Anyone in OT ever righteous since Jesus was not yet manifest then?

In Romans 3:10-12, we read these written by the Apostle Paul concerning the subject of righteousness.

10As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one (Rom 3:10-12, KJV).

10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;
11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good, not even one.” (Rom 3:10-12, NIV)

The Greek word used for “righteous” here was “dikaios” (G1342). In context, the closest meaning to be assigned for G1342 should be this: “(state) of him whose way of thinking, feeling, and acting is wholly conformed to the will of God, and who therefore needs no rectification in the heart or life”.

In other words, Paul was saying that since The Fall of Man, there was no one, not even one, righteous. Only the first man, Adam, before The Fall was righteous. After The Fall, (apart from Jesus) there was no one, meaning not even the (Jew) patriarchs, if this Romans 3:10 is to hold true.

One might think that such a belief came into the picture only in New Testament (NT) time. But it is not true; these verses of Paul could actually be traced back to the Old Testament (OT); they came from Ps 14:1-3, Ps 53:1-3 and Eccl 7:20. Particularly, v10 came from Eccl 7:20 which read, in KJV as follows:

For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not (Eccl 7:20, KJV).

The Hebrew word used in Eccl 7:20 for “just” was “tsaddiyq” (H6662), the same word used for “righteous” in OT Genesis 7:1 when Noah was mentioned as being righteous, and was also the same word used Gen 6:9 where Noah was labeled as being a “just” man:

And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation (Gen 7:1, KJV).
These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God (Gen 6:9, KJV).

The meaning of righteous or just, for the case of Noah, has to be of the same class as that of righteous, as mentioned by Paul, for when Noah was being labeled as righteous, this was spoken of that time:

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Gen 6:5, KJV).

The situation was so bad then, like what it was depicted in Romans 3:11-12, they understood not God, sought not God, turned away, altogether worthless, doing nothing good, and God had to bring on The Flood to wipe them out.

But we have stated “righteous”, like in Rom 3:10, was referring to the state of him whose way of thinking, feeling, and acting, is wholly conformed to the will of God {which is NEVER evil or wicked}, and who therefore needs no rectification in the heart or life, how do we reconcile the truth of Rom 3:10 that none (since The Fall of Man) is righteous, and Noah (subsequent to The Fall) being labeled as righteous. In fact, there are other characters in OT in the like of Noah; for example, before Noah, there was Enoch who walked with God and was “translated” (did not die!). Also, righteousness was said to be counted to Abraham on various occasions. So, the question is, was there or was there not anyone, ever righteous (apart from pre-Fall Adam and Jesus)?

The gospel as I was led to understand and still understand so, till today, is that Rom 3:10, and as well as Rom 3:23’s “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” were verses telling on our belief that everyone is born a sinner. In fact, it is unmistakable that the Apostle Paul believed such, for these words of Paul clearly indicated so:

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.(Rom 5:12-14). 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive (1 Cor 15:21-22).

As far as OT support is concerned, this verse of King David stood up:

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me (Ps 51:5).

Some speculate that David was saying that his mother did something wrong and conceived him, but I personally think that such speculation is not warranted. Rather, it could very well be that David had had revelation of such (that everyone was born a sinner), from God. I am one of those who believe that David had had revelation from the LORD concerning the Lord, Jesus, who, relative to his (David’s) time, would be coming to deliver him (David) OUT of death, for he (David) too was a sinner (born a sinner). For an understanding of this, you can read my separate article – Psalm 16 – David’s confession of faith.

My belief was and is that, through that first sin (Original Sin) committed by Adam, Man lost the righteousness (Original Righteousness) God created him with. Man’s state of righteousness with God was lost at that Fall; everyone after that, is unrighteous, even at birth.

If we are talking about such a concept of righteousness, how come such men as Enoch and Noah can be said to be righteous?

