PARASHAH KI TETZE
(Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19) Week 49
KI TETZE: When you go out: “When you go out to war against your enemies, and the Lord your God gives them into your hand and you take them captive…”
This Parashah contains 74 of the 613 Commandments
INITA: To humiliate! (Unholy sexual contact)
SHAMAR: To Guard in Military fashion!
KEDOSH: Holy
THE ‘GET’: The Divorce Decree
An Outline of these is listed:
- The beautiful Captive: For Israeli men, the process of claiming a beautiful captive woman from a victorious battle as a wife took time and process and was a merciful and gracious journey which honored and protected the captive, even in the event of divorce.
- The Rights of the First-Born: For Israeli families the first born was commanded to be given the Double Portion of Inheritance by Adonai. We see the results of the broken families of the Patriarchs who did not honor this code of conduct in their families.
- The Stubborn, Rebellious Son: We again see how the Holiness of Adonai, and the setting-apart of the Nation of Israel to be Holy, is commanded. Sin is progressive.
- The unrepentant heart was circumcised out of Israel…in order to extinguish the ‘leaven of sin’ from the Nation.
- A Man Hanged on a Tree: Torah Law allowed for execution by crucifixion. Crucifixion demonstrated to the community the victim of this execution style was truly cursed!
- The implication was that even if there was a near death repentance, the victim could not KNEEL to Adonai for ‘VIDUY’…Confession!
- Yeshua hung on the tree; cursed for OUR iniquities!
- Treatment of your Brother: Israeli men were to conduct their affairs with their families in an attentive and honorable way, as they would want to be treated!
- Remember to remember: In Hebraic thought, each individual Jew is responsible for the entire Nation of Israel!
- The Honor of Adonai’s Creation, Adam and Eve: Israel was forbidden to blur sexuality. Blurring God’s Creative Architecture dishonors Adonai, and who we are as Image Bearers of the Most High.
- Adam and Eve had the role of Priests and were to CULTIVATE all that ADONAI proclaimed as good in Creation!
- Honor LIFE: The Nation of Israel was instructed down to the honoring of a mother bird and her chicks. If a nest was found on the ground, the mother bird was to be let go to fly away, before the finder took the nest of eggs of chicks for food. Adonai honors the life principles in His Mitzvot, down to the tiny sparrow!
- To Live Above Reproach: Israel was to live a life of consideration of others as more important than themselves. Even in the blueprint of building, safety was to be paramount! When working the soil, planting, and harvesting…there was to be an ALERTNESS to SAFETY and PRESERVING LIFE.
- False Testimony: We see how giving False Testimony was condemned! There would be punishment of varying degrees depending upon circumstances. We learned last week, again… there had to be 2-3 WITNESSES in consensus of a complaint.
- The Boundaries of Sexual Unions: For the Nation of Israel, perversion of the sexual union of a husband and his wife, even of multiple wives, was forbidden. Sexual relationships outside of the marriage bed were forbidden. But sexual union inside of marriage was encouraged and considered holy. Any prostitution, payment from prostituted sexual acts was punishable, and no monies from this activity could enter the Temple! Pre-marital sex was forbidden for the Nation of Israel. For ‘The Treasured People’, adherence to Adonai’s commands was necessary in order to be blessed by Him.
- Obedience and Disobedience: For the Nation of Israel, Adonai made it very clear: There were consequences from obedience: BLESSINGS and Consequences from disobedience, CURSINGS. Adonai, a good Father, set the boundaries so all would go WELL for Isra’el.
- The progression of Sin: The Nation of Israel was taught and trained by Torah Law that sin would be progressive and lead the entire Nation into apostacy! EACH LIFE MATTERS!
- To the 10th Generation: Some sins hurt Israel greatly and gave the curse of separation from the general assembly of Israel’ to the 10th generation!
- Consider how LONG it takes to RECOVER from some forms of disobedience, and cruelty to others.
- The order of the Community: The Nation of Israel was instructed how to arrange their communities to promote cleanliness, orderliness, and holiness. Their communities were to reflect the Covenant with Adonai. Much IS required in order to reflect HIS IMAGE.
- Ritual Homosexual Prostitution: No man of Israel was to engage in ritual homosexual prostitution. Be Holy, for Adonai is Holy.
- Make no Vow to Adonai that cannot be honored: The Nation was discouraged from making a vow to Adonai in general. If one did, they were to fulfill the vow immediately, for Adonai will demand it! This is an HONOR CODE for Adonai! OBEY IMMEDIATELY!
- Merciful treatment of others: There are many detailed accounts of the treatment of others. It can be summed up in the Second Commandment. Love thy neighbor as thyself. Treat your brothers and foreigners as you would want to be treated!
- Generosity towards your brothers and fellows: Torah law provided for generous commands for tithing the land in order to feed the poor! Not only did the tithes feed the Priesthood who had no formal possessions, but also the traveling foreigner, and the poor within the communities. These tithing laws provided in an honorable way for those in need. They were to “glean” the fields which took “work”! They were not simply given baskets of food, as the Levites were. The poor were allowed to WORK and COLLECT what was left for them. This promotes self-esteem, teamwork and community!
