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Our parasha this morning is entitled Shoftim, which is translated “Judges.” This passage covers Deuteronomy 16:18 – 21:9. Our parasha opens in chapter 16:18 with a discussion of the role of judges and how they are to administer justice and this discussion is continued in the first half of chapter 17.
Dispensing fair and impartial justice, based on the law, is a judge’s primary responsibility. The God of the Bible is a God of Grace, but He’s also a God of Justice. Unlike grace, law demands punishment when it’s been transgressed. When this process is carried out properly, we refer to it as justice.
The ministry of the judge was never abolished in ancient Israel. Kings came and went and prophets were missing for long periods of time, but God ensured that Israel always had judges to interpret and administer the law. One of the purposes for rightly administering justice is so that people will hear, and out of reverence, never again commit such crimes.
To achieve this, justice must never be perverted. According to Scripture, a judge must never show partiality or take a bribe. Part of our hope for the future is that God will restore wise judges to administer his law. In Isaiah 1:26 Adonai tells us, “I will restore your judges as in days of old, your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City”.
The second half of chapter 17 deals primarily with principles governing the conduct of Israel’s Kings.
Through the Holy Spirit, Moses foresaw that a time would come when the people of Israel would desire an earthly king like the nations around them.
Yet Israel’s kings were not to rule in the same manner as those of the pagan nations. Just like the rest of the Jewish people, they were to be sanctified, set apart.
The king, among other things, was to be a fellow Israeli chosen by the Lord, and the king was not to misuse his powers to amass personal wealth or maintain a harem.
He was to personally write a copy of the Torah (which was to be verified by the priests), so that he would fear God and observe the commandments during his entire reign.
These regulations were placed to limit the power and splendor of the future king. He was not to be dependent on military power, or riches, but solely on Adonai.
He was exhorted not to entangle the nation in political alliances (through marriage, for example) that would expose the nation of Israel to pagan worship. Instead, he was to guide the nation into obedience to God’s Law.
Israel’s kings were to be bound to God’s instructions and to rule in accordance with God’s revealed will. By reading and obeying God’s law, the king would be reminded that he was no different than anyone else, except that God had chosen him to guide the nation in righteousness.
The Jewish monarchy, as described in the Bible, is a unique institution. A Jewish king had real power and tremendous responsibility but could never become a tyrant or dictator. The king was to be a model for the rest of the nation to emulate: a humble, godly leader, a scholar, pious, righteous and God-fearing.
In chapter 18, Moses speaks of the coming Messiah – the true and rightful Melech Yisrael or King of Israel. Here we find the only passage in the entire Torah where Moses, speaking through God, explicitly identifies himself as a prophet of the Lord. This is also the only passage where Moses identifies the coming of the Messiah as “a prophet like me”.
In the New Testament we read that the scribes had sent a delegation to question Yochanan the Immerser (John the Baptist) as to his identity. They asked him two questions:
the first was, “Are you Elijah?” which was a reference to Malachi’s prophecy (Malachi 4:5) that Elijah would come as a messenger before the appearance of the Messiah.
Their second question was, “Are you the Prophet?” This referred to Moses’ prophecy that God would send a “Prophet like me.”
In chapter 19, Moses discusses cities of refuge, places where people who unintentionally kill another person may flee. For example, when cutting wood and the axe handle accidentally flies off and strikes and kills a person who is there. This was only for accidents; premeditated murderers were not allowed in these cities.
In chapter 20, many of the rules of war are given, including the prohibition against wanton destruction of something of value as exemplified by the law that forbids cutting down a fruit tree while laying siege.
The portion concludes in chapter 21 with the law of what is called Eglah Arufah – a special procedure to be followed when a person has been killed, and his body is found in a field, but it isn’t known who the murderer is.
In such a case, responsibility for the murder lay with the city nearest to the scene of the murder. In an atonement ceremony, the leaders of the city were to decapitate a young heifer, wash their hands in the priest’s presence, and pray for forgiveness.
This week’s parasha emphasizes the importance of placing the unchanging Word of God in our hearts and living humble lives in obedience to His Word.
We need to cultivate a relationship with our Lord Yeshua and thank Him not only for what He has done, but also for who He is and what He will do in our lives. This is the calling of His people.
Offering our lives as living sacrifices without blemish is the quality God looks for in good judges. No surprise, but He looks for that in you and me as well. If you think that these qualities are lacking in your life, pray to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob through Yeshua our Messiah and ask Him to place these qualities into your heart and spirit.