One possibility is this: That in OT time, without Jesus being manifest (the Law and Prophets only testified {Rom 3:21}), the consequence of the Original Sin, the damned STATUS of Man, was relegated by God to one side, awaiting its cure, so to speak. It is not that God did not have a plan to address the unrighteous STATE of Man, for upon the happening of The Fall, God spoke concerning the son of woman (referring to Jesus) crushing the head of the Serpent (Satan) {Gen 3:15}; it was just that, it was to be in the future relative to that time (after The Fall). In His grace, love and mercy, God continued to have Man populate the land, and He continued to deal with Man, despite there was an “offence” (even a “legal” offence that had yet to be satisfied) against His holiness. My view is that the “standard” of righteousness expected of the OT people in earthly life, in that interim period, taking into account of The Fall (fallen nature of Man) was different from that before The Fall (and from that, after the 1st coming of Jesus), but it was nevertheless God’s standard, and it was possibly the highest possible for the fallen condition of Man. My view is anchored upon the understanding that God does not expect the impossible from Man, His creation whom He knows the limit. Is there support for such an understanding you may ask? Yes, 1 Cor 10:13; although it does not exactly say such, it nevertheless is picturing to us that God does not exact what is not possible from us, although of course, we are responsible for the exercise of our free-will:

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Cor 10:13).

Also, through the mouth of His prophet, Ezekiel, in Eze 18, God spoke about who He would regard as righteous, in those days (Eze 18:5-9).

5 "Suppose there is a righteous man
who does what is just and right.
6 He does not eat at the mountain shrines
or look to the idols of the house of Israel.
He does not defile his neighbor's wife
or lie with a woman during her period.
7 He does not oppress anyone,
but returns what he took in pledge for a loan.
He does not commit robbery
but gives his food to the hungry
and provides clothing for the naked.
8 He does not lend at usury
or take excessive interest.
He withholds his hand from doing wrong
and judges fairly between man and man.
9 He follows my decrees
and faithfully keeps my laws.
That man is righteous;
he will surely live,
declares the Sovereign LORD. (Eze 18:5-9)

Notice that verse 9b said this: That man is righteous; he will surely live, declares the Sovereign LORD.

So, in the OT, when God said or announced that someone was righteous, that righteousness was the righteousness He had set and expected; and so, He could say or declare someone as having reached that, albeit it was not to the level of the Original Righteousness before The Fall, for it would have been impossible to achieve, given the fallen-ness of Man and world; and of course, it was also not to the level of righteousness of His Son, Jesus Christ, for in OT, Jesus had not manifest. The Apostle Paul put it very nicely as:

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, … (Romans 1:17). But NOW a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify (Romans 3:21). {Phil 3:7-9 also by Paul, also indicated so}.

This is the revelation that my study and meditation thereof, have enabled me to receive on this subject, and if you can accept this viewpoint, it will adjust your lenses of righteousness accordingly, when you read the OT, relative to your more firmly established understanding of the subject, from the NT. The study of the relevant Hebrew and Greek words in this case, though helps, does not fully address the issue. There are really levels and dimensions of righteousness revealed in Scripture, in OT and in NT. For example, some of us, because of the constant hearing of “overly grace” messages, think that there was no such thing or acceptable notion of righteousness by law. There is no justification by law (Acts 13:39), but there was righteousness by law in OT. Deu 6:25 clearly said that.

And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us (Deu 6:25, KJV).

The passage from Ezekiel 18, Eze 18:5-9 {we have seen above}, is another support for that.

The wording of Paul {“righteousness, apart from law, has now been made known”} in Romans 3:21 (given above) was his acknowledgement of there was a dimension of righteousness by law. Even Jesus recognized that there is righteousness by law:

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 15:17-20).

In the passage above, Jesus recognized there is a level of righteousness by law, but He, in verse 20, emphatically stated that we need a righteousness that surpasses that which can come from the law, to enter the kingdom of heaven or God. This higher righteousness, not possible to the OT people, but is possible to us to have, through faith in Christ Jesus (If you can believe, when Jesus was in Sheol (=Hades) {upon his crucifixion}, dead OT people, generally, decided on whether or not, they would believe in Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus did go to Sheol {but NOT to HELL}). Over-shadowed by grace, although we tended not to talk about righteousness in terms of righteousness by law, there is still a dimension of righteousness that has to do with faith in God’s Word (which, is His laws; God’s words are laws, men!).

