheeks be struck is a symbol of submitting to chastisement from one's teacher when we have failed, in order to learn from it. (Lam. 3:27; compare Yeshayahu 50:5-9) Jaws or cheeks have to do with our ability to repent (Hos. 11:4), but if we do not learn when He is gentle with us (which He prefers), like any parent, He has to strike harder. Turning the other cheek (Mat. 5:39) therefore does not mean letting oneself be walked over by an evil person, but continuing to learn from our hardships and difficulties (more basic meanings of the word often translated "evil" there) to see what YHWH wants us to learn from them, rather than whining about them. This is a gift, though at the time it does not feel like one. He wants us to move on from where we are, not make the same mistake again, and hardship drives us to His word to find out what is wrong--and that is exactly where He wants us. This sets a real student apart from one who merely pretends to be one, for he is working toward the day when he will no longer need this. The prophecies of cataclysms like Yaaqov's trouble do not have to be so troublesome if we do what He says from the start, though we are inclined to need the drastic measures before we respond properly. So another part of the inheritance of priests is learning our lessons rather than being doomed to stay in the same place for too long. Stomach: this term specifically means the first ventricle of a ruminant animal--where it digests food and returns it for further digestion so it has something very nourishing to feed its young. This is a picture of our meditating on YHWH's word over and over so we can feed newer believers with greater accuracy and proper attitude--certainly the task of the priest. (e.g., Acts 17:11) The Torah is not to depart from our mouth, but to be "ruminated" on day and night. (Y'hoshua 1:8) Ruminants have four stomachs, and there are also commonly four levels on which we can interpret each passage of Scripture, which form an acronym for "paradise" in Hebrew. The first of them is the simple, stripped down literal meaning, which corresponds to this first stomach. While in exile we often have to teach mainly the spiritual applications, but this third aspect of our inheritance is that we will one day be able to take the Torah literally again at every point, doing exactly what it says and having YHWH's physical presence among us; this speaks for itself and the other levels of interpretation will be much more obvious when we have the literal right in front of us.

First: also the best, the choicest part. LXX, "firstfruits". Grain: from a term for "what multiplies". It is a picture of the community of Israel, to which the priests dedicate all their time. The fleece would provide the priests with clothing, not just food. Notice that all of these things require additional work before we present them--it is wine, not grapes, and oil, not olives, that are brought. The giver does the work so that the priest does not have to, and can stay busy with the responsibilities YHWH has given him. The firstfruits of other crops were brought at the feasts, maybe in part to vary the priests' diet on such a special occasion, since the required offerings usually consisted mainly of bread and meat. Others probably brought offerings of fresh fruits and vegetables in season if they lived close enough to arrive before they spoiled.

YHWH chose him, so you give him your best too. Because Levi stood for his sister's honor (Gen. 34), YHWH let him stand before Him. Serve: or "minister to, "wait on". Forever: literally, "for all days". Just because the Melchitzedeq priesthood is added to this one does not cancel the Levitical order. If they had continued to be the teachers--if they, rather than the rabbis, had been the ones who wrote the Talmud and Mishnah, and if we had let them be the leaders instead of insisting on having a king –the Land might never have spit us out at all. They are called the messengers of YHWH (Mal. 2:7)--a phrase often used of "angels" as well, but also often used of Moshe, so this may help us demystify many passages of Scripture which are not meant to refer to an angelic being.

Your gates: your jurisdiction, for he would have his own cities among the other tribal lands but no triabl territory of his own (v. 1). This is a Levite residing in an outlying city among all the tribes for the purpose of teaching all Israel the Torah and caring for the storehouses for the poor, widows, and orphans. The high calling (Phil. 3:14) is to be as holy as the holiest, not just Levites, but even priests. So he has a right to move up to the service of the sanctuary if he has this compulsion. There are many Levites and few priests, so the priests would need more help, especially at this time when there was only one nuclear family serving as priests. Staying: finding temporary hospitality, sojourning, but in regard to non-Israelites the term implies being there to learn about YHWH while considering becoming a part of His community. This allowance sets a precedent for YHWH's promise that one day He will take priests and Levites from those of all tribes who were exiled among the nations. (Yeshayahu 66:21)

Serve in the Name: LXX, "minister to the Name". He would still not be a priest as such. Stand: repeated from verse 5, possibly to remind us to get up to serve, even if everyone around us is still sitting down. By the time there was a Temple, no one except a king of the lineage of David was permitted to sit down within the inner courts of the sanctuary.

Share for share: i.e., the newcomer (who serves by his own choice) will have the same amount (portion) to eat as those who have preceded him as YHWH had prescribed. (Compare Mat. 20:9.) What pertains to the fathers: Not just his ancestors but the leaders in his own day. Now that he had a new job description, he had a new "father" as well, for he was in a different household. The Levites had no land, but had many physical possessions, because many gifts would be brought to them which they could not use for themselves, so they could sell them to buy what they did need. From this verse it appears that even these proceeds were divided up among all who served.

It is the Levites (vv. 1-9), not the Gentiles around us (vv. 10-14), who are to set the pattern for how we live. This type of compromise is what brought about the Christian calendar. But now that we are entering into Torah again, we find that some abominations have been set up in its realm as well, such as the forbidding of the use of YHWH's name and the forbidding of eating milk and meat together (an overextension of a command, which destroys a picture the same way Moshe's striking the rock the second time did). So we have pitfalls to avoid in both directions.

Pass through the fire: that is, to Molekh (Lev. 18:21), which means "ruler", symbolizing not just this heinous literal practice of burning one's babies alive to "guarantee" continued fertility, but turning our children over to the prevailing philosophies of our day--or letting the children themselves be the rulers in the house so that they become "spoiled" (useless to the community). Do not let those from outside the household of Israel set their standards or their priorities. Teach them yourself in the areas that count most. Divination: literally, distribution, as in playing the odds, looking at the things they roll, such as dice, to see what the "future" holds--i.e., gambling on which number to pick, but YHWH has told as not to worship the numbers. (Yeshayahu 65:11) Soothsayer: literally, one who observes or produces clouds--and indeed much of what they do is really only "smoke and mirrors", but the lesson that is closer to home may be related to clouding the issues. When Scripture is clear about something, one should not bring up other considerations. One can control people by building "straw men" and destroying them, appearing to have actually accomplished something. Monks copied the Scriptures, but did not give them to the people, because they could not have retained power or gotten away with teaching their doctrines if they had. This is not to be the case in Israel. Whisperer: one who conjures spells or tells fortunes by observing omens, but also a gossip, who produces unfounded rumors that take on a life of their own. There is something "forbidden" about whispering that attracts us in a seductive sort of way that is even more powerful than a shout. It undermines respect for our brothers, and there should be no such witchcraft in Israel. Sorcerer: one who casts a spell--i.e., uses any means other than obedience to YHWH to get where he wants to go.

Ties magic charms: LXX, "employing incantation"; the root word means to fascinate, and one can gain influence over people by putting on the best show, and can become wealthy by teaching Scripture as "hype". It can even extend to those who seek to share a laugh with us to build rapport in order to influence us to support their own agenda. Familiar spirits: the word is based on the word for "ancestor", and as such it is a warning to remember that our fathers did inherit lies (Yirm. 16:19), and even if they have found reasons not to keep the Sabbath, etc., the Torah still says it is a perpetual command. (Ex. 31:13) We should not inquire from our leaders on an issue on which the Torah and the prophets have already spoken. Why consult the Mishnah, Talmud, rabbi, or pastor, when the answer is obvious? YHWH will not tell us something different today from what He told Moshe. There is nothing left to inquire about; just obey! Also, do not inquire of the early Church fathers or the rabbis who lived centuries ago on aspects of the Torah for which there needs to be a fluidity, as each generation has different needs. Do not let the ruling of someone who was caught in a bind due to exile set your calendar for you when now there are people in the Land of Israel who watch the signs and seasons and can proclaim authoritatively that the only conditions YHWH set up have indeed been met. Wizard: literally, a "knower". This might be a psychic hotline, scientist, or any "expert" who claims to "know" something that disagrees with what YHWH has said. One who enquires of the dead: whether a spirit guide or a crucifix. A small core of kabbalistic mysticism is valid, but most gets into these practices, especially the modern version; it is only another form of self-promotion. But the angels warned Yahshua's followers from the start not to seek the living among the dead. (Luke 24:5) His death and resurrection are things to be thankful for, but we must move on and accomplish what He died and rose to make possible.

