Just before reading this, I was pondering in my heart the story of the woman at the well and I felt more than ever that that little exchange with Jesus had so many echoes of my own relationship with him.
He loves us so.
He speaks our language and I am a songwriter. A wordsmith too. I grew up surrounded by quick whit and sarcasm and so I was sitting there wondering for the first time… what did the living water reference mean outside of what our worn out precious moments take has watered down.
I feel like he was speaking to her and pointing to something that would resonate with her specifically.
I think that happens when he, just as she said he did, tells us things no one could have known.
So then when I picked up my phone it felt like my heart was primed.
I wonder if she was singing
Maybe she’d experienced injustice
And was singing.
Maybe she knew this scripture.
"But let justice roll like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing torrent." (Amos 5:24, TLV)
Oh, this absolutely stopped me! The idea that she may have known Amos 5:24 and that Yeshua's "living water" landed on that already-tilled soil… that's the kind of layered conversation he has with us too, isn't it? He meets us exactly where our language lives, and for a wordsmith and songwriter, I bet that well-side exchange just hits differently.
I am a new subscriber who yearns to know more of YHWH through the study of Hebrew words. Western churches need this! Thanks to @Elizabeth for the invitation!
Most of us inherited a version of “judgment” that made us want to locate the nearest exit. But mishpat, at its full Hebrew width, is a restoration project. It’s what happens when accountability and protection and care for the most vulnerable are all functioning together in a community ordered around God.
The question mishpat asks every community of faith is a practical one: whose cases actually get heard here? Who falls through the cracks, and does anyone even notice?”
Does anyone notice. In today’s world who are the “orphans and widows” that we are called (commanded?) to take care of? What people group in my life, in our congregations, communities, are falling through the cracks? Do we notice them?
My first thought is for the pre born babies that are being killed every day. Who is speaking for them and how? I I don’t have the answer for those questions, but you sure have hit a nerve with me.
Thank you for the ways that you teach about the Hebrew Bible in ways that are totally understandable. I love your Word Nerd Wednesday’s.
I just started using Substack . I find your section interesting , as I am Greek Orthodox , and I have a Greek Orthodox Bible in English , and I notice the difference in translation in the old testement and the different books . Following you I hope I hope to get a better understanding as to the meaning of the Bible , how things get lost in the translation .
I have been reflecting on what you have written and you think what justice means , at the moment I feel world in the western justice is not being carried out fairly fairly . What is being carried out is people being told to follow a narrative and justice being being carried out according to the day narrative .
I have been reflecting on pairing mishpat and chesed. Today in modern day western world it not been applied , even though western society claims its laws is based on Judeo christian ideals . In this example below , I see what certain elements want to impose on society and the the vulnerable are ignored.
An Australian entrepreneur and founder of Giggle, Sally Grover, was taken to to court for creating a women-only app and feels that the battle over sex and gender identity is ultimately a battle over freedom of speech, belief and association.
I also feel that way. I am also concerned about a problem that there are instances where men that dress like , feel like women get bullied by men , I met a person who is related to one of them , explain their hardships . I believe in the biological definition of men and women , and women should have safe haven to be themselves not be imposed by transgender man , nor man that feel like a woman . In Australia , to identify as a woman you just have to feel like a woman , not be tested . Yet there are transgender woman who do get get harassed by men and don’t feel safe , how does One apply mishpat and chesed in this world ?
Mishpat + chesed balance: True justice protects biological reality and women’s dignity (active defense of the vulnerable) while showing compassion to those with dysphoria—without erasing sex-based rights or compelling speech/ideology.
There are other examples I can mentioned that has not been applied , people complain and their concern have been ignored noted .
Another example.
The Bankstown Hospital nurses case in Sydney (June 2026 rulings). Two former nurses were recorded (in a viral video) making alleged antisemitic threats, including statements about refusing to treat or “killing” Israeli patients. A judge ruled the video inadmissible in their criminal trial, primarily because it was obtained in violation of New South Wales’ Surveillance Devices Act (prohibiting secret recordings of private conversations without consent).
This illustrates an example of government/court dictation: rules of evidence serve due process (a mishpat strength), but when they obscure evident wrongdoing, public trust erodes.