So, we come back to the issue of us reading that OT persons being labeled as righteous. The correct way to view the matter is that while OT people did not have the righteousness {righteous state} of Christ Jesus, if they were nevertheless found by God to be of the way of thinking, feeling, and acting in conformity to His will, then {which took into account the fallen nature of men} and therefore, not needing rectification in the heart or life, they could be said by God to be righteous. After all, righteousness is about being right with God, in agreement with Him and flowing with Him; the more righteous we are, implied the more in-sync, we are with God in rightness, in thoughts, in timing, and in actions. Do not get me wrong; I am not saying that God just ignored the consequence of the Original Sin, but that, for the OT people, He had relegated it to one side, awaiting its cure which was and is found only in Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection. I believe Jesus after His death, in the 3 days before His resurrection, went to Sheol, even to the people before The Flood, in Sheol, and preached to them (1 Peter 3:18-20a).

Faith ties in nicely, too, with righteousness, for when we know about God and know God more (principally through His Word), our faith grow stronger and stronger. And when we act on our faith, we believe what we are doing coincides with God’s heart and desire, and God is going to count to us righteousness (being right with Him) {Therefore, is there not, a dimension of righteousness through acting according to His Word (which is in fact His laws)?}. In OT, faith might not be in Jesus Christ, but if it was faith in God, it counted too, for then Jesus Christ was not manifest. That must be so, for Scripture said that Abraham’s faith in God was counted to him as righteousness. It might not be God rendering a man as righteous, in STATE, and therefore, OT “justification” might not be the same as that in NT, nevertheless, righteousness counted by God were ACTS of righteousness pointing to the righteousness of the person in question.

Today, under NT era, God still counts to a believer, ACTS of righteousness, for his righteous deeds, although the NT terminology of rendering ACTS as FRUIT is preferred by many, because of Jesus’ parable involving a good TREE producing good FRUIT, and good FRUIT ought to come from a good TREE {if bad FRUIT, TREE cannot be good}. To me, it is the same; for act or fruit, it is the outworking from, and the pointing to, a STATE; and for the NT believer, that is the Jesus imputed righteous STATE which he MUST INTERNALISE AS HIS OWN.


Anthony Chia, high.expressions – I believe there is the imputed righteousness of Jesus for the NT believer, and there is still the requirement for him to live his life out in righteousness, producing fruit of righteousness by his active righteousness. What do you think?

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Psalm 143 – David’s refusal to despair

The way to read this article is that the BLUE underlined texts are the verses of the Bible (NIV84, unless otherwise stated). The black texts following the Bible verses (and enclosed by square brackets) are my commentaries. At the end of these Bible texts and commentaries, I have inserted a section on "Points to take note/What we have learnt/can learn".


Psalm 143

A psalm of David.

1 O LORD, hear my prayer,
listen to my cry for mercy;
in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief. [David petitioned God to hear his prayer, to listen to his cry for mercy. David asked God to come to his relief, in His faithfulness and righteousness.]
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you. [David was pleading to God not to judge him or to put off judging him, for no one living is righteous before God; no matter how righteous David might be. In humility, he appealed to God.

As a side, now is it in OT time, none was righteous because of the damnation from the consequence of the Original Sin, that David said what he said, or is it  even in NT time, this is still valid, that none is (actively) righteous all the time, and so, we too, should be pleading to God as David did? My inclination is that despite we as believers have the imputed righteousness from our entry into salvation, we can be unrighteous (in the active sense), and God is at liberty to judge (NOT necessarily condemned us to Hell) henceforth or mark us for judgment at a later date; Hebrews 10:26-29 reads, " 26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?"]

3 The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in darkness
like those long dead. [David was petitioning God because his enemy was pursuing him, they crushed him to the ground; they made him dwell in darkness like those long dead {last bit, was probably referring to his having to be on the run, a fugitive, not able to remain in touch with those who knew him}.

This verse can also be interpreted as David's enemy was causing David to go into an oppressed and depressed state.]
4 So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed. [Because of his enemies {probably strong ones} were against him, David said to God that his spirit grew faint within him, and he was disheartened {but not in despair}.

David acknowledged that the attacks of the enemy had affected him.  Such is the positive and first thing to do, if we want to stand prevailing.  From it we know that we need help, and help from God.]
5 I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done. [In order not to be in despair, David remembered the former days where he had witnessed or knew God‘s faithfulness and righteousness at work. David meditated on God’s works and considered what God had done, in the past. Recounting the past faithfulness of God is a good way to “keep one’s head above the water”.]
6 I spread out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. [David told God his soul thirsted for Him like a parched land, even as he spread out his hands to God. David expressed that he needed God badly.]
Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O LORD;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit. [David pleaded for God to answer him quickly, saying that his spirit was failing. He beseeched God not to hide His face from him or he would be like those who go down the pit, for he was growing weaker and weaker.

Now, the picture painted can be that David was expressing that it was possible that he might die if God did NOT answer him quickly, or it could be that he was expressing if God did NOT answer him quickly, he might go into depression; pit being the metaphor for "in depression".]
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul. [Perhaps, it was night time at that moment, and David asked that God not to delay, but to let him have His word of His unfailing love by the morning {or it was just simply an expression for an answer was needed without delay}, for his trust was in God. David asked God to show him the way he should go, for, to God, David was entrusting his soul.]
9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD,
for I hide myself in you. [What David was saying was that he regarded the LORD as his refuge. He might not run into any fortress, he believed he was already hiding in the LORD, and so, he asked of the LORD to protect him from his enemies.]
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground. [David asked God to teach him to do His will, for to David, the LORD was his God, one who could NOT be wrong, only right, only good. To David, such one’s will, he would do. David trusted God to lead him on level ground, meaning David trusted if he followed the ways and will of God, he would NOT be overwhelmed.

Level ground was to paint the picture of the setting where one does NOT get hit repeatedly so much so that one would get overwhelmed.  On "level ground", sometimes, one can still trip and fall, but it would NOT be as frequent and overwhelming as one on "terraneous ground" (undulating, rocky ground).  A believer's life is NOT expected to be trouble-free.]
11 For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life;
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble. [Because David’s declaration that the righteous LORD was his God, David was indicating it would not reflect well on the name of the LORD should his life be lost or that he would be "paralyzed" (as would be the case if he went down the pit of depression). Concerned with the name of the LORD, David called for the LORD to preserve his life, and to come to bring him out of trouble, in His righteousness. 

The life, Jesus came to give for a believer, is that of abundant life (John 10:10); not a paralyzed life or a utterly defeated life; people in depression often live that way - defeated and paralyzed.]
12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant. [David appealed to God’s unfailing love, calling for God to come to silence his enemies; to destroy all his foes. David said he was appealing on the ground that he was the LORD’s servant.

David could have appealed on other grounds, but he chose to appeal on the ground that he was the LORD's servant; pointing to his humility.]


What we should have learnt:

This psalm spoke about David’s refusal to be abandoned to despair. Clearly, Scripture did not promise a “smooth and swell” life for a believer. Instead, we read of believers being still in the world {Jesus, when praying, said that He was NOT asking the Father to take His disciples out of the world (John 17:15)}, although not of the world, and the need for us to persevere. For example, the Apostle Paul even wrote like this:

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Cor 4:8-9).

The sooner we realize this, the better; and we have better get to know how we are to deal with challenges, the fallen world throws at us, saints. Jesus said this (John 16:33) - "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."   

King David of the OT, had his fair share of challenges, and here, in this psalm, I believe, David was quite desperate, yet he refused to despair, and had sought the LORD for help. Psalm 143 was David’s petitioning for God’s help in his dire straits (great distress). Some believed that this psalm spoke of the time King David had to run from his own son, Absalom who usurped his throne, but whether it was precisely that occasion or not, is not crucial. These are some of the things we can learn from David’s petition:

1. The most basic way to petition to God is to pray (v1). We must pray, we cannot say, “God can see, and God knows, if He wants, He will do something; if nothing is already happening, it is because He does not want to do anything!” Scripture exhorts us to ask, so we ask; to pray, so we pray; and we are not to be a smart aleck, and refuse to do so. King Ahaz of Judah, for example, was stubborn and refused to ask when the LORD told him to ask {for a sign} (Isaiah 7:10-13). It is not that we get everything we ask for, but indeed, we have to ask; the Apostle James said in James 4:2 that we do not have, because we do not ask.

As a side, now, faithfulness of God does NOT equate God MUST, regardless.  If it were God MUST, really there was no need for David or anyone to pray or do anything.

2. Ask according to who God is, and according to His ways (v1). For example, one cannot ask God to do an unrighteous thing; for example, to help you to win the heart of someone’s wife. Ps 89:14 is a scripture I meditate often, and it says, “Justice and righteousness are the foundation of your {His} throne; love and faithfulness go before you {Him}”. So, we can ask God to come to our relief, in His justice, righteousness, unfailing love and faithfulness, and of course, in His mercy. We cannot ask God to act opposite to who He is and His ways, He will NOT do it.

Does God NOT love us; and so, answer all our prayers according to what we have asked?  No, and it is because His love is first of all, love unto righteousness ('ahab love'). For better understanding of this love, read my separate article - 'ahab love - Love unto righteousness.

3. Come in humility before God (v2). We, ourselves, need to live a righteous life (active righteousness), and not just rely on the imputed righteous of Jesus. If we live UNrighteous lives while insisting we are righteous, relying solely on the imputed righteousness of Christ, we are really profaning the righteousness of God. Apart from some blunders he did (like his affair with Bathsheba), David endeavored to live honorably and righteously, especially with regard to his dealings with King Saul who plotted repeatedly to kill him. Of course, we must always repent of our sinful ways.

When you are sincerely serving the Lord, you can even ask on the ground of being His servant (v12). We are all servants (prima facie) of the Lord, but do you serve the Lord? In my view, David could have asked on other grounds, stronger grounds, yet he asked on a lesser ground of being God's servant ("I am your servant" is a lesser ground), for he was humble.  David chose the weakest of the "links of entitlement" [ground of being a child, is a stronger link (of entitlement), which David did NOT invoke).

4. All children of God (I use "children", instead of "servants", because some of us do NOT seem to serve, even when we are children of God) ought to know they have a Father God whom they can call out to, when they are in distress (v3-4). Call out to God, instead of falling into despair. David, in this psalm, was doing precisely that.

We should note that David acknowledged that the attacks of the enemy had affected him.  Such is the positive and first thing to do, if we want to stand prevailing.  From it we know that we need help, and help from God.

Do not be nonchalant about the attacks of the enemy and their impact on you; do NOT be ignorant or be proud; they do NOT help.  Don't get yourself into situation of "too much have hit you", that you toppled into despair; realize it earlier and seek God's help humbly, earlier, than later.

5. To avoid sinking into despair, remember the former days, recount the past faithfulness of God (v5). For those, whose walk with the Lord is still short and without much personal testimonies to fall back on, fellowship with other believers would be beneficial, as testimonies of others, too, can encourage us.

6. Express frankly your dire straits, your distress (v6-7). David said his soul thirsted for God (one can die of thirst! – need God badly), and his spirit was failing; and he asked God to answer him quickly.

7. Express your trust in the Lord, that He is your refuge and your shield (v8-9). I say “express”, for you can only honestly say something {express} when it is truly so, in your heart and beliefs. Our trust, hope and faith in God, of course, do take time to grow; and trials and grief do come so that our faith may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed (1 Pet 1:6-7).

8. Express your love for God’s will and His ways, and that you want to walk and DO WALK in His righteousness {we, at least must try; do not listen to teachings which say that we should effort NOT} (v10-11). Only when you do walk in His righteousness, can you say, “For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life”.

9. Of course, do not forget to tell God what you want Him to do for you (v12). In David’s context, he needed his enemies silenced, he needed his foes destroyed; and David asked God for that. It is not that God must do what you want, but again, do not listen to teachings which tell you that you cannot tell God what He can do for you; God is not that insecure or think that you could influence his righteousness or judgment. Jesus, Himself, in His earthly ministry, on several occasions (Matt 20:32, Mark 10:36, Mark 10:51, Luke 18:41) asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”


Anthony Chia, high.expressions – Indeed, no children of God should need to despair. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he {God} who promised is faithful (Heb 10:23)

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Did God say we are not to judge?

A controversial topic?
Today, we are going to dwell at some length a controversial topic found at many places in the Bible, in various “shades”. In this article, I will be touching on some of the dimensions of the topic, but I believe it is still not the exhaustive exposition of the entire topic. I have been “chewing” on this topic for some time now; and as it is controversial, the views expressed here are my sole responsibility and does not necessarily reflect the positions of my church or any Christian affiliations that I belong to. Wherever possible, I have supported my viewpoints from the Scripture.