Abhorred by YHWH: He is disgusted with these people, destroying the myth that He "loves everyone". These people all focus on spiritual things--"secrets from the other side", while the priests live a physical life of Torah right in front of us as examples to us. The Torah is about what we have our hands on, what we wear, what is on our plate. All of these other things emphasize knowing about tomorrow at the expense of being obedient today, so that in the process we lose today--the only day we actually have, for it is never tomorrow, and even if there were it is not guaranteed us. (This is not meant in the hedonistic sense of forfeiting the benefit of later generations so we can have immediate gratification, but living out the Torah in the present rather than procrastinating.)

Entirely in accord: or perfect--that is, the Hebrew, not the Greek kind of "perfect" which is unattainable, but rather complete, whole, mature, seeking learning rather than childishly following after attractively-hawked mediums who only want your money. Be fully committed, with heart and head in the same place--looking wholly to YHWH, not these scattered deities which dissipate our energies and loyalties. This is Yahshua's authority for teaching that "taking thought for tomorrow" is what the pagans do. (Mat. 6:31-33) Instead, plant both feet firmly in Torah. Get all the way into community. Nothing else is to be your master. If anything else is our elohim, we will of necessity be imperfect.

15. "a prophet like myself from within your midst--from among your brothers--will YHWH your Elohim raise up. He is [the one] to whom you must listen,

Muslims claim this is speaking about Muhammad. Many have applied it, rightly, to Yahshua, and by his day people were expecting a particular one, referred to as "that prophet" (Yochanan 1:21, 45). But it does not specify a time frame. The direct hearers probably expected it to occur as soon as Moshe died, or at least in their lifetime. The text allows for this refer to any prophet in any generation, and indeed Y'hoshua was meant to be seen as the first, having authority like Moshe to them. It does no violence to the text to interpret it as referring to any time such a prophet is needed. The main point is that he is saying that YHWH will provide someone from among His people to answer our questions, so that we do not need to go to the outsiders listed in the preceding verses. YHWH wants to speak directly to Israel and lead through our knowledgeable interpretation of the Torah, not through one-time magical revelations that teach us nothing about His ways and cater only to our laziness.

He reminds them that it was there idea to forfeit a direct connection with YHWH and to have a mediator. (Ex. 20:19) So He will choose which type of mediator we will have.

18. "'I will raise up a prophet for them from among their brothers like yourself, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them all that we will command.

A prophet from among their brothers: not a god-man (Yoch. 1:18), and not an outsider, but a fellow Israelite--our "Kinsman-Redeemer". This was seen by the ancient Jews as a Messianic passage, and Yahshua was recognized as the one Moshe had spoken of. (Yoch. 1:45) Initially, though, the first Y'hoshua filled this position. Moshe gave him some of his authority, and he earned the rest. We will command: This verb is rather unusual; it appears to read "I will command us", though "him" would seem the logical object. The term "command" means, at root, to set in order. What YHWH says does set us in order in relation to Him if we obey it. It may also refer to YHWH and Moshe, since Yahshua (whom YHWH said was the one to heed, Mat. 17:5) ordered his life by the Torah (Mat. 5:17) and said he could do nothing but what he saw the Father doing. (Yochanan 5:19, 30) Yahshua appealed to Moshe's testimony about him. (Yochanan 5:46-47)

Require: seek out with precision, demand, conduct an investigation, but at root, the word means "tread out". YHWH will hold us accountable. He will tread it out of us in one way or another if we do not take Yahshua seriously; there will come a day--possibly even when it is too later--when you will admit that He was right. You will not be able to get away with having ignored Him.

In My Name: something clearly not presented as merely his own opinion. But what a fine line we seem to be asked to walk here. If we do not listen to one type of prophet, we will be in serious trouble; if we listen to another type, we may get in worse trouble! YHWH anticipates the question we will naturally have:

How do we know who is the crackpot and who is genuine? The one who is truly a "nut" does not bear the right kind of fruit! Yahshua adds that the one who truly desires to do the will of YHWH will have the truth made clear to him. (Yochanan 7:17)

The great sage Gamliel understood very well, based on this, that if it is from men rather than from YHWH, it will come to nothing. (Acts 5:34ff) The test is very simple: Does it come true or not? This puts those who set specific dates in a very precarious place. We should beware of those who are constantly predicting the future, for that is the "tomorrow-orientation" discussed in verses 10-14 again.) In the case of the prophecies that are to be fulfilled thousands of years later, they are given a specific point of reference such as "in that Day" or "in the latter days". But where we have rendered it "If the thing does not take place", it literally says, "If the word is not"; i.e., if it is not already established in Torah and if what he says does not come true--both factors must stand up, not just one or the other. If it does not agree with Torah, automatically discount it, even if his prediction comes true. (13:1-3) Do not be afraid of him: Hirsch renders it, "Have no scruples concerning him" (since we are actually told in 13:5 to stone him to death).

CHAPTER 19

Take over: dispossess, oust, and occupy. I.e., the whole Land of Israel is to be "occupied territory"! These are the "houses you did not build, vineyards you did not plant." (Y'hoshua 24:13) YHWH was not sending us to claim an empty land, but one that had the wrong people dwelling in it. He would cut them off, but we have to do the dispossessing. It is a "done deal" if we do our part, but He will not do our part for us. We cannot claim that Yahshua did everything for us; that is a "tradition of men" that nullifies the Words of YHWH. Each of His blessings has a responsibility attached to it. That is what a covenant is: party A does this, and party B responds with that. He provided the way to enter back in and showed us how to do our part, but He will not act until we take the first step. For each step we take, He seems to take ten toward us, but the ball is in our court. They were gathered just outside the Land, right on the edge; today, that can be almost anywhere in the world, because by air it takes only hours to get there no matter where we are. But we are not yet gathered, so we are not yet in context to be able to claim he promise again. We must work hard to be a viable people again, so that He can dwell among us and go before us. This job was the most dangerous they could have, but they were no longer children, and so were expected to be mature. What joined them together was commitment to one another because of the Torah. When we have fulfilled our responsibility to get in the right position to move, He will remove the obstacles. This is not limited to the literal Land; it applies to other situations as well: reclaiming promises that the Church has tried to co-opt as its own, setting the record straight about Muslims' lying claims to the Land, and even Yehudah's overstepping the promises made to it in particular. (For some reason many in Yehudah interpret our claim to be the Northern Tribes as another version of "replacement theology", but if they speak as if they are the whole of Israel--as in Yeshayahu 48:1--just who is replacing whom?)

For yourself: Again, YHWh left part of the job for us to do. He did not spell out which cities to choose; He gave us guidelines by which to determine which would be the best locations for the purpose. But the other side of the coin is that it is indeed for you, not just for someone else. It might be taking away one of the cities your tribe would have inhabited, but you will be ever so grateful if you ever need to use one of these cities. It is just like the storehouse tithe, which may seem steep if you have few resources, but one day you may be the one benefiting from it. After all, every one of these cities is being given to you, so don't feel cheated if a few of them are designated for specialized use. In the midst : I.e., in the Land proper. Moshe had already set up three of them (Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan) in the "extra" lands given to the two and a half tribes on the side of the Yarden which they had already conquered. (4:43) Y'hoshua did set up an additional three in obedience to this command. (Y'hoshua 20:2-8). The specific ones he chose were Qedesh in the Galil, Sh'khem on the border between Efrayim and Menashe, and Kiryath Arba (Hevron) in the south.

Prepare the way: LXX, "Do a survey" to find out which way will be the layout most conducive to hurrying to the cities of refuge. I.e., do not place the border just across the mountains from the city, making his flight more difficult. We need to make the road easily accessible so he can arrive there quickly. This is an established system of firm, smooth roads with any obstacles and overgrowth removed. The rabbis even say that at every crossroads there was some kind of directive pointing the way to the nearest asylum city. It goes without saying that the city must be there before the road can be built to it, but as we call the lost sheep of Israel back into Torah, there must be an infrastructure in place to support them, or they will not find it a refuge but a burden. Another application of this is that we should never get in the way of others learning to love their neighbors as themselves. For yourself: Again, build it as if you will be the one running on it, and it will then be acceptable for your neighbor's use. Dividing: into geographic districts, so the city would be as central as possible in each. Those actually chosen were little more than an average day's journey from any inhabited part of the Land. These cities are not backwaters, so no one can just sneak in; it will be easy to see him coming, for a court awaits him there. Upon arrival, he will be judged to determine whether he will be permitted to stay there:

5. "[For example, one] who goes with his neighbor into the forest to cut wood, and his hand swings the axe to fell a tree, but the iron [head] comes off the wood [handle] and hits his neighbor so that he dies--he [is the one who] may flee to one of these cities and stay alive

A modern analogy would be a drunk driver guilty of "involuntary manslaughter". If it was indeed an accident, he had better run to the nearest asylum city, for if he is caught, his next of kin will not accept a glib, "I am sorry". He is still held responsible for his action. Today, the world is greatly lacking in folks who take responsibility. We tend to think that, because it was unintentional, it was not our fault, but the Torah disagrees. But words alone can never make amends for what has been done. He should have made sure the head of the axe was tightened if he had just been whacking away at hardwoods trees, or ensured that he was not driving in the rain on bald tires.

Avenger: Hirsch, "acceptor of responsibility for". His nearest male kinsman--a brother, uncle, or cousin--is the one appointed to avenge innocent blood which "cries out" to YHWH from the ground to be avenged. (Gen. 4:10) The life is in the blood, and this answers Qayin's question with a resounding "Yes, we are our brothers' keepers!" There are many factors in play here. If a brother kills a brother, another of their brothers might actually prefer that he escapes to the asylum city so that he does not lose a second brother. (This may be another reason YHWH allows an uncle or cousin to carry out the sentence as well.) Numbers 35:6ff goes into much more detail about these "cities of refuge" or asylum. The person is not automatically scot-free when he arrives there, for he has to present his case there upon arrival. If the leaders believe him, he is allowed in, but is extradited to his home city for trial by his those who know him if the elders of the city send for him. If he had intentionally hit the other man with anything that could reasonably be expected to kill someone, he is counted a murderer, even if it was not premeditated. If they find him not guilty, he must go back to the city of refuge and remain there until the high priest dies. After that, he may return home if he lives long enough. (Y'hoshua 20:4) If he steps outside the precincts of the city, he is "fair game" for the avenger of blood, because though he is not a murderer, he is guilty of shedding innocent blood, which is a sin of a different category. Passion: literally, "heart". In the emotion of the moment, he does not care whether the death was intentional or not, and to kill the killer it would not be counted a "murder in cold blood" (for he has a right and even a responsibility to try to even out the equation again). Hated him: or "been his enemy" (Hirsch). There are two mandates that seem to compete with one another: the more general command that if someone sheds the blood of one made in the image of Elohim, his blood is to be shed by a man (Gen. 9:5-6, reiterated in Ex. 21:12) and the ideal implied here (when it says he "had no legal death sentence") that no one should be executed without having a fair trial first. (Compare verse 12 and 17:6.) By insisting on the road being well-prepared and the way not too long (so that everyone has a shot at justice), YHWH makes the playing field completely level, so that whatever the two men bring to the road (age, physical condition, or natural speed) is the only inequality in the equation, and it leaves the door open for Him to decide who arrives there and who does not. If the involuntary manslayer reaches the city of refuge first, it shows that YHWH is on his side and wants him to survive. This also allows for justice on lesser issues: a man may be abusing his wife and making her life miserable to the point that YHWH allows him to accidentally kill someone else so that he will be taken out of a context in which he is not fulfilling his role properly.) Yet still, because he has shed blood through his carelessness, he is still a prisoner, in a sense. His life will never be the same. He is not guaranteed any safety if he leaves the city before the high priest's death (which may or may not be before he himself dies). We are not even certain to what extent his family members were permitted to come live with him there, for by the time the Mishnah was written, this practice had already passed away because so much of the Land had been abandoned by Israel and overrun by others. When YHWH forgives our past and ancestral sins, He does not turn us loose to go wherever we want to go; we must remain within the parameters of His Torah.

The etymology of the Hebrew term for these cities of "refuge", "asylum", or "shelter" is fascinating: It means "place of those maimed or lacking in body parts"! It seems like a rather negative situation, for everyone living there (except the Levites who administer it) has killed someone. Many people who bear a lot of guilt are all crammed into one place. But there are positive things to glean from this. Someone who has had to leave his relatives and inheritance behind (for only death would await him there) is certainly as handicapped as someone missing part of his body. So every one of them is lacking. It is as if they have been amputated, or are even dead to their old relationships. They each much be attached to a new city. But serving one another--filling in for each other's lack--is an antidote to the depression they must feel. This comes alive for us today when we read Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 28, where YHWH is out to bring down the pride of Efrayim (the Northern Kingdom) like an avenger of blood. We would be "put through the wringer", but He says He will leave a remnant and will be a crown of glory to those left over (like these "missing body parts"). He will bring justice to those who turn back the battle at the gate--language very reminiscent of the city of refuge. Yirmeyahu 23:1-6 confirms that it is the remnant of Israel that will be regathered as this flock and brought to safety. Mikha 4:5 identifies the remnant as "the lame" (those missing body parts!) and those driven out and afflicted by YHWH. "Lame" here really means "limping ones"--suggesting our ancestor Yaaqov, whose walk was forever altered after he wrestled with self and with YHWH. Hebrews 6:18 speaks of our having fled to Yahshua for refuge. Yet there He is also identified as our High Priest, and this was written after his resurrection. He will not die again. So we are never to return to where we came from, or the avenger of blood has every right to us. We are not to look back once we have put our hand to his plow. Those missing body members are now to fit together and make up for each other's lack (2 Cor. 8:14-15), being members of one new body (Rom. 12:3ff; 1 Cor. 12:12-20). When by ourselves, we are handicapped, but when enough with missing parts come together, we have Israel. The "city" we now form (Heb. 11:10, 16; 12:22; 13:14) comes about by our being reattached to one another. To fit together, we have to understand what our particular job is; the big toe is not to try to function as an ear-lobe. We cannot do whatever we want; there is still judgment in this city, for we are under the authority of new elders. This group is not made up of the rich and powerful, but those who know they are needy by themselves. But we are not completed simply by the Messiah, as Christian doctrine would wish; rather, we are made complete by the rest of Israel under the Messiah. We need the whole flock He came to gather. If we accept YHWH's rebuke about where we are lacking, the body can come together and supply the parts that each one is lacking. But this chapter highlights the fact that a large part of what we are lacking is preparation for Torah-based justice--which is one of the main hallmarks of Israel, and of YHWH Himself. The Psalmist says that justice and righteousness are the foundation of YHWH's throne, so to lay the foundation of the Kingdom, we must be well-versed in these areas. And His throne cannot be established in our midst until we build the foundation. Moshe had to establish courts before Israel entered the Land, and again we will need to have systems in place in advance so we are not caught unprepared when the time comes. Step one is to know the Torah intimately. It shows that justice is all about loving one's neighbor as oneself--holding each other to the same high standard. Most modern people have a problem with being judged, saying, "Who are you to judge me?" But there can be no justice without every one of us being subject to judgment. In Hebrew, the two terms are inseparable. There is no way to be an Israelite without walking in judgment. We would hope the outcome would not be condemnation, but in some cases it must be, as shown here. The best way to avoid needing to be judged by others is to regularly judge ourselves, but this is not always adequate since each of us is lacking understanding in some areas and we all have blind spots. This is one of the harder aspects of the restoration of Israel. It is tough to implement this kind of stricture with those we love. And most Israelites are used to being rebellious or following their bleeding hearts rather than the Torah, yet all must be brought back into this pattern for Israel to function properly as a light to the nations.