From a Mishpat prospective : Biblical justice demands impartial truth-seeking and accountability, especially when lives or safety are at stake (protecting the vulnerable, in this example patients).
Two examples that stand out to me . As an individual what does do to practise this in every day life . Prayer about , write protest letters , join groups . How does one apply it in life when the government of the day and society who claim that practise don’t .
Mishpat is such a deep and lovely word. Understanding the nature of God's justice and judgment is deeply encouraging to believers, and terrifying to those who refuse God. I teach a men's Bible study early on Tuesday mornings at our church. We are studying Revelation and this week's lesson was from Chapter 15. My Table Talk discussion question was to compare this passage with Psalms 96 and 98 and consider why God's judgment is a cause for celebration and worship. Why are the trees of the forest singing for joy? It was a good discussion.
I love it! This truly is what is coming when Daniel's 70th week comes rolling through. I cannot read Revelation 18 without immense joy that justice has prevailed. Mankind has forced what is coming—just as they did in the days of Noah. It will all happen "sooner than we expect". Yeshua has told many people that phrase over the past few years—me included. We will see the Messiah King on the throne in Jerusalem, very soon.
Diane, thank you for bringing Mishpat out into the open. Pairing justice with “khesed love” is essential, and so is pairing the very idea of such life-restoring communal justice with “tzedek/tzedeka”, (righteousness) which seems to be the most commonly paired word and idea (with Mishpat) that I see throughout the Hebrew Bible.
Maybe you have already done a word study on Tzedeka, but if not, can you tackle it next? Righteousness is another misunderstood word in our English traditions, yet it simply means to “rightly relate”, to God and other humans, to do right by each other, without which there can be no Mishpat, or Shalom.
When I think of Judgment I think of something that has never been seen, like the Holy Spirit. When I think of Hebrew and Judgment I think of Lawfare, that's what Judah used to practice before they got hauled off to Babylon. Text is Habakkuk 1:4. I've always been told Judgment is God's unusual work. I agree. Look how long it took Him to bring the flood. What about Canain? 400 years. What about Israel? They had 2 calves to worship the whole time. It was over 200 years. I know a pastor who said he doesn't want Judgment. I heartily disagree, I want Judgment. 1st Cor. 16:22. I'm counting on it. Vengeance is Mine says the Lord, I will repay.
“The entire prophetic tradition of Israel is essentially God standing at the gate asking why mishpat isn’t flowing there.” This is beautiful! So important to keep in mind that God’s “judgment” is really justice, something most of us want.
Just before reading this, I was pondering in my heart the story of the woman at the well and I felt more than ever that that little exchange with Jesus had so many echoes of my own relationship with him.
He loves us so.
He speaks our language and I am a songwriter. A wordsmith too. I grew up surrounded by quick whit and sarcasm and so I was sitting there wondering for the first time… what did the living water reference mean outside of what our worn out precious moments take has watered down.
I feel like he was speaking to her and pointing to something that would resonate with her specifically.
I think that happens when he, just as she said he did, tells us things no one could have known.
So then when I picked up my phone it felt like my heart was primed.
I wonder if she was singing
Maybe she’d experienced injustice
And was singing.
Maybe she knew this scripture.
"But let justice roll like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing torrent." (Amos 5:24, TLV)
I love this verse.
Oh, this absolutely stopped me! The idea that she may have known Amos 5:24 and that Yeshua's "living water" landed on that already-tilled soil… that's the kind of layered conversation he has with us too, isn't it? He meets us exactly where our language lives, and for a wordsmith and songwriter, I bet that well-side exchange just hits differently.
I am a new subscriber who yearns to know more of YHWH through the study of Hebrew words. Western churches need this! Thanks to @Elizabeth for the invitation!
Welcome!! I am so glad you’re here!!
This hits home.
My Final Thoughts
Most of us inherited a version of “judgment” that made us want to locate the nearest exit. But mishpat, at its full Hebrew width, is a restoration project. It’s what happens when accountability and protection and care for the most vulnerable are all functioning together in a community ordered around God.
