Please follow and like us:

Reflection for Ki-Teitzei

“From Curse to Blessing”

Matthew 5:31-32; 19:3-12; 22:23-32
Mark 10:2-12; 12:18-27
Luke 20:27-38
1 Corinthians 9:4-18
Galatians 3:9-14
1 Timothy 5:17-18

excerpted from TorahScope Apostolic Scriptures Reflections

This week’s Torah portion, Ki-Teitzei (Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19), continues Moses’ second discourse with laws intended for Israel, as they prepared themselves to enter into the Promised Land. In this reading, we encounter instructions which deal with matters between individuals, families, and their neighbors—perhaps to be slightly contrasted with Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9), which largely dealt with public officials and how they were to perform their duties. Keeping proper order in a civil society in general is critical, but as should be realized: civility, proper respect, and lovingkindness as norms for good behavior, actually begin with the individual in everyday settings and interactions with family, neighbors, and in the marketplace. In Ki-Teitzei, we see how this applies to domestic spheres as in how to deal with spouses and children,[1] a neighbor’s belongings,[2] and seemingly superfluous issues like proper attire for the different sexes,[3] dealing with a bird’s eggs,[4] building a parapet on a roof,[5] not mixing seed,[6] and not plowing with two unequally yoked animals together.[7]

The ever-important subject of marriage, including regulations on sexual and marital misconduct, is covered in Deuteronomy 22:13-30 rather appropriately, because the foundation of a society is usually found in the strong bond of the sacred union between a man and a woman. The difficult matter of divorce is addressed in Deuteronomy 24:1-5, and because of the hardness of human hearts—despite the fact that God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16)—the dissolution of marriages is regulated in the Scriptures:

“When a man takes a wife and marries her, then it shall be, if she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a certificate of divorce, put it in her hand, and send her out of his house. When she has departed out of his house, she may go and be another man’s wife. If the latter husband hates her, and writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; or if the latter husband dies, who took her to be his wife; her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife after she is defiled; for that would be an abomination to the LORD. You shall not cause the land to sin, which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance” (Deuteronomy 24:1-4, WMB).

In Ancient Israel, if a husband wanted a divorce, he would have to issue his wife a sefer keritut or a “bill of divorce” (ATS).[8] In His Sermon on the Mount, Yeshua made light of the Deuteronomy instructions, asserting their correct application:

“It was also said, ‘Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce’ [Deuteronomy 24:1], but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery” (Matthew 5:31-32, WMB).[9]

Sometimes Matthew 5:31-32 is applied rather strictly in some circles of Believers, as though marital infidelity is the only reason why a husband or wife can be divorced. What this can do, unfortunately, is while there are no affairs going on, a spouse can be locked into a relationship where the other spouse is involved in illegal activities, where there is spousal abuse and/or violence, or where there is sheer unhappiness and depression—in spite of attempts made to fix the problem(s). Yeshua’s words were given against a First Century backdrop, likely the divisions between the Pharisaical School of Shammai which held to a conservative view of Deuteronomy 24:1, and the School of Hillel which held to a rather liberal view.[10] As expressed by the historian Josephus, a common attitude of the period was “He that desires to be divorced from his wife for any cause whatever, (and many such causes happen among men,) let him in writing give assurance that he will never use her as his wife any more…” (Antiquities of the Jews 4.253).[11] Yeshua’s teaching, in stark contrast, only allowed in the most extreme circumstances, for divorce to be an option for a married couple.

From the personal standpoint of someone who has suffered through a divorce, let me affirm Malachi 2:16 and how the Lord says “I hate divorce”—specifically because of all of the repercussions which result from the breakup of a marriage, especially if children are involved. I can remember looking back many years ago, just a few months before my first marriage, as I was prompted to ask my then-pastor about the meaning of Matthew 5:23. The woman I was pursuing in marriage had been previously married, and I was justifiably a bit concerned.

Now I believe the Spirit of God was trying to warn me, but in the pastor’s mind since no children had resulted from the first marriage, despite my fiancé initiating the divorce, he performed our marriage ceremony. In hindsight, I believe that whatever conflicts were present in her heart with her first husband were never resolved, and they consequently spilled over into our marriage. Eventually, despite the lack of any Biblical reasons for divorce, such as infidelity, abandonment, or lack of support, she unilaterally determined to divorce me after twelve years. For me, this was a horrible nightmare, but in my self-examination and analysis during almost two years of attempting to keep the marriage together, it dawned on me that perhaps marrying a divorced woman with unresolved conflicts was the genesis of our marital problems. I do not claim to be a perfect man, and nor was I the perfect husband, but I did my best to remain faithful to my former wife and to keep us together.

(By the way, let me conclude this personal testimony with an acknowledgement that no two marital breakups are the same. I do not want to condemn anyone for their specific circumstances when it comes to dissolving a marriage. Only the two parties in a marriage which results in divorce, when they are honest, know the particular reasons why they concluded divorce was necessary.)

Despite me having to reflect on my previous marriage and its dissolution every year when Ki-Teitzei is read, there is something which is far more important for today’s Messianic Believers to be considering—and something we should each take some comfort from. Despite divorces, mistakes made in life, and sin in general—there is a solution provided by the Almighty to rectify our personal transgressions. The following verses from Deuteronomy 21 describe the curse which comes upon someone who is put to death and hanged on a tree, in order to make a serious statement to the community:

“If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him the same day; for he who is hanged is accursed of God. Don’t defile your land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance” (Deuteronomy 21:22-23, WMB).

As you look at this and note how the person being executed was “worthy of death,” apparently meaning that the proper judicial processes have occurred to warrant an execution, the simple matter of a prompt burial seems like the compassionate thing to do. But, if the person was actually hanged out for display, he “is accursed of God” or “under God’s curse” (NIV). Hanging on a tree brings dishonor to a body, as it is not treated with honor or respect. In ancient times, a quick burial would be important to protect a corpse from the potential ravages of vultures and other carcass eating animals, and in Israel to recognize the foundational principle that all human beings are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), and should be respected whether alive or dead. Criminals, however, did not always get a quick burial, so society at large would recognize the dishonor they had accrued for themselves in life or in committing a capital offense.

In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul made a direct reference to Deuteronomy 21:22, in order to highlight the significance of the death of the Messiah:

“Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’ [Deuteronomy 21:23],’ that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Messiah Yeshua, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:13-14, WMB).

Many of us have seen this before, and we also realize that the Torah was not nailed onto the cross, but rather the record of human sin in transgression of the Torah (Colossians 2:14). At the same time, in taking sin onto Himself on the tree, Yeshua had to endure the humiliation of being “hanged” the same way as a rebellious criminal. What would have made this significant for someone like Paul, is that this Messiah who was put to death, was shortly thereafter resurrected from the dead. This powerful revelation, forced the once-persecutor of the ekklēsia, to radically reevaluate the dealings of God in salvation history—not only in terms of his own personal sin or the sins of the Jewish people, but the world at large:

Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) was literally made a curse for fallen humanity, in order to receive upon Himself the just punishment every person deserves. The result is that by faith in His atoning work, all people can receive the blessing of the promise of the Spirit through faith. The common focus for those who believe in Him is to be His sacrificial death and resurrection, and it should enable His followers to live lives of service to one another in emulation of His humility (cf. Philippians 2:5-11).

Although there are many useful concepts to reflect upon in Ki-Teitzei, it is wonderful to know that in this post-resurrection era, we can look to One who was accursed for our transgressions, and took upon Himself the penalty due to each of us. Unlike other criminals who would die, be hung up for all to see, and then be given a dishonorable burial—Yeshua the Messiah was raised from the dead and He sits at the right hand of His Father in Heaven! Thinking about this and embracing its transformative reality for your life, is far more powerful than anything else which can be considered from this parashah. Yeshua was cursed for us, so that we could be blessed! Brothers and sisters, be sure that you have partaken of this good news!