9. "if you will be careful to carry out all these orders that I am commanding you today--to love YHWH your Elohim and to walk in all His ways every day--then you shall add another three cities in addition to these three,

This would bring the total of Cities of Refuge to nine. This command is yet to be fulfilled. The territory YHWH promised to Avraham (Gen. 15:18) is all the way up to the Euphrates and down to the Brook of Egypt. This would be the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites (15:19), which they had not yet conquered. Y'hezq'el's description (47:15ff) includes at least half the Negev and much of present-day Syria. Z'kharyah 10:10 suggests that it will include Levanon, or that it will at least be a holding center while those being brought back in from Assyria, etc., await a place to settle. David and Shlomoh (2 Chron. 9:26) ruled over all the kings in this territory, but there were still other kings there, so this is more a sphere of influence than additional lands the Israelites themselves actually spread into, so these additional three asylum-cities have never yet been designated, or at least are not in the records available to us. It is uncharacteristic of Moshe to speak of something we might have at some point down the road. But he is saying that if we are faithful in what is least and get this much right, YHWH will give us more. (This is also a test, because when we have more--when we are no longer struggling and wondering where our next meal will come from--we tend to slacken in our faithfulness.)

He is concerned that this Land, which is intended to serve as a restoration of Eden insofar as is possible in this age, be free from all forms of injustice, especially wrongful destruction of life. Though the avenger of blood may technically have the right to kill the slayer of his kin at any time, YHWH considers him deserving of protection until tried and proven guilty. The kinsman redeemer is a stand-in for his dead relative, for better or for worse. He acts in his stead to raise up a child for him if he could not do so during his lifetime, and he avenges the one who can no longer avenge himself. This way there is always a voice for the one who has lost his voice or influence.

It is human nature to try to take refuge even where we have no right to. When someone knows he is guilty, he naturally begins looking for an excuse. It is one way to know that you are guilty! And if you pin it on someone else, the case is already sealed up. It is hard to be honest when a death penalty hangs over one's head, but if he is not, his soul becomes corrupted, and he becomes a liar, for which there is no room in the Kingdom. (Revelation 21:8) He used to know what a lie was, but now he is fighting for his life. But blaming another is no place to take refuge. As seen above, there is still a price to pay for accidental killing, but murder (premeditated, maliciously-motivated killing) can only be paid for with one's own life:

Notice that those of his own tribe and clan still have jurisdiction over him no matter where he is living. The city of refuge is not intended to allow anyone to get away with murder or escape true justice. If they find it to be intentional, the avenger is still the executioner, but now he has the added recognition of the proper authorities, in case he should have any misgivings. Even Yahshua cannot protect us if we sin willfully. (Heb. 10:26) Justice sometimes requires such drastic action in order to prevent much more needless bloodshed. This is not the wild west or the barbarians; it is the Torah, and we need to prepare our hearts and minds for such a change in law from what seems normal today. Malice clouds reason, so YHWH has a solution in place for those who succumb to it. There is already enough unavenged blood crying out; how much more when we know it was deliberate? If we do not report it, we are as guilty as the one who actually lifts his hand. This is far from an everyday event in Israel, and no one should ever be eager to fulfill this responsibility, but we must prepare our hearts in case we must, for the Torah does not change with the whims of society, and it does not ask for our opinion, though some will undoubtedly protest. There is no freedom of speech where YHWH has already spoken.

This does not seem fair, but it is just. Your eye: an idiom for whether one is generous or stingy. To be liberal here, where YHWH is strict, would be the kind of "light that is darkness" of which Yahshua spoke. (Mat. 6:23) Notice that he said, "If your right eye offends you, [go as far as to] pluck it out", for we are to let our left eye rule in this case. Not pity him: This is the kind of obedience that really separates the men from the boys. When it is not a season for mercy, as here, we need to close our right eye. If there is a way to look at this through the right eye, that should have been done at the trial; afterward it is inappropriate. If we are weak in judgment, we sometimes have to put a "patch" over the eye of mercy until we are better balanced. People who are overly-indulgent are like marshmallows, sweet but full of nothing but empty calories, while those who have no mercy are like rocks, which are not nutritious either. We must do what needs to be done to uphold Israel's ability to love one another. There is no true mercy without judgment, and vice versa. If we are lacking in either, we are half-blind. If we are always about mercy, we will be unbalanced and spineless--another form of "lacking body parts". Yet if applied in equal measures, in YHWH's mathematics, mercy still somehow outweighs judgment. (Yaaqov 2:13) This acting one way in one season and a different way in another is not double-mindedness; it is being well-rounded. Rashi says this means you should not say, "The first [person] has already been killed; why should we kill this one too and cause two Israelites to be killed?" (Sifrei) We dare not forgive one who has wronged all of Israel, and brought blood guilt on YHWH's Land and people. Purge: lit., "burn away", remove, consume, or do away with. The success of this enclave of righteousness in a world gone bad depends on ridding it of any vestige of what expelled man from Eden in the first place.

Shift: move or displace; Aramaic, alter. This is a form of stealing. These boundaries define our inheritance like the rods of rebar that we have today. The fact that your neighbor may not know exactly where the property limit that his earliest ancestors in the Land (the patriarchs) set up is does not give you the right to adjust it to your advantage when he is not looking. We need to leave it where Y'hoshua put it. The root word for boundary (or border) is "a twisted cord"--the rope used to measure or mark it off, but it recalls the three-stranded cord which is not easily broken. Moshe set up a rope boundary around Mt. Sinai, which we were not to let our hearts lead us to cross. This specifically links the Torah to the tribal lands: if we are again obedient to His commands, He will restore us to our proper lands. If we do not "bind it back up" (give the Torah its right interpretation rather than slackening it, Mat. 5:19), our land will remain trodden underfoot by "dogs". This is not being bound hand and foot, as so many imagine, but being supported and braced as with a belt or girdle. A boundary defines how far we can go. Moving it changes or perverts one's inheritance. Which the first have laid out: Christianity removed the boundaries that the first "great prophet" (18:15) put there. It was not the Messiah who did that; He went to great lengths to emphasize that He was not redefining our inheritance. (Mat. 5:18ff) YHWH gave us the Sabbath, His festivals, and all of the Torah as our inheritance. He did not change that, and recognizing this is now allowing us to locate the original markers again and treat them, not the diminished boundaries, as the standard. Our inheritance is not a cloud, a harp, and a halo, but this very same Land and the instruction-book that deeded it to us. But why is this verse positioned right here? Because there is great temptation to change the boundaries of justice as defined in the earlier part of this chapter. Many have tried, but pity the fool who gives an Israelite permission to move any of them--even the one that says, "You should not keep the Torah if you are not Jewish."