Jesus’ words
The starting text is taken from Matt 7:1-5:

1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. (Matt 7:1-5)

The Greek word (G2919) for “judge” here, is the word, “krinō”. There is another Greek word (G350), “anakrino”, the meanings of which coincide with certain meanings of “krino”; more specifically, it pertains to judgment between/among men. In terms of perspective, if we were to view “krino” as a set of meanings, “anakrino” is a sub-set of krino, much like the Hebrew words for “gods”, H430 (elohiym) and H426 (elahh). So as to illustrate, and for information (those wanting the full exposition of what was meant by Ps 82:6 and John 10:34 of “Ye are gods”, should read my separate article of “Ye are NOT gods”), H430 is the set which contains “god” as in God of Israel, “gods” as in deities, and gods generally, AND “gods” as rulers, judges and magistrates, whereas H426 is the sub-set, strictly having the meaning of “gods” as in deities or gods generally.

The use of krino and anakrino is best analysed by looking at how they were used by the Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 4:3-5 which I have put down, further down, in this article, but without exposition, for the exposition would take another article.

We will concentrate on the word, “krino” in this article, touching on some of the shades of its meanings. There are 2 major sub-sets of meanings which I would like to mention, one being the judging between/among men (which is the similar to the meanings of “anakrino”), and the judging, of the nature like that done by God on Judgment Day. The former (judging between/among men) is this:

a) to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong
- to be judged, i.e. summoned to trial that one's case may be examined and judgment passed upon it

b) to pronounce judgment, to subject to censure
- of those who act the part of judges or arbiters in matters of common life, or pass judgment on the deeds and words of others

The latter (judging like that of God on Judgment Day) is this: to separate, to pick out, to select, to choose, and to put asunder of. In common Lexicon, this sub-set of meaning is listed as the first and foremost meaning for the word, “krino”.

Therefore, at times, the word, judge, “krino” was referring to the latter meaning, but at others, the former meaning. But it is possible, even though we are to judge in the former manner, we have a tendency into the latter. There is only one who judges according to the latter meaning, and he is none other than Jesus Christ. In a sense, none of us, men, are to judge in the latter meaning, at least not currently. In the future, some of us would, when we judge angels and even the world with Jesus Christ (1 Cor 6:2-3). Although one can, at times, say that, when Scripture indicated that we are not to judge (krino), it was asking that we do not judge in the latter manner, but to regard all instances as such, would be inappropriate. As an example, if we look at Matt 7:1 and Luke 6:37a, we will find, it will lead to an illogical position:

"Do not judge {krino}, or you too will be judged {krino}.(Matt 7:1). “Do not judge {krino}, and you will not be judged {krino) (Luke 6:37a).

If we do not judge in the latter meaning above (“play God”, as some may say it), it means we will not be judged by God? It cannot be, all of us will be judged (krino) by God, regardless.

In my view, therefore, while we bear in mind we are not to try {not that we really could} to judge in the latter meaning above, the word “judge” (krino) can be considered with the usual meaning that we commonly know and use: to judge should include the examination of a case, and the passing of opinion (judgment) thereof; it may include the giving out of the penalty, which we commonly take it under a separate word, sentencing. I do not think judging in Scripture excludes sentencing. It can include the sentencing element as well. Of course, often times, in our daily lives, we exclude the sentencing part, in our discernments or judgments; we only needed to come to a conclusion of whether something is right or wrong (usually with the intention of whether or not, we are to do a thing).

Discernment and sound judgment
This brings me to another word, discernment. What is discernment? I read this in Proverbs 3:21 –“My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight;”

From here, and from my research from dictionaries, I conclude that discernment and judgment are quite separate. You can have a judgment without discernment, but you need discernment for a sound judgment. In this manner, as a noun, we can understand that discernment is the acuteness of understanding and judgment, or the keenness of understanding, perception or insight. As a verb or action word, it is the act or process of exercising the keenness of insight or acuteness of understanding. Because discernment includes acuteness, being penetrating, and shrewdness, SOUND judgment and discernment are quite synonymous, but NOT MERE judgment and discernment.

In the dictionary.com, when explaining what discernment included, acuteness, being penetrating and shrewdness are given these meanings: "ACUTE, PENETRATING, SHREWD imply a keenness of understanding, perception, or insight. ACUTE suggests particularly a clearness of perception and a realization of related meanings. PENETRATING adds the idea of depth of perception and a realization of implications. SHREWD adds the idea of knowing how to apply practically. Because discernment includes acuteness, being penetrating, and shrewdness, SOUND judgment and discernment are quite synonymous, but NOT MERE judgment and discernment."

