Mishpatim (“laws”)
Torah Portion was conducted by Norman Edwards: Mishpatim (“laws”), Exodus 21:1–24:18. The laws of our heavenly Father are not like man’s laws—He thoroughly considers the consequences on all the individuals involved and society as a whole. There are five principles of our Father’s law we can see in operation.
A just punishment must be given to the offender, stiff enough that he does not want to repeat the offense, yet not so hard that it needlessly destroys him as a useful citizen.
The offended must receive a just restitution.
Laws must make it difficult to obtain restitution falsely.
Laws must be designed to greatly reduce the chance of administering a wrongful punishment—especially a death penalty.
Laws must not produce a harmful effect on society. For example, if sufficient free money is given to poor people, it will encourage many people to remain poor.
Each of the many laws are worth studying and understanding to know the mind of the Creator. For example Exodus 22:1-6 mentions restoring a like amount for accidental destruction of property, double for things stolen and kept by the thief, four times for stealing and selling a sheep and five times for stealing and selling an ox. Why these varying amounts? If a person could receive double for accidental destruction of property, it would encourage them to fake “accidents by their neighbors” to get double value for their property. A thief who steals something and keeps it, is covetous and greedy, but easier to catch because he still has it. If a man steals a goat, he must give it back and restore another goat as well—giving his victim the very thing he was hoping to get, a free goat! A person who steals things and sells them is in the business of stealing. He may not be caught as often, so when he is caught, he needs to pay more—restoring at least four times. The “five times for an ox” is because the ox is a work animal. The thief's victim may not be able to work because an ox was stolen. In today’s wording, it would be stealing “tools of one’s trade”.
In Messiah’s love,