Piece of evidence: or "witness". We need witnesses at such a trial because a life is at stake. One fact can always be skewed to mean many things. This also applies to doctrines. None of them may be based solely on one verse, for it can easily be taken out of context. It must be something stated at least twice in the Torah o three times in the prophets; if it is found in the New Testament alone, this carries no weight, since it has been tampered with much more often than the Hebrew Scriptures. Error: or lapse (Hirsch). Two or three witnesses: Do not believe gossip if it is spread only by one person. The same holds true for doctrines: they cannot be based on only one verse, especially one from the "New Testament". Anything that does not agree with the Torah and prophets is not trustworthy. (Yeshayahu 8:20) If there are not two witnesses in the Torah, we need one from the Torah and two from the prophets that all agree before we can interpret Scripture definitively. In a more difficult case, or when the competence or motivation of the witnesses is suspect, three are required.

Hostile: vicious, violent, or malicious; Heb., hamas, the very name of the violent terrorist group in the Land today. In fulfillment of Psalm 35:11, this happened in Yahshua's own trial. (Mat. 26:60) It also happened to Stefanos. (Acts 6:13). Treason: apostasy, departing from the way, defection.

18. "and the judges shall investigate thoroughly, and if the witness turns out to [be bringing] fraudulent evidence or bringing a false accusation against his brother,

Fraudulent: unfounded or deceitful. This is a breach of the ninth commandment.

Yahshua gave us sage advice: "What you sow you will reap." Others say it in a different way: "What goes around comes around." What you put out is what will come back to you. If you accuse your neighbor of stealing three of your sheep while they are actually hidden in the barn, you owe him three sheep. If we sow laziness, others will let us down too; if we sow commitment to others, we will find many committed to us as well. The false accuser is worthy of the same punishment he wanted to come on the one he accused, because the charge came from his own twisted mind. The idea originated there, and it must be purged away. How much better it would be if he would simply turn himself in, and better still, if we not only would no longer fail to take responsibility, but would even take responsibility for things that were not our fault, for maturity says that if it affects all of Israel, it is indeed my problem too.

Some will argue that verse 21 means we will have a land full of one-eyed, toothless cripples! But rather, we might have one or two of those--but a land full of many more careful people! There is no slow torture or time spent on death row, only swift action that will deter others from repeating this error. YHWH gave us the responsibility to avenge our brother's blood, in direct repair of Qayin's refusal to take responsibility, in hopes that we would be so concerned for the life of our brother that we would never need for this to occur.

To just say this today brings great condemnation, but it is YHWH's instruction. Justice must be upheld, no matter how painful, for it means mercy on the rest of Israel because the evil threat is removed. The context for "an eye for an eye" is not simply someone who is careless and injures another by his negligence, but one who specifically wanted to inflict this injury on another and was not successful in doing so, being found out before he could get away with it. I.e., however he wanted to penalize his brother is how he must be penalized. (v. 19) A parallel passage is Exodus 5:22ff and 21:24, where we see the same penalty for other types of damages, and historically the ruling was that if the injury was indeed judged to be accidental, the defendant would pay damages acceptable to the victim rather than having the physical injury inflicted on him as well. If it was intentional, both penalties would be imposed. Our job is not merely to regather Israel, but to regather them to these ancient boundaries, and build the highways that lead to the cities established at the first. Yeshayahu 11:16ff speaks of a highway being built for the remnant coming from Assyria. In chapter 35, Yeshayahu adds that when we strengthen the weak hands and fearful hearts, Elohim will come and save us. Then the lame (those missing body parts) will leap like a deer, and a highway will be there which is called "set-apart". The wicked will not be permitted there, but even fools will not be able to go astray if they stay on it. But highways do not just magically appear. They have to be funded, planned, and built. So prepare the way! Take away all the stumblingblocks! Teach one another so they will avoid the pitfalls we've encountered!

CHAPTER 20

When: literally, because. This assumes that Israel will have battles to fight, whether they be physical people occupying our Land or just the enemies that well up from within: laziness, selfishness, ignorance, or apathy, which keep us from the Land. We must never just accept these things and surrender to them. Time is short; we have the first open door to repent and go home for nearly 2,000 years, and we could "blow it" just as easily this time. Those who did not gather in Goshen did not get to leave Egypt; some remained attached to Egypt and received the full force of the plagues. This first phrase also assumes Israel will be on the offensive rather than the defensive. More than any other title, YHWH calls Himself "YHWH Tzv'aoth"--commander of armies". We must posture for a greater offensive and conquer the things that stand in our way. Pre-empt their attack and beat them down by filling our lives with study of Torah and with loving our neighbors as ourselves--and as the Renewed Covenant take the standard a step higher, considering our neighbors even more important than ourselves. Qoheleth (Eccles.) 3:8 says there is a time for war. When is it? For our ancestor Avram, it was when his kinsman was taken captive by enemies. (Gen. 14) Our brothers have been taken captive by the church, by rabbinical tradition that does not align with Torah, by the Babylonian system, by the god of Security, and/or by selfishness. Avram could not go against them alone; he took 318 trained men. They could not set anyone free if they had not been properly trained, and if they were not working together. The Hebrew word for battle is from the same root as the word for bread, which is a symbol of community. (1 Cor. 10:16-17) When we battle against self, this feeds community. We should expect our enemies to appear greater and better armed than we, but this is only a set-up to show that YHWH's arm is still stronger. One way to tell if we are on the right side is if we are clearly in the minority. (Mat. 7:14) Why should we not trust the One who has proven Himself so many times? No individual in his right mind would go to war against an entire army; he would simply be slaughtered. The very psalm (118) that tells us "it is better to trust in Him than to put confidence in men" also says "YHWH is for us through those who help us". He works through His people. M-16s and bombs are not how we will win this war, and not even by tornadoes or pillars of fire. We win by trusting His people to be there for us, and by being there for one another, proving trustworthy. If we have an army that He has put together, it does not matter how large it is; take care of one another, and we will see miraculous victories. "Prayer warriors" are a valuable part of the team, but we also need teachers, those who provide comfort, sage advice, and wisdom. An army runs on its belly, so this is another way to contribute. Everyone who helps to defeat what prevents us from going Home is needed. When we learn to operate as a team and are willing to die for one another, we know we can trust those who are in the "foxhole" with us. Is that not the greatest example? (See Yochanan 15:3.) When we know others are going to battle with us, we will only choose those battles that are truly worth fighting. And we have so many things to fight that we will have no time to attack one another. Yes, we will need to rebuke and correct at times, but we will set aside the trivial and focus on the weighty matters. We set our brothers free with the "two-edged sword" of YHWH's Word. (Heb. 4:12) Many of the things we battle against are things the world defends; even many who call themselves Israel still defend the deity of a man. ButYHWH will never allow us to defile His Land with that. Do not be afraid: Don't sweat it; we have the secret weapon that they think they have, and when they open the case they think it is stored in, they will find it empty, for YHWH is with Israel. Elisha was obedient to this command when an army came against him, and both he and his servant had a greater revelation of just who the human forces were up against. (2 Kings 6:17) Our greatest defeats come from worrying about what might take place rather than letting these challenges show us just how YHWH can overcome them. Since Elisha follows Eliyahu, the spirit that is again coming "before the Great and Terrible Day of YHWH", Elisha represents the time that will follow this one, and this may thus be a prophetic allusion to the time when all nations will hem Israel in and threaten to snuff out its existence. For that time period, we are told here not to fear, but rather to obey the following procedures:

This is a war priest, one of Aharon's descendants. He represents YHWH's heart toward Israel as it gies to battle.

