Humility to Follow God's Commandments

Every year Jewish synagogues read through the first five books of the Bible or Torah, written by Moses. There are fifty-four sections to the weekly Torah portions. These portions or sections are called Parashat. Each Parashat is named after a significant word at the beginning of the section to be read. Last week's portion is named Mishpatim for laws, judgments, or ordinances. This eighteenth Parashat covers Exodus 21:1 through Exodus 24:18. It contains a detailed system of rules for the people that include the civil code, social justice commands, ways for ethical living, and ways to apply the Divine law to everyday life.
 
In Parashat Mishpatim we see that one of the ways that God determines faithfulness to His covenant is how we treat one another, even enemies. Moses wrote how justice should be lived out in daily life. We have in this portion of Scripture an invitation to live in ways that reflect His justice and compassion. God wants us to remember that even our enemies are made in His image. In God's Kingdom, justice, and mercy work together.
 
God brings us into situations where we get to quietly attest to our faithfulness to His commands. One such situation is written about in Exodus 23:4 and 5. "If you come across your enemy's ox or his donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there. Be sure you help him with it." We reflect the Lord to our neighbors, strangers, and adversaries by how we treat them." 
 
God leads us on the path of humility in our day-to-day experiences. There is a Hebrew word used only ten times in the Scriptures. That word, zud, means to boil up, seethe, or arrogance. When we allow arrogance to bubble up it leads us to behave in a way that does not honor God. We read that Nehemiah led the Israelites in confession of their sins. He reminded them of this: "But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey Your commands. They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles You performed among them..." (Nehemiah 9:16 and 17) He commands us to even protect the property of those who oppose us. Humility helps us cool down the arrogance of wanting to do things our way so that it does not bubble up and explode in anger.
 
Our behavior is shaped in the heart and manifests through physical action. We must ask ourselves, "What is brewing in my heart, and does it reflect the One True God that I worship?" We must follow the instruction given in Colossians 3:5. "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature..." Considering this week's instruction in Parashat Mishpatim, let us make David's prayer in Psalm 19:14 our own. "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer."