BUILDING ALTARS CORRECTLY (EX.21)
Then YAHUSHA said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Yisharal: You saw for yourselves that I spoke to you from the sky, so remember, there’s no more making idols of silver or gold for I am the only true Alahim. So build Me an altar made of earth, and offer your sacrifices to Me, your burnt offerings, peace offerings and your sheep, goats and cattle. Build my altar in every place I choose to make My Name remembered, and I will come to you and bless you. And if you use stones to build My altar, only use natural, uncut stones. Don’t shape the stones with a tool, for that would make the altar useless to Me. And make sure you don’t go up the steps of My altar cause if you do, someone pervy might look up your garment and see your nakedness.
JUST AS THE STONES OF THE ALTAR WERE TO BE UNCUT AND IN THEIR NATURAL FORM, WE ARE ALL LIVELY STONES FITTED TOGETHER TO FORM HIS LIVING DWELLING NOT MADE WITH HANDS, A ROUGH AND JAGGED STRUCTURE, FLAWED AND BROKEN, BUT ONCE GIVEN THE GIFT OF YAHUSHA’S SPIRIT INSIDE US, THIS VESSEL BECOMES TRAINED IN THE FRUITS OF GOOD BEHAVIOUR AND SHINE FORTH HIS LOVING KINDNESS.
FAIR TREATMENT OF SERVANTS
And YAHUSHA said to Moses, “Give the children of Yisharal these instructions: If you buy a Hebrew servant, he can only serve you for six years, then after that, set him free (in the seventh year), and he will owe you nothing for his freedom. If he was single when he became your servant, he will leave single. But if he was married before he became a servant, then his wife must be freed with him. If his master gave him a wife while he was a servant and they had sons or daughters, then only the man will be free in the seventh year, but his wife and children will still belong to his master. But the servant may declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.’ If he does this, his master must present him before Me, before taking him to the door or door-post and publicly piercing his ear with an awl. Then after that, the slave is free to serve his master for the rest of his life".
YAHUSHA SHOWS HIS CONSIDERATION FIRSTLY FOR THOSE WHO ARE LOWLY IN SOCIETY, EXPLAINING THAT SOMEONE WITH THE LOWEST STATUS (A FOREIGN SLAVE), COULD EVENTUALLY BECOME A FULLY-FLEDGED HEBREW THROUGH OBEDIENCE TO YAHUSHA’S INSTRUCTIONS AND ANYONE FROM THE OUTSIDE NATIONS WHO JOINED YISHARAL AND BECAME A CITIZEN BY HIS OWN CHOICE WAS NEVER TO BE CONSIDERED A SECOND-CLASS CITIZEN.
"And when a man sells his daughter as a concubine, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not satisfy her owner, he must allow her to be bought back again. But he is not allowed to sell her to foreigners, since he is the one who broke the contract with her. But if the concubine’s owner arranges for her to marry his son, he may no longer treat her as a concubine but as a daughter. And if a man who has married a servant-wife (concubine) takes another wife for himself, he must not neglect the rights of the first wife (the concubine) to food, clothing, and sexual intimacy. If he fails in any of these three obligations, she (the concubine) may leave as a free woman without making any payment".
YAHUSHA IS MAKING IT VERY CLEAR TO YISHARAL THAT WOMEN HAVE RIGHTS TOO AND ARE TO BE TREATED RESPECTFULLY AND FAIRLY AS THEY ARE INCREDIBLY SPECIAL TO HIM. EVEN IF A MAN IS FORCED (THROUGH ECONOMIC NECESSITY) TO SELL HIS DAUGHTER TO ANOTHER MAN, SHE IS STILL TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT.
PERSONAL INJURIES
"Anyone who assaults and kills another person must be put to death, but if it was simply an accident (which I Yahuah will know), I will appoint a place of refuge where the accidental killer can run for safety. However, if it is premeditative and deliberate, the killer must be dragged out (even from My altar) and be put to death".
YAHUSHA VALUES HUMAN LIFE ABOVE ALL. THERE WAS NO RE-DO OR REHABILITATION FOR A MURDERER. THE INTENTIONS OF ONE’S HEART DETERMINED THE CONSEQUENCE FOR HIS VIOLENT BEHAVIOUR, WHETHER IT WAS AN ACCIDENT OR INTENTIONAL.
"Anyone who strikes his father or mother must be put to death. Kidnappers must be put to death, whether they are caught in possession of their victims or have already sold them as servants. Anyone who hatefully curses their father or mother (treating them as worthless or with contempt) must be put to death also. Now suppose two men are quarreling, and one hits the other with a stone or fist, and the injured person does not die but has to stay in bed. If he is later able to walk outside again (even with a crutch), the attacker will not be punished but must compensate his victim for lost wages and provide for his full recovery".
WHEN THE OFFENDER IS GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMPENSATE A VICTIM, IT ALLOWS HIM TO BOTH CONTINUE ON WITH HIS LIFE AND HELP AND RESTORE THE PERSON HE HAS HURT, INSTEAD OF JUST INPRISONING HIM, WHICH HELPS NO ONE.
"And if a man beats his male or female servant with a club and the servant dies as a result, the owner must be punished. But if the servant recovers within a day or two, then the owner shall not be punished, since the servant is his property. Now suppose two men are fighting, and in the process they accidentally strike a pregnant woman so she gives birth prematurely. If no further injury results, the man who struck the woman must pay the amount of compensation the woman’s husband demands and the judges approve. But if there is further injury, the punishment must match the injury: a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise. If a man hits his male or female servant in the eye and the eye is blinded, he must let the slave go free to compensate for the eye. And if a man knocks out the tooth of his male or female slave, he must let the slave go free to compensate for the tooth.
If an ox devours a man or woman to death, the ox must be stoned, and its flesh may not be eaten. In such a case, however, the owner will not be held liable. But suppose the ox had a reputation for devouring, and the owner had been informed but failed to keep it under control. If the ox then kills someone, it must be stoned, and the owner must also be put to death. However, the dead person’s relatives may accept payment to compensate for the loss of life. The owner of the ox may redeem his life by paying whatever is demanded. The same regulation applies if the ox devours a boy or a girl. But if the ox devours a servant, either male or female, the animal’s owner must pay the slave’s owner thirty silver coins, and the ox must be stoned".
AGAIN, THE INTENTIONS OF THE OWNER AND ALSO THE BEAST’S PAST BEHAVIOUR COMES INTO PLAY AND WHETHER GROSS NEGLIGENCE HAS BEEN COMMITTED. ALL BEHAVIOUR MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE WITH CONSEQUENCES.
"Suppose someone digs or uncovers a pit and fails to cover it, and then an ox or a donkey falls into it. The owner of the pit must pay full compensation to the owner of the animal, but then he gets to keep the dead animal. And if someone’s ox injures a neighbor’s ox and the injured ox dies, then the two owners must sell the live ox and divide the price equally between them. They must also divide the dead animal. But if the ox had a reputation for devouring, yet its owner failed to keep it under control, he must pay full compensation, a live ox for the dead one, but he may keep the dead ox".