- Restraint of the Torah Law: Because Torah Law came from YHVH Himself, through Moses to the Nation of Israel, there runs through it The Royal Thread of RESTRAINT in honor of LIFE! Note that no MORE than 40 lashes could be administered, lest the one being disciplined and lose ALL honor. This makes way for Viduy…confession and restitution! God is merciful! He cares for the under-privileged and imprisoned!
- Honoring of Women and Children: RE’EH! SEE how the Torah honors women and children who were to be considered tenderly, and with forethought for their FUTURE!
- Not only was the birthright protected for the oldest son, but the treatment of virgins, widows, and the unborn, is paramount in Torah Law.
- Women and children were seen as the treasured… more fragile vessels made in the Image of God, and created to promote MERCY and GRACE in society!
- This “Collective” tenderness elevates all humanity!
- First Fruits of Remembering: We see how Adonai required the tithing from the first fruits of His blessings of life. The first-born sons, the first-born male animals, the first fruits were tagged with string and harvested at ripeness as ‘first fruits giving’ to the Priests. By giving of the First of our blessings, we give BACK to the GIVER a portion to remember, everything good comes from HIM.
- Rosh Chodesh is the Hebrew word for “First Fruits”. With each NEW MOON, the tiny sliver of a silver moon…it is our opportunity to give something BACK to Adonai, by gifts to the Kingdom. This is the time for First Fruits giving, with each New Moon. 😊 This is not a tithe, but a free will offering!
Blot out the Name of Amalek from the Earth: The Spirit of Amalek is underhanded domination. Amalek attacked at the REAR of the Nation of Israel, taking out the young, the old, the tired and infirm! This is the attack of a bully spirit! This kind of attack created chaos and was looked down upon by Adonai! This is why He commanded the Nation to: Blot out the name from the face of the earth. Sadly, Israel did not obey Adonai’s command! The spirit of Amalek is dominating cultures still today!
- The Mountain of Gerizim: Tribes of…Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, Benjamin were to stand on Mt. Gerizim to BLESS the people and say AMEN to BLESSINGS!
- The Mountain of Eval: Tribes of… Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulon, Dan, Naftali were to stand on Mount Eval and say AMEN to the CURSES as they were proclaimed!
- AMEN: After the naming of EACH curse the Nation was told to say AMEN! Amen means Agreement!
- The blessings were then proclaimed with the admonition that IF you listen closely to what Adonai your God says, observing and obeying…SHEMA!
- The GREAT REVERSAL: The same blessings were turned into curses for not obeying Torah Law.
- The RESULT of a LIFE OF DISOBEDIENCE: Mount Eval: fruitlessness, destitution, ugliness, death, tombs
- The RESULT of a LIFE OF OBEDEIENCE: Mount Gerizim: Fruitfulness, beauty, promise, hope, life
- YOU CAN MAKE EVERYTHING YOU DO PROSPER: These are powerful words that point to our FREE CHOICE! God promises to BLESS THOSE WHO LOVE AND OBEY HIM. It is in our choice to obey, that WE MAKE everything we do prosper.
- We call upon His blessings as full sons and daughters of obedient hearts that beat for His pleasure and His delight!
RE-LEARN! REMEMBER! RESTRAIN! RETRAIN!
Haftarah (Old Covenant) Reading: Is. 60:1-22
This is the FIFTH Haftarah of Consolation.
The Lord compares Israel to a woman who has been barren: “Sing out with Joy, for soon she will have a hard time keeping track of all her children!” Many will return by a MIGHTY WAVE of repentance (TESHUVA) that will sweep over the WORLD when Jerusalem is finally redeemed! The Messiah REIGNS!
Each Hebrew year ENDS in Teshuva! Each Hebrew new year BEGINS with a clear slate for personal growth and improvement as a Talmidim, and with a personal plan for change that will bring us closer to Adonai, and closer to Holiness. AMEN AND AMEN! AGREE AND AGREE!
This is the original New Year’s Resolution dear friends, but it was imbedded in God’s Laws and was initiated because of honoring the Mitzvot of Adonai!
Brit Chadashah (New Covenant) Reading: Matt. 5:27-30; I Cor. 5:1-5
In these readings Yeshua and his disciples repeat that sexual sin endangers the soul and CAN lead to eternal consequences! Jesus unveils the Torah law on Sexual Sins but adds that it is into our HEARTS that our Father can SEE! Entertaining that second or third lustful thought is sin; it will LEAD us astray!
Like Joseph, we must RUN from sexual sin for it is dangerous & addictive! We must stand in the Valley of Decision and Choose which Mountain we want to CLIMB!
Which Mountain will take us nearer to our Father?
Which Mountain will bring LIFE and LIFE and UNITY with Adonai and others? CHOOSE LIFE!