Be timid: soft or weak. A heart is meant to be not hard, but firm. There are times for our hearts to be soft--especially toward YHWH Himself--but a soft heart out of season is also an enemy. YHWH will strengthen our heart if we have courage. (Psalm 27:14; 31:24) We are not to follow our hearts, but take control of them and tell them how to feel! Follow His heart. We must tell our souls to praise Him (Psalm 146:1), for naturally in such a circumstance they will not. The first step in our training is to learn not to be afraid. The first thing to majke war on is our fears. This also depends on having a community there to support us, because this command is to the whole of Israel. As individuals we do not have the promise of YHWH's presence, for He said He would be in our midst, and He cannot be "among" one person. Fear denies what YHWH has done and proves we do not believe He is who He says He is. Cowards and the unbelieving are at the top of the list of those who will receive the second death, even before the unbelieving, murderers, sorcerors, etc. (Rev. 21:8) This is the Torah's view of those who run from the battle. Afraid: or nervous. Lack of fear is connected with possessing the Land. (Deut. 1:21) Fearing the people who await us where YHWH is taking us is actually rebellion. (Num. 14:9) They are "bread" for us, not vice versa. In 31:6 He reiterates, "Do not fear or be afraid". Is there a difference? The first correlates with the first two items in the list here: they are are inward experiences--the "oh, no!" and the sinking heart. The second correlates with the last two here, which are outward demonstrations of fearfulness, which influence our fellows, so if we cannot keep from the inward fears, we must at least keep them in check so that we do not discourage our brothers. Courage is not foolish spontaneity, though if we wait to express our initial determination, we will find reasons to turn back. Such hesitancy is detrimenmtal to the Kingdom. Defeating fear is the biggest step in the battle--getting to the point of saying, "Come what may, here I go, whatever the consequences!" Then teach the rest of Israel to walk in the same courage. How important is this? Genesis 36:24 links "Do not fear" with YHWH's being the Elohim of Avraham. In other words, this is an integral part of the covenant. He even uses it as a test. (See Ex. 20:20.) If we fear anything other than YHWH, we will fail. Their presence: or faces. If we are decent people all of the time, there will be no difference between what we say about someone behind his back and what we say to his face. If we put checks on what is in our mind before it comes out of our mouths--or through our fingers, if we are writing to them or about them, then there will be no cause for fear when we do meet.

No matter how intimidating things appear, He is wtill YHWH and will come through for you if you are attached to this nation. Remember the covenant and there is no reason to be in dread.

Built a new house: usually done when one was betrothed, and his father would decide when the house is ready for him to get married. So this person is probably a very young man. Dedicated: or inaugurated. Hew has not yet written YHWH's words on its doorposts. (11:20) Lest he die: Yet v. 3 seems to promise that this will not take place. If one thinks that he will probably die in battle, he is already defeated. YHWH's presence with us cannot be assumed if our heart and our motives lie elsewhere and if we do not trust Him. (Yaaqov/James 1:7) Let him (singular) go: It is as if the officers are speaking to the rest of the army, because while Israel is going to battle, this man is more concerned with his own house. He is more interested with what is his individually than in being part of the "team". They would not want such a man in the foxhole with them anyway.

Begun: can also mean "broken it in" or brought from a state of wildness to one of usefulness; to profane, or treat as common. In other words, he has gotten past the three years from which no one eats of it and the fourth year, when it is given to YHWH, and is into the fifth, when he himself may eat of it. He has been waiting this long, and a vineyard must be tended daily when the fruit is coming in; if he misses this open window, the crop can easily be lost. This is why "sitting under one's own vine" is a symbol of the peacefulness of the Kingdom after the Messiah conquers all nations. (1 Kings 4:25; Mikha 4:4) One can see why one would hesitate to go to war at such a time, but this forces people to decide which is more important to them. Looking at what one must leave behind never helps him focus on the job that is at hand.

Is all of this only about YHWH wanting His people to experience the fullness of life before possibly going to their death? Maybe, but if we really believe verses 3 and 4, then we would not really expect to die in battle, unless there is a situation like Akhan at Y'rikho, which led some Israelites to be lost at Ay. (Y'hoshua 7-8) Otherwise these are not actual threats, if YHWH is truly with us. If you have confidence in Him, you will not die, whereas, if it is your time to die, staying off the battlefield will not leave you any safer. Your new house might cave in on you, or you may trip over your vine and break your neck! He promises to be with the army; who knows what may be lurking in your vineyard? They would not be real considerations--expecting someone else to get our wife or vineyard--if YHWH has promised to give us victory. The gratification is only delayed, and that is when it is usually appreciated even more. After all, why would having someone else enjoy your cattle even come close to comparing with the privilege of advancing the Kingdom? And if your concern is that enemies will be the ones using your possessions, the smartest way to prevent that is to meet them on the battlefield with the army anyway. What each of these men has in common is that he has unfinished business at home. Their heart is expected to still be on personal matters, and therefore they will not be able to concentrate on the battle. Note how similar they are to the reasons those invited to the banquet in Yahshua's parable decline the invitation, and Yahshua specifically calls them excuses. (Luk. 14:16-24; he was clearly expounding on this passage in everything in the latter half of that chapter, even by casting it in the context of a feast, since "war" and "bread" have the same root, and Num. 14:9 says YHWH's enemies are bread for us. Those who do not go to the battle will not taste of this feast, and he then goes on to speak about prioritizing the Kingdom and counting the cost--which are really all different ways of teaching the same theme. ) This is the same principle as putting one's hand to the plow, then looking back, or wanting to go bury one's father first. If you have a conflict of interests, be honest with yourself and just go home. If your heart is not completely in it, stay off the battlefield and leave the job to others. Do not get yourself punished for causing others to stumble. (Mat. 18:6) But do not imagine, either, that this is an "honorable discharge", even if each of the "outs" is slightly less dishonorable than the one preceding it. It is not that YHWH is so much permitting these people to leave, as He is shaming them, for the only people counted in Israel are the soldiers. (Num. 1:3) He is not concerned for numbers, but that those who are in the trenches beside their fellows are trustworthy and single-minded, so do not be concerned to hold onto as many fighters as possible; those who are committed are the only ones whose efforts will amount to much anyway. If you are not willing to weed a garden, all you will have is a mess. But if we uphold His house, He will uphold ours, and He can do a much better job of it than we can. Nor is this saying that we have no choice but to turn back if we have a new house or vineyard, but only if we are more concerned about it than about building YHWH's House. Only for the first year not of betrothal, but actual marriage, does Torah insist that a man not go to war. (24:5)

Officers: the term means "those who write down", so no one will forget which ones went to war and which ones went home; the record will be available to all. Some will not be in the Book of Life, but the Book of Cowards. Gid'on said the same to his soldiers in the book that bears the same name as this Torah portion. (Shoftim/Judges 7:3) YHWH used this method to pare his army down to a mere 1% of what he started with. He only wants to work with people that are of a certain mindset. We should not voice our "what if's" as the ten evil spies did. (See v. 1) Even if the only thing you fear is that others will take what belongs to you (vv. 5-7), you do not belong in this battle, because fear spreads easily, sometimes causing mass hysteria. But, knowing the human psyche, YHWH gives the priest's words time to sink in, putting these three other challenges between the time he tells them not to fear and when the officer actually asks them who is fearful. He knows that it sometimes takes a while to work the natural nervousness out of our system and let our true preferences surface. And, thank YHWH, courage is also contagious. Children are not fearful unless they are taught to be afraid. Do our words and actions teach them fear or courage?

Note that there can be no leaders and no battle plan formed until after the fainthearted are taken away.

LXX, "call them out peaceably". The word for "call them out" in the LXX is the root word for "ekklesia", the called-out ones, because Yahshua intends to call all Israel back out of all nations peaceably. (See note on v. 12) Aramaic, "offer it terms of peace".

