Shoftim - שופטים: "Judges"
Torah : Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9
Haftarah : Isaiah 51:12-52:12
Gospel : Matthew 26:47-27:10

Thought for the Week:

We affirm that Yeshua kept the Torah and admit that if he did not, He would have been a sinner. Yet we excuse ourselves from the same obligation. In so doing we hold our king to a standard that we ourselves are unwilling to keep.

Commentary:

Deuteronomy 17:18-19. In addition to prohibitions on multiplying horses and wives, the king of Israel is commanded to write out his own copy of the Torah onto a scroll. He is to keep it with him always, and he is to read and study from it every day of his life. He is not to turn away from it, either to the right or to the left. Even for the king, the Torah of God is the standard. It is the measure against which the king must compare himself.

This provision is meant to insure that the King himself submit to the rule of law and not become a despot without accountability or boundary. S...