The question mishpat asks every community of faith is a practical one: whose cases actually get heard here? Who falls through the cracks, and does anyone even notice?”
Does anyone notice. In today’s world who are the “orphans and widows” that we are called (commanded?) to take care of? What people group in my life, in our congregations, communities, are falling through the cracks? Do we notice them?
My first thought is for the pre born babies that are being killed every day. Who is speaking for them and how? I I don’t have the answer for those questions, but you sure have hit a nerve with me.
Thank you for the ways that you teach about the Hebrew Bible in ways that are totally understandable. I love your Word Nerd Wednesday’s.
I just started using Substack . I find your section interesting , as I am Greek Orthodox , and I have a Greek Orthodox Bible in English , and I notice the difference in translation in the old testement and the different books . Following you I hope I hope to get a better understanding as to the meaning of the Bible , how things get lost in the translation .
I have been reflecting on what you have written and you think what justice means , at the moment I feel world in the western justice is not being carried out fairly fairly . What is being carried out is people being told to follow a narrative and justice being being carried out according to the day narrative .
I have been reflecting on pairing mishpat and chesed. Today in modern day western world it not been applied , even though western society claims its laws is based on Judeo christian ideals . In this example below , I see what certain elements want to impose on society and the the vulnerable are ignored.
An Australian entrepreneur and founder of Giggle, Sally Grover, was taken to to court for creating a women-only app and feels that the battle over sex and gender identity is ultimately a battle over freedom of speech, belief and association.
I also feel that way. I am also concerned about a problem that there are instances where men that dress like , feel like women get bullied by men , I met a person who is related to one of them , explain their hardships . I believe in the biological definition of men and women , and women should have safe haven to be themselves not be imposed by transgender man , nor man that feel like a woman . In Australia , to identify as a woman you just have to feel like a woman , not be tested . Yet there are transgender woman who do get get harassed by men and don’t feel safe , how does One apply mishpat and chesed in this world ?
Mishpat + chesed balance: True justice protects biological reality and women’s dignity (active defense of the vulnerable) while showing compassion to those with dysphoria—without erasing sex-based rights or compelling speech/ideology.
There are other examples I can mentioned that has not been applied , people complain and their concern have been ignored noted .
Another example.
The Bankstown Hospital nurses case in Sydney (June 2026 rulings). Two former nurses were recorded (in a viral video) making alleged antisemitic threats, including statements about refusing to treat or “killing” Israeli patients. A judge ruled the video inadmissible in their criminal trial, primarily because it was obtained in violation of New South Wales’ Surveillance Devices Act (prohibiting secret recordings of private conversations without consent).
This illustrates an example of government/court dictation: rules of evidence serve due process (a mishpat strength), but when they obscure evident wrongdoing, public trust erodes.
From a Mishpat prospective : Biblical justice demands impartial truth-seeking and accountability, especially when lives or safety are at stake (protecting the vulnerable, in this example patients).
Two examples that stand out to me . As an individual what does do to practise this in every day life . Prayer about , write protest letters , join groups . How does one apply it in life when the government of the day and society who claim that practise don’t .
Mishpat is such a deep and lovely word. Understanding the nature of God's justice and judgment is deeply encouraging to believers, and terrifying to those who refuse God. I teach a men's Bible study early on Tuesday mornings at our church. We are studying Revelation and this week's lesson was from Chapter 15. My Table Talk discussion question was to compare this passage with Psalms 96 and 98 and consider why God's judgment is a cause for celebration and worship. Why are the trees of the forest singing for joy? It was a good discussion.
I stopped to read it of course 💙🙏🏻 Even for me there is so much space to learn Hebrew at is deeper translations.
I love when you read them!
They are so welcomed. I take a break and just read. And I get to see how someone else received the words 💙🤗
Q-2– one without the other reminds me of the current cultural distortion of “social justice”
I love it! This truly is what is coming when Daniel's 70th week comes rolling through. I cannot read Revelation 18 without immense joy that justice has prevailed. Mankind has forced what is coming—just as they did in the days of Noah. It will all happen "sooner than we expect". Yeshua has told many people that phrase over the past few years—me included. We will see the Messiah King on the throne in Jerusalem, very soon.
It was fulfilled in Christ, a lot of ppl got tricked by Zionist propaganda.
Daniel’s 70th Week Fulfilled in Christ (Partial Preterist View)
Core idea: Daniel 9:24–27 is about the Messiah’s ministry, His covenant, His sacrifice, and the judgment on Jerusalem — all in the first century.
Not a future 7‑year tribulation.
1️⃣ The Prophecy Is About the Messiah, Not the Antichrist
Daniel 9:24 lists six goals that must be accomplished in the 70 weeks:
Finish transgression
Put an end to sin
Atone for iniquity
Bring in everlasting righteousness
Seal vision and prophecy
Anoint the Most Holy
Every one of these is fulfilled in Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension.
None of these are things the Antichrist does.
2️⃣ The Messiah Arrives After 69 Weeks — Not the Antichrist
Daniel 9:25:
“From the going out of the word… to the coming of the Anointed One, a Prince…”
The Hebrew word is mashiach — Messiah.
Partial preterists point out:
The prophecy explicitly says the 69 weeks lead to Jesus, not a future world ruler.
The 70th week logically follows the 69th — no 2,000‑year gap.
3️⃣ The 70th Week Begins With Jesus’ Ministry
Daniel 9:27:
“He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week…”
Partial preterists identify “He” as the Messiah, because:
Jesus speaks of “the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20).
Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8 call the Messiah the covenant‑maker.
Romans 15:8 says Christ came to confirm the promises.
So the 70th week = Jesus’ 3.5‑year ministry + the 3.5 years after His resurrection.
4️⃣ “In the Middle of the Week He Will Put an End to Sacrifice”
Daniel 9:27:
“In the middle of the week he shall cause sacrifice and offering to cease.”
Jesus’ crucifixion happens 3.5 years into His ministry — the middle of the 70th week.
Hebrews 10:12:
“He offered one sacrifice for sins forever.”
The temple sacrifices lost their validity the moment Christ died.
This is the strongest argument partial preterists use.
5️⃣ The Final 3.5 Years = Gospel to the Jews Before Judgment
After Jesus’ resurrection:
The apostles preach exclusively to Israel for several years (Acts 1–7).
Stephen is martyred around the end of this period.
The gospel then goes to the Gentiles (Acts 8–10).
This completes the 70th week.
6️⃣ The Destruction of Jerusalem (70 AD) Is the Final Result
Daniel 9:26:
“The people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.”
This is Rome, not the Antichrist.
Jesus directly ties this prophecy to 70 AD:
Matthew 23:37–38 — “Your house is left to you desolate.”
Matthew 24:15 — Daniel’s abomination applied to the Roman armies.
Luke 21:20 — “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies…”
Josephus records the fulfillment in detail.
You are entitled to your opinion, but I strongly disagree with Preterism.
Diane, thank you for bringing Mishpat out into the open. Pairing justice with “khesed love” is essential, and so is pairing the very idea of such life-restoring communal justice with “tzedek/tzedeka”, (righteousness) which seems to be the most commonly paired word and idea (with Mishpat) that I see throughout the Hebrew Bible.
Maybe you have already done a word study on Tzedeka, but if not, can you tackle it next? Righteousness is another misunderstood word in our English traditions, yet it simply means to “rightly relate”, to God and other humans, to do right by each other, without which there can be no Mishpat, or Shalom.
When I think of Judgment I think of something that has never been seen, like the Holy Spirit. When I think of Hebrew and Judgment I think of Lawfare, that's what Judah used to practice before they got hauled off to Babylon. Text is Habakkuk 1:4. I've always been told Judgment is God's unusual work. I agree. Look how long it took Him to bring the flood. What about Canain? 400 years. What about Israel? They had 2 calves to worship the whole time. It was over 200 years. I know a pastor who said he doesn't want Judgment. I heartily disagree, I want Judgment. 1st Cor. 16:22. I'm counting on it. Vengeance is Mine says the Lord, I will repay.
“The entire prophetic tradition of Israel is essentially God standing at the gate asking why mishpat isn’t flowing there.” This is beautiful! So important to keep in mind that God’s “judgment” is really justice, something most of us want.