Your tributaries: i.e., those who pay you tribute--or, like the tributaries of a river, they "shall merge into you, but they will serve you". They become compulsory laborers for the Israelites who move into their cities. Israel cuts no deals; we offer them shalom by allowing them to walk the path of servanthood that we walk; nothing else is acceptable. They can become part of Israel, and retain no distinct identity and no baggage of their own. They can never serve self, only the whole entity of Israel. In the Kingdom, there will no longer be Baptists or Methodists! We have no record of any people actually making this choice, except the Nethinim (the Giv'onites who tricked Y'hoshua into sparing them, per Y'hoshua 9:21-27), who were not supposed to be in this category. Yet they seem to have truly become Israelites and greatly distinguished themselves, as noted throughout the book of Ezra. Avraham's servants were his students. In Israel, the one who serves is considered the greatest, and to be a slavce in Israel is better than being a king anywhere else. Where else do the slaves get one day off per week, and get to participate in all the festivities?

Peace: a settlement in which they completely surrender, for the verb here means "to complete". Compare Mat. 10:12-15, when Yahshua sends his disciples to proclaim the Kingdom--that those who left the covenant can become part of Israel again, but they must do it according to YHWH's terms. If the dust (descendants of Avraham) from there will not adhere to His "feet" (pilgrim festivals--i.e., His times and seasons), then the peace that is offered to that city will be retracted, and the city will fare worse than S'dom and 'Amorah. Treat it as an enemy: or "confine it", "besiege it", "close in on it". What does not serve Israel has no place in the Kingdom. If any of our habits or inclinations cannot be diverted into usefulness fo rth Kingdom, we must get that out of our life.

"When"--It is not a question of "if" He will deliver them into our hand. Strike down: Take away their ability to multiply themselves. Peaceful coexistence is not in YHWH's plan. On the other hand, this is not a knee-jerk reaction when our blood is boiling; battle takes careful planning.

Turned over: or entrusted, ascribed, designated, granted. Numbers 31:18 clarifies that it is only the virgin women who are to be preserved, for others may yet carry the seed of the other nation; only those who can truly be considered their "fruit" (children) are to be preserved, for they can still be incorporated into Israel without changing us; they are young enough to change their ways and assimilate.

The offer of peace only applies to those outside the Land. Paul says he will not judge outsiders; they are YHWH's problem. But within the area that is our jurisdiction, the highest standard must be maintained:

Here, there are no offers of peace; we simply attack. Not that we should gladly annihilate everything that draws breath--even their pet gerbils--but we have to be ready to keep any part of the Torah that is required of us. We will be grateful if we do not have to do this in our generation, but that may not be an option. It seems cruel, but there is a season for everything. If we must do this during our return , the half-sheqel is given to us to deal with the guilt. (Ex. 30:13) He is very clear about the limits of where we can perpetrate wholesale destruction, and in the midst even of that, He gives a further qualification in v. 19.

What does this mean to us today? The names of these peoples all have meaning. Chittites means "those who strike fear" in others. Emorites means "those who talk"--who boast, who want to teach you their ways, but cannot live up to their words. Kanaanite means "salesman" or "middleman". Prizzite means "the ones set outside"--who will not be part of a community. Chiwite means "to be chief"--those who want to lead (but use politics, not servanthood to get there). Y'vusite means "those who step on others". All of these still exist today in the context of usurpers of Israel's rightful position, so this is very relevant as we prepare to reclaim the inheritance YHWH meant us to have. These victims are symbolic of those who are "in the Land" who have drawn near but have not fully surrendered to Israel, such as pastors of churches, who should know better, but are unwilling to give up their salaries to teach undiluted truth, as opposed to the average person on the street who has no theology. They have muddied the waters by mixing paganism and the doctrines of men with the true water. (Y'hezq'el/Ezek. 34:19) They cannot be upheld in their current condition. They must sit and be taught by those who know Torah; they may no longer instruct (v. 17), even if they were once leaders in their own camps. Devote to destruction: to set apart, but for a different reason than to make something "holy"; this word is the one from which "harem" is derived, so this makes it clear that it means "off limits". You do not receive any of these as plunder. It does not mean they are herded together like in the Holocaust, but rather that we first set them apart mentally by seeing them as something to be destroyed. This makes it much easier to do the hard job of actually finishing them off. This is an ancient method still used to this day when even vibrant, intelligent cultures are in wartime given pejorative names so that soldiers can feel less traumatized when they must kill them. They have fewer psychological problems after they return home. So since this tool is provided in our arsenal, we might as well use it when the time is right. The allegorical meaning is that we are often much too fond of the things that stand in the way of the unification of Israel, and like this we must see them as essentially dead already.

History shows that the method described above works no matter what the context, but this is the context YHWH intended this attitude for. Though their practices probably riddled their whole cultures with sexually-transmitted diseases and possibly even AIDS which could wreak physical havoc if we spared any, the focus is on quelling their influence once and for all. He does not want us to learn to be like them. If we see them from the start as worthy of death, we will be less likely to let them teach us anything. With today's sensitivities, because the media wants to humanize the enemy instead of supporting their own government and justifying the war by emphasizing the savage actions of the enemy, many soldiers are actually instead converting to Islam and turning on their former compatriots. At the very least this teaches us to be careful of the company we keep.

Waste: use up, or spoil, ruin, destroy. Is a tree...a human being (Heb., adam? Aramaic, "trees of the field are not like humans, to be included in a siege." The thought here is that something that is not against us is for us. (Luqa 9:50) It is to be spared since we can eat from it. We may need these trees for sustenance if the siege is prolonged. Don't hurt yourself. This may seem like an aside, but it is actually very much on the same topic, because all he has been talking about in this chapter is weighing the fruit. It would be easy for some to take the preceding verses to the extreme since the Torah allows such actions, but that is not always in season. In fact, it rarely is. A balanced perspective teaches us to let stand what needs to remain standing. The enemies do not belong there, but the trees do. "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater!" It has taken these trees five years to become useful for fruit, and soon the fruit will be yours. Why kill it? There should be no useless slaughter, for what tree is going to attack you? This is an interesting priority of YHWH's--one that gardeners can relate to, and environmentalists as well. While some people worship the Earth, it is, after all, our home, and Heaven is not a viable option, so we do need to care for it. Make it more like Eden again, and that is precisely what we are told was there--fruit trees. So if we destroy them along with the wicked, have we gained much? On the level of pictures, that teaches that we must not "knock" or curse the "tree" on which Yahshua was executed, as much as it has been abused, for as long as we are still outside the City we are recapturing, it is our only lifeline and "goes before us" into battle as the firstfruit of the "Man" that we are all to become. (1 Yochanan 3:2) But throughout Scripture, fruitful trees are often symbolic of people. (Psalm 1:3; 92:12)

Are certain: literally, "which you know". Not a tree from which to eat: This immediately brings to mind the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden. YHWH barred our first ancestors from the tree of life so it would not be ruined, but He has allowed us to make use of the tree of "knowing" for His purposes in recapturing the City. But once that is accomplished, "knowledge is done away with" (1 Cor. 13:8) since "we know in part" (13:9) and whoever thinks he knows anything has not begun to experience the kind of knowledge he really needs (1 Cor. 8:2). Fruitless trees may be cut down. (Yahshua built a parable on this--Luke 13:6-9; compare Mat. 21:19-20.)

CHAPTER 21

Mortally wounded: slain, or more literally "pierced". There has to be some apparent evidence that he did not die of natural causes, and after that the likelihood of his being killed by an animal also needs to be considered. We should look for clues such as a big gash on the head or a slit throat.

Elders: Rulers of tens, fifties, etc., but all heads of households, even if not elders in their locales, need to be familiar with the general command, because this is our system of accountability. If we have leaders who are not upholding Torah, then we need to direct them back to it. If all of us are familiar with the details of the Torah so that we know things are being done rightly, it should keep anyone from being irresponsible, and keep the court system from getting too bogged down, because many things can be handled at lower levels. Each jurisdiction may have a different way of carrying out the details, but this gives us all a framework to work with. This shows the importance of each person taking responsibility, not just for his own words and actions, but for anything that could damage Israel’s relationship with YHWH. If the people become ignorant, the leadership can do whatever they want to, as we saw with the Roman Catholic Church in the dark ages, when they indeed kept the common people in the dark but not letting them read the Scriptures for themselves or even learn to read at all in most cases, so they could not see how the Church was violating Torah and teaching them to do the same. All of Israel is responsible for the entirety of Torah being upheld.

We are our brothers' keepers; not just what occurs on our own property, but what belongs commonly to the nation of Israel is our responsibility. The death of this heifer thus removes selfishness in a way that parallels the red heifer chosen to purify the priesthood (Num. 19), since ritual impurity is symbolic of selfishness. In Israel, one cannot prosecute from circumstantial evidence; there must be witnesses. If someone steps up and takes responsibility, no one needs to be held responsible. But without witnesses, no individual can be held responsible, yet every part of YHWH’s Land is to be a place of justice, so the community nearest the scene of the crime must pay the price, because it is “on their watch”. Torah requires that responsibility be taken for everything in Israel; it is not a place for slackers.

Valley of a perennial stream: or a "primitive", "hard", or "rough" wadi but one with running water, which would be symbolic of washing away the guilt. Before such a thing even takes place, it behooves the leaders of each town to know in advance where the nearest such place is, and to reserve some areas as untouched in case this ever needs to be done. One reason it should be in an uncultivated area is so that no one will be tempted to connect the place of the ritual with the one owns the crops there, as if to suggest that he might have been the slayer. This allays even remote suspicions so no one’s reputation is sullied by unfounded rumors. Similarly, the altar is to be built with uncut stones. Such a valley would be the ideal place to obtain stones that no iron implements had touched, since no agricultural tools had been used here. (Indeed the Mishnah says that by tradition the place was permitted to be used as a place to obtain rocks though not for agriculture.) The stones are shaped by the water, which is symbolic of Torah, and this correlates with the fact that this is a case that only the Torah can judge, since it is beyond our ability to determine guilt. This cow is specifically a calf in Hebrew—one under a year old. A virginal cow is offered in a virginal place. No other benefit has come from it. It is “innocent” to correlate with the avowed innocence of this community. It seems such a waste to kill this cow. It will never give milk or bear young. And all of that meat that no one will eat! (For the heifer would simply be buried, according to the Mishnah.) Even its blood is not used to fertilize crops. But that is exactly the point: a life has been wasted. A man is dead for no reason, and all of his potential has been wasted as well, so some payment must be made. Behead: literally, sever its neck. This is no easy task for a cow that weighs hundreds of pounds, especially since we cannot just beat it with a club until its neck breaks; it must be done as quickly and humanely as possible, for the Torah does not permit cruelty to animals. (See chapter 22.) The Mishnah (Sotah 9) tells us that it was done with an axe from behind. It would also be a very hard thing to find a perpetual stream by which no one has planted, because this would be the best place in a dry land to plant. But the difficulty is precisely what is intended, just as the neck of the firstborn of a donkey must be broken if one is not willing to redeem it. (Ex. 13:13) These are the two animals with the strongest necks of all, and very hard to break, not to mention the difficulty of being sure this particular calf has never been used for any purpose. With such a choice, will this not rather be motivation to redeem it, or in this case, make as diligent an inquiry as possible, leaving no stone unturned, to avoid having to get to this point, and more importantly, that justice will be done? And YHWH makes it hard on us as a deterrent to Israelites settling our disputes by killing one another in the first place. The whole Torah is given to teach us to love our fellows as ourselves and to think about the consequences before we act.

The priests do not determine which heifer qualifies or measure which city is nearest, but once we get to this point, they must be involved. They are the highest court in Israel, with more authority to judge than even a king if and when there is one, which makes King Sha’ul’s massacre of the priests (1 Shmu’el 22) all the more heinous. It seems unfair that they are the authority whether or not they are corrupt and whether or not others may be more righteous than they. This is why the book of Mal’akhi was written—to restore the priesthood to a state where their decision can be counted on to be just. Not that any ordinary Israelite has the right to disagree with a priest’s ruling on how Torah should be interpreted, but if all of us are educated in the Torah, we can see where it is being misapplied or disregarded altogether, so we can hold them accountable. Individually and corporately, we are all responsible to see that Torah is being upheld. At present they do not exercise this authority, but they will soon be in a position to become the teachers of Israel once again if they rise to the occasion. Here, an Israelite is dead--too serious a matter to leave to elders chosen by the community. They need oversight from authorities YHWH has chosen to make sure they carry out the procedure properly. (Mal. 2:7) They are ultimately the ones to declare the townspeople innocent. Calling in these highest authorities shows the family of the slain man that, although He has allowed no direct vengeance in this case, it is still important to YHWH that their relative has died. We do not all need to be forensic experts, but before a priest is called in—or even the elders—if we can rule out murder, then we should do so and not waste their time. If not, the one who discovers the body should refer the question to one who knows how to determine such things, much like a coroner’s inquiry.

Washing one's hands is a declaration of innocence so one is not counted among evildoers (Psalm 26:5ff), but it must be proven by willingness to pay its price. When an innocent man's blood is shed, someone must pay in kind, and those nearest are held accountable. (We must be careful where we are standing and make sure we are not too close to anything we do not have room to be responsible for.) Where guilt cannot be pinpointed, an innocent substitute is permitted. This foreshadows Pontius Pilatus' declaring himself innocent of Yahshua's undeserved execution, though his city (Rome) was most directly responsible for Yahshua's death, being the power that actually carried it out. Illegitimate leaders of the priests (cronies of the Romans who had bought their offices with the largest bribe and knew that if Yahshua’s claim to David’s throne was legitimate, they would lose all their wealth, advantage, and power) had made the overt choice to kill Yahshua. Pilatus was aware that Yahshua was handed over due to envy (Mat. 27:17ff)--direct disobedience to the command not to covet. (Ex. 20:17) Those responsible to teach the Torah to Israel and ensure that no innocent blood is spilled acted in the role of Qayin and tricked the masses into murdering their innocent brother (disobeying Ex. 20:13). They and some of the precursors to the rabbis who supplanted the priesthood willingly called his blood upon themselves and their children. (Yoch. 11:50) Not all of the priests were this way; far from it, but when the head is sick, the whole body dies. Pilatus defended Yahshua, knowing this would be an unjust execution, and he knew enough of Torah law to know that if he washed his hands, the guilt would all be on those who brought Yahshua to trial. He proved more Torah-observant than these priests and elders. Rome still, however, had to "pay for the sacrifice" by coming to bear the responsibility Yehudah abdicated as guardians of YHWH's message to the world, and they did a very poor job of it, for which they too will have to answer.

8. "‘O YHWH, effect a covering for your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, and do not allow this innocent blood [to remain] in the innermost part of your people Israel.' Thus the blood will be covered up for them,

What a stark contrast with “His blood be upon us and on our children!” Until this point, even though they had nothing to do with the murder, they bore the responsibility for ensuring that the guilt was covered somehow. We, too, are still responsible for the illicit worship and murders of the prophets that our ancestors perpetrated, and for this reason we are still in exile. Not only for our own sake, but for the sake of all Israel, we are responsible to do something about it. If we do what is right for all Israel, however, we will certainly end up benefiting in many ways. Redeemed: a reminder of the covering of the blood-guilt in Egypt. But we put ourselves back into slavery, and again needed the blood of an innocent substitute. But blood is apparently not shed this time, for blood has already been shed—the innocent man’s. A stiff neck—another characteristic of selfishness--must be broken instead.

Honest: straightforward, proper, right, level. I.e., they were not lying about their ignorance of who killed the man. If we call ourselves innocent, we must prove it by doing the right thing. The rest of the chapter is about that: