Your Daily Pesuk Aug. 13, 2018

Parashat Shoftim / פרשת שופטים

• Mon, 13 August 2018 = 2nd of Elul, 5778
• ב׳ בֶּאֱלוּל תשע״ח

Deuteronomy 17:14-20 (7 p'sukim)

Deuteronomy 17:14-20 Tree of Life Version (TLV)

14 “When you come to the land that Adonai your God is giving you, possess it and dwell in it, and you say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations around me,’ 15 you will indeed set over yourselves a king, whom Adonai your God chooses. One from among your brothers will be appointed as king over you—you may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 16 Only he should not multiply horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to multiply horses, because Adonai has said to you, “You must never go back that way again.” 17 Nor should he multiply wives for himself, so that his heart does not turn aside, nor multiply much silver and gold for himself.

18 “Now when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself a copy of this Torah on a scroll, from what is before the Levitical kohanim. 19 It will remain with him, and he will read in it all the days of his life, in order to learn to fear Adonai his God and keep all the words of this Torah and these statutes. 20 Then his heart will not be exalted above his brothers, and he will not turn from the commandment to the right or to the left—so that he may prolong his days in his kingship, he and his sons, in the midst of Israel.

14 כִּֽי־תָבֹ֣א אֶל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֔ךְ וִֽירִשְׁתָּ֖הּ וְיָשַׁ֣בְתָּה בָּ֑הּ וְאָמַרְתָּ֗ אָשִׂ֤ימָה עָלַי֙ מֶ֔לֶךְ כְּכָל־הַגּוֹיִ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר סְבִיבֹתָֽי׃

15 שׂ֣וֹם תָּשִׂ֤ים עָלֶ֙יךָ֙ מֶ֔לֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִבְחַ֛ר יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ בּ֑וֹ מִקֶּ֣רֶב אַחֶ֗יךָ תָּשִׂ֤ים עָלֶ֙יךָ֙ מֶ֔לֶךְ לֹ֣א תוּכַ֗ל לָתֵ֤ת עָלֶ֙יךָ֙ אִ֣ישׁ נָכְרִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־אָחִ֖יךָ הֽוּא׃

16 רַק֮ לֹא־יַרְבֶּה־לּ֣וֹ סוּסִים֒ וְלֹֽא־יָשִׁ֤יב אֶת־הָעָם֙ מִצְרַ֔יְמָה לְמַ֖עַן הַרְבּ֣וֹת ס֑וּס וַֽיהוָה֙ אָמַ֣ר לָכֶ֔ם לֹ֣א תֹסִפ֗וּן לָשׁ֛וּב בַּדֶּ֥רֶךְ הַזֶּ֖ה עֽוֹד׃

17 וְלֹ֤א יַרְבֶּה־לּוֹ֙ נָשִׁ֔ים וְלֹ֥א יָס֖וּר לְבָב֑וֹ וְכֶ֣סֶף וְזָהָ֔ב לֹ֥א יַרְבֶּה־לּ֖וֹ מְאֹֽד׃

18 וְהָיָ֣ה כְשִׁבְתּ֔וֹ עַ֖ל כִּסֵּ֣א מַמְלַכְתּ֑וֹ וְכָ֨תַב ל֜וֹ אֶת־מִשְׁנֵ֨ה הַתּוֹרָ֤ה הַזֹּאת֙ עַל־סֵ֔פֶר מִלִּפְנֵ֥י הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים הַלְוִיִּֽם׃

19 וְהָיְתָ֣ה עִמּ֔וֹ וְקָ֥רָא ב֖וֹ כָּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיָּ֑יו לְמַ֣עַן יִלְמַ֗ד לְיִרְאָה֙ אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֔יו לִ֠שְׁמֹר אֶֽת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֞י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּ֛את וְאֶת־הַחֻקִּ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה לַעֲשֹׂתָֽם׃

20 לְבִלְתִּ֤י רוּם־לְבָבוֹ֙ מֵֽאֶחָ֔יו וּלְבִלְתִּ֛י ס֥וּר מִן־הַמִּצְוָ֖ה יָמִ֣ין וּשְׂמֹ֑אול לְמַעַן֩ יַאֲרִ֨יךְ יָמִ֧ים עַל־מַמְלַכְתּ֛וֹ ה֥וּא וּבָנָ֖יו בְּקֶ֥רֶב יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ ס

Try to imagine what the United States would look like today if each and every President, from George Washington all the way to Donald Trump were required by the Constitution to hand write the entire copy of the Bible and read through it every day of their lives, (at least the entire Bible in one year), what kind of leadership do you think we'd have today?  How would that impact the lives of these leaders?  Or the nation for that matter?

