Parsha Shoftim – Apostolic Readings, Commentary, and Videos

Readings

• Deuteronomy 16:13-22
  • John 7:1-15
  • John 7:37-41
  • Mark 12:41-44
• Deuteronomy 17:1-20
  • Matthew 18:15-20
  • Romans 13:1-7
  • 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
  • 1 Timothy 2:1-4
  • Philippians 2:1-18
  • 1 Peter 5:1-5
• Deuteronomy 18:1-20:9
  • Matthew 18:15-20
  • John 5:30-47
  • John 7:43-52
  • Acts 3:22-26
  • Hebrews 7:1-10
  • Hebrews 10:19-31
• Deuteronomy 20:10-21:9
  • Matthew 27:24-26
  • Luke 6:43-45
  • Luke 13:6-9
  • Acts 28:1-10
  • Revelation 6

Additional Reading

• Soil from Stone
• American Torah

Videos Related to Parsha Shoftim

• Justice Is Your Responsibility – The people are responsible for executing judgment and extending mercy. They appoint judges, investigate crimes, render judgment, execute sentences, ensure fair trials, and provide shelter for the accused. Joshua 20:2
• Social Justice vs God’s Justice – Universities, entertainers, and HR departments relentlessly push the ideas of social justice. There are daily riots and political demonstrations in favor of social justice. Black Lives Matter riots, gay pride parades, women’s rights marches…. Everyone is talking about justice, but does anyone know what it is? Proverbs 28:4-5 tells how anyone can fully comprehend justice.
• How to Be a King of Righteousness – Proverbs 16:10-16 and Deuteronomy 17:14-20 give instructions for being a righteous King in God’s eyes. These instructions are directed at Kings but they are valid for everyone who has influence and authority over other people. You can move your entire nation towards righteousness and justice by promoting God’s standards within your own sphere of influence.
• Tyrants, the People, and God in Proverbs 14:28 – Even the worst tyrants have to provide for a majority of their people or they will be deposed. The Technomafia wants to sidestep this principle by imposing total control of thought and speech over all people on earth, turning every human being into a slave with no will or liberties that the Technomafiosos don’t allow. How can we fight this? First by trusting in God. Second by openly proclaiming Truth no matter what.
• There Are Always Two Sides – It’s easy to believe the first news we hear, especially when it comes from a source we hold authoritative, but wait until you hear every side of a story. Be especially wary of people who try to prevent you from hearing the other side. Proverbs 18:17
• If a Brother Sins Against You – Matthew 18:15-20, the famous passage in which Jesus says to go to a brother in private and then with two or three others before bringing an offense before the whole church, is about restitution and restoration in interpersonal offenses. It’s not about exposing private sins or false doctrines, even though the same principle might apply sometimes in those situations. This process only works if you, the other person, and the whole congregation have been taught sound doctrine founded in God’s Law. Without that, then it’s meaningless.
• Who Are the Poor in Spirit in Matthew 5:3? – Matthew 5:3 and Luke 6:20 say very similar things, but there are subtle differences in the wording. Luke says that the kingdom of God belongs to the poor, while Matthew says that the kingdom of Heaven belongs to the poor in spirit. I think the intent of both verses is exactly the same, and neither one of them has anything to do with how much money is in your bank account. It’s not about your money. It’s about your relationship with your money.
• Ancient Boundary Stones and Traditions – Traditions get a bad rap, and there are some bad traditions, but they often exist for our protection. Be very cautious about disregarding a longstanding tradition. There might be a good reason for it. Proverbs 22:28
• The Jebusites and Messiah in Joshua 15 – Judah wasn’t able to drive all of the Canaanites from their territory in the time of Joshua. They had to wait for David, a foreshadowing of Messiah, to remove the stain of the Jebusites from Jerusalem.