Read Time: 8 Minutes
As we journey through the weekly Torah portions, we arrive this week at Mishpatim, meaning "Judgments" or "Ordinances." After the thunder and glory of Mount Sinai, the narrative slows down, and God gives Israel a detailed legal code to govern their new society. At first glance, a modern reader might see a long list of ancient rules—a sharp contrast to the epic drama of the Exodus. But for those with eyes to see, Mishpatim is not merely a collection of laws; it is a divine portrait of the Messiah and a blueprint for the life of every believer.
In this study, we are going to focus on the very first judgment listed in Exodus 21: the law concerning the Hebrew bondservant (the `Ebed). Why would YAH begin His civil code with this topic? Why not murder, idolatry, or theft? The answer is staggering: because embedded in the laws of the servant is the hidden gospel—a prophetic blueprint of Yeshua HaMashiach, a model for our own walk, and the very first revelation in Scripture of covenantal love for Adonai.
The Primacy of the Servant: Picking Up Where Egypt Left Off
"Now these are the judgments which you shall set before them: If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing." Exodus 21:1-2.
The Torah begins its legal section with the servant. This is because YHVH is picking up exactly where Egypt went wrong. The people of Israel were once slaves to bondage, slaves to the god of this world, and slaves to Pharaoh—a man who abused his power and attempted to crush the image of God. Now, having been redeemed, God does not simply leave them in a vacuum. He immediately redefines their identity. He says, in essence, "You were slaves to Egypt. Now, I am teaching you how to be slaves to Me." However this is not a slave to the world, but a slave to righteousness.
Apostle Paul picks up this exact theme in Romans 6: "You have been set free from sin [Egypt] and have become slaves to righteousness [God]." God begins Mishpatim with the heart of a servant because He is re-creating a nation in His own image. And the highest manifestation of this servitude is not a human judge or a priest, but the Messiah Himself.
Yeshua: The Incarnation of the Ebed
While we often think of Yeshua as the conquering King, the Lion of Judah, or the Great High Priest, there is another office He occupied that is often overlooked: the office of the Bondservant. Paul reveals this mystery in Philippians 2:7-8, stating that Yeshua "made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant... He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross."
The Greek word for "form" here is morphe, from which we get the word "metamorphosis." It means a change of reality. Yeshua, though He was God, metamorphosed into the reality of the Hebrew bondservant found in Exodus 21. He legally and literally became the incarnation of this Torah portion.
How does this manifest? Look at the Garden of Gethsemane. In Matthew 26:39-44, three times Yeshua prays, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." This is the bondservant's confession. The servant in Exodus has one law: "My master's will, not mine." At the judgment place (Mishpatim), the place of the olive press (Gethsemane), Yeshua fulfills the Torah of the servant. He loves His Master (the Father), He loves His bride (us). And because of that love, He declares, "I will not go out free." Instead, He allows Himself to be pierced—not merely to a doorpost with an awl, but to the wood of the cross.
The First Declaration of Love: Ahava Adonai
One of the most breathtaking discoveries in this portion is found in Exodus 21:5. The servant declares: "I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free."
In the Hebrew text, the phrase "I love my master" is Ahava Adonai (אהבה אדני). This is the first time in the entire Torah that a human being expresses love for their master—and by extension, for God. We have seen faith (Abraham), we have seen obedience (Noah), but we have not yet heard a human heart declare, "I love my Lord."
It is profoundly significant that this first declaration of love does not come from a patriarch in a tent, but from a servant standing at a doorpost. Scripture is showing us, before it even commands us to love God in Deuteronomy, what that love actually looks like in earthly terms. Love is not a sentimental feeling; it is a decision to forfeit one's personal freedom for the sake of remaining in the presence of the beloved. It is chosen bondage. It is looking at the world—with its offer of "freedom"—and saying, "No. I have found liberty in the house of YHVH, and I will never leave it."
The Judicial Mystery: Brought to the Elohim
Exodus 21:6 – "Then his master shall bring him to the judges..."
Here, a curious detail emerges. The word for "judges" in this verse is the Hebrew word Elohim. While this can refer to human magistrates who act as divine representatives, the usage is striking. It suggests that the bondservant’s declaration is not merely a civil transaction; it is a cosmic, spiritual event. He is being presented before the divine court.
We see this fulfilled in the life of Yeshua. After declaring, "Not My will, but Yours," He is brought before judges. He stands before Annas, Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin, Pilate, and Herod. But behind these earthly judges, Paul tells us, stood the spiritual principalities and powers—the archons of this age in Greek (1 Corinthians 2:8). Satan himself entered into Judas to betray Him.
What looked like a defeat was actually the ultimate checkmate. The adversary, by orchestrating the crucifixion, nailed his own legal case against humanity to the cross. Paul reveals in Colossians 2:14-15 that Messiah disarmed principalities and powers, making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them. The cheirographon—the certificate of debt that the accuser held against us—was wiped out. The servant's obedience dismantled the case of the prosecution.
The Ceremony: Pierced to the Door
The ceremony of the piercing is rich with prophetic symbolism. The master takes the servant not to a field or a private room, but specifically "to the door, or to the doorpost" (Ex. 21:6). Deuteronomy 15:17 adds the detail of piercing his ear to the door.
Why the door? Because in Hebrew thought, the doorpost is the site of covenant making.
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It is where the blood of the Passover lamb was applied for salvation (Ex. 12:7).
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It is where the mezuzah is placed, containing the Shema: "Hear, O Israel", "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (Deut. 6:4-9).
The piercing of the ear signifies a permanent opening to hear the Master's voice. The servant is literally grafted into the house. He becomes part of the doorpost; he belongs to that family forever. Faith comes by hearing (Shema), and hearing by the Word of God.
When Yeshua declared, "I am the door" (John 10:9), He was revealing Himself as that very doorpost. To be saved, we must come to the Door. To hear the Master’s voice, we must have our ear pierced by His truth. And once we declare, "I love my Master," we are forever affixed to His house.
The Disciples' Identity: Bondservants of Yeshua
If this Torah portion is the foundation, then the New Testament is the building built upon it. It is remarkable to see how the apostles understood their identity. They could have chosen many titles:
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James could have called himself "the Brother of the Lord" or the "Chief Overseer of Jerusalem."
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Paul could have called himself "the Apostle to the Gentiles" or "the Pharisee of Pharisees."
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Peter could have called himself "the Chief Elder" or "the Rock."
Yet, unanimously, they all chose the same title to open their letters:
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Paul: "Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ" Romans 1:1
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James: "James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" James 1:1
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Peter: "Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ" 2 Peter 1:1
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Jude: "Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ" Jude 1:1
They understood that the highest aspiration of a human being is not to be a king, but to be a servant in the house of the King. They modeled their lives after the One who washed their feet.
David understood this. In Psalm 119:44-45, he writes:
"So shall I keep Your law continually, forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts."
David declares that keeping the Torah—the instruction of God—is not bondage; it is the very definition of freedom. If you are not a slave to God, you are a slave to something else: sin, addiction, public opinion, or the fear of man. But when you are a slave to righteousness, you are free from all other masters.
This is the message of the Hebrew bondservant. He gives up his right to "personal freedom," and in return, he gains security, family, and a permanent place in the Master's house. He declares, "I don't want to be my own man. I want to be Your man."
Our Story: The Millennium and Eternity
The timeline of the servant also hints at the grand narrative of redemption. The servant serves six years and is freed in the seventh. With God, one day is as a thousand years (2 Peter 3:8). We are currently laboring in the sixth millennium, serving our Master in a fallen world. But the seventh day—the Millennial Reign of Messiah—is coming. On that day, we will go free from this body of corruption and death. We will enter into the rest of the Lord.
But for those who, like the servant, say, "I love my Master," the service does not end at the seventh year. The text says he shall serve him forever—le'olam. This is an infinite amount of time. It is a picture of the world to come.
Revelation 22:3 closes the biblical narrative with this very image:
"And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him."
We will serve Him forever. If we do not learn to serve Him now with joy, why would we want to do so for all eternity? This life is the training ground. It is where we stand at the doorpost and decide: "Do I want my own freedom, or do I want to be in this House forever?"
Conclusion: The Call to the Doorpost
Beloved, as we meditate on Mishpatim, the call of this portion is to examine our own hearts. Have we truly declared Ahava Adonai—"I love my Master"? Are we living as people who have been bought with a price?
The world offers you freedom to do whatever you want. But that road leads back to Egypt. The Master's house offers you a doorpost, an awl, and a permanent place under his roof.
Choose the door. Let your ear be pierced. Let the world hear your declaration:
"I love my Master. I will not go out free."
From our house to your house,
Shalom.
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