Heck, I would accept it even if they would just hand write and read the Constitution itself before they lead!!!!

There is no doubt our world would be a lot different if all leaders governed with the Word of God as their foundation of morality and Law.  This is what the Torah required of a future King of Israel.  This is a prophetic passage, speaking of a future time when Israel finally inherits the Land and decides to appoint a King over itself as a Nation.

In his commentary on these pesukim Delitzsch accurately points out that appointing a King was not commanded here, rather in yesterday's pesukim on "Shoftim" judges were commanded to be appointed.  Israel could've existed without any King, for Adonai alone is our King, but as we see in the future, after Samuel appoints his sons as judges in Israel, not only did they fail to remember parasha Shoftim, but Israel as a nation too rejects Adonai as King and requests for a king from Samuel to be just like the nations.  Not the king that Adonai has chosen...

I Samuel 8:1 Samuel 8 Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Now when Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second Abijah—they were judges in Beersheba. 3 His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain—they took bribes and perverted justice.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “Behold, you have grown old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us—like all the nations.” 6 But the matter was displeasing in Samuel’s eyes when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to Adonai.

7 Then Adonai said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For they have not rejected you, rather they have rejected Me from being king over them. 8 Like all the deeds that they have done since the day I brought them out of Egypt to this day—forsaking Me and worshiping other gods—so they are doing to you also.

The King of Israel today is required to follow the Torah, write a copy for himself, read it all his days, and not amass horses, gold and silver and many wives.  If we look at the history of Israel's kings, just about all of these regulations were violated.  When this happens, government becomes corrupt.

Delitzsch says, "instead of hanging his heart upon these earthly things, when he at upon his royal throne he was to have a copy of the law written out by the Levitical priests, that he might keep the law by him, and read therein all the days of his life. כּתב does not involve writing with his own hand ( Philo ), but simply having it written. הזּאת התּורה משׁנה does not mean τὸ δευτερονόμιον τοῦτο (lxx), “this repetition of the law,” as הזּאת cannot stand for הזּה ; but a copy of this law, as most of the Rabbins correctly explain it in accordance with the Chaldee version, though they make mishneh to signify duplum , two copies (see Hävernick , Introduction). - Every copy of a book is really a repetition of it. “ From before the priests ,” i.e., of the law which lies before the priests or is kept by them. The object of the daily reading in the law ( Deuteronomy 17:19 and Deuteronomy 17:20) was “ to learn the fear of the Lord, and to keep His commandments ” (cf. Deuteronomy 5:25; Deuteronomy 6:2; Deuteronomy 14:23), that his heart might not be lifted up above his brethren, that he might not become proud (Deuteronomy 8:14), and might not turn aside from the commandments to the right hand or to the left, that he and his descendants might live long upon the throne."

When politicians and leaders attempt to lead from a "Secular" basis it will inevitably fail and become completely corrupt.  Without Torah, without God's word, judges become corrupt and justice becomes perverted.  

Isaiah 32 Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Behold, a king will reign in righteousness

and princes will rule in justice.

Psalm 72 Tree of Life Version (TLV)

1 Of Solomon.

Give the king Your judgments, O God,

and Your righteousness to the king’s son.

2 May he judge Your people with righteousness,

and Your poor ones with justice.

Jeremiah 23:“Behold, days are coming”

—it is a declaration of Adonai—

“when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,

and He will reign as king wisely,

and execute justice and righteousness in the land.

6 In His days Judah will be saved,

and Israel will dwell in safely;

and this is His Name by which He will be called:

Adonai our righteousness.

So someday, Jeremiah says that one from David will come, and He will be called The Lord our Righteousness.

There is only One who meets these qualifications, who is worthy to have the Name Adonai Tzidkeinu!

Yeshua Hamashiach!

As it is written:

"But you, O man of God, flee from these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith! Take hold of the eternal life—you were called to it, and you made the good confession for it in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I charge you before God who gives life to all things and Messiah Yeshua who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. 15 This He will reveal in His own time—the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and the Lord of lords,  16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or is able to see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen." (2 Tim. 6:11-16)