And there is the thing called wisdom
Of course, the highest level word is the word, “wisdom”. We read in 1 Kings 3:11-12 of what King Solomon asked of God, and how God was pleased to give:

11 So God said to him {Solomon}, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. (1 Kings 3:11-13)

When you have wisdom, you will exercise discernment, and you will arrive at sound judgment.

No, I do not think God was saying do not judge at all
Clearly, just from the above, one must see that it cannot be that God implied that we are not to judge at all. The very giving of wisdom is so that one can exercise discernment. And the purposes of exercising discernments include arriving to a sound judgment. You may think that I quoted King Solomon, and therefore, we, commoners, are being excluded, but you can read in James 1:5 that the Apostle James said that those (we) who lacked wisdom, they (we) are to ask from God, and God will give it to ALL generously, without finding fault.

Furthermore, God is never abhorring sound judgments. Proverbs 3:21, in fact, exhorts us to preserve sound judgment …., do not let them out of your sight. “Do not let them out of your sight” does not mean you are to make sure a certain sentencing is being carried out. It means you are always to be arriving at a SOUND judgment (which means that you are always to exercise discernment). If you are to be always arriving at a sound judgment, it implies that you are always to be judging (and always to be exercising discernment). If you do not judge, there will be no judgment, and there would not be any sound judgment, will there? In fact, no judgment often is judgment, and often, poor judgment, because there was no exercise of discernment – because you just left a matter be.

People’s New Testament’s commentary
The Bible commentators for the People’s New Testament, although in less encompassing manner, nevertheless are pointing to Jesus’ words being not targeted at forbiddance of judgments. These are written of these Matthews verses:

(1) He {Jesus} does not prohibit the civil judgment of the courts upon evil doers, for this is approved throughout the whole Bible.

(2) He does not prohibit the judgment of the church, through its officers, upon those who walk disorderly, for both he {Jesus} and the apostles have enjoined this.

(3) He does not forbid those private judgments that we are compelled to form the wrong-doers, for he himself tell us that we are to judge men by their fruits. (See Mt 7:15-20.) {the passage talked about recognition, rather than judgment but if one argues that one exercises judgment in recognition, then it is also judgment at work. But my own belief is that beyond recognition, we got to be careful about judging people’s fruitfulness based on circumstances known to us. You will understand my reservation, later in the article}

The Apostle Paul also did not bar all judgments
The Apostle Paul distinguished between what should be and what should not be judged, and how we are to judge, rather than giving a blanket disapproval of all judgments. A sample of verses of Paul will serve to illustrate this, but to go in-depth, would require separate articles:

What business is it of mine {Apostle Paul} to judge {krino} those outside the church? Are you not to judge {krino} those inside? (1 Cor 5:12)

Do you not know that the saints {believers} will judge {krino} the world? And if you are to judge {krino} the world, are you not competent to judge {kritērion, similar in meaning to krino, preside over} trivial cases? (1 Cor 6:2)

Do you not know that we will judge {krino} angels? How much more the things of this life! (1 Cor 6:3)

But if we judged {diakrino: self-examine and contend with} ourselves, we would not come under judgment {krino}. (1 Cor 11:31)

When we are judged {krino} by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world (1 Cor 11:32)

I care very little if I am judged {anakrino} by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge {anakrino} myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges {anakrino} me. Therefore judge {krino} nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God (1 Cor 4:3-5).

Some other teachings by the Apostle Paul have been covered in this article itself, including Romans 2:4 and Romans 14:4 (see section on “How to judge”).

So what did Jesus mean to say?
So, what exactly was Jesus trying to say with those words in Matt 7:1-5; to judge, or not to judge, or what? This is what I believe Jesus was trying to say: The overall spirit of this teaching of Jesus is that one should not be self-righteous. More particularly, one should not be self-righteous when judging.

Judging must be done based on the righteousness of God, no matter how obscurely it may appear to some (and that was why Solomon asked for discernment for justice administration, we need godly wisdom to administer justice in manner pleasing to God. And God said if we do not have it, ask and He will give it {James 1:5}.)

Simple definition of SELF-righteousness is this: being confident of one's own righteousness, esp. when smugly (contentedly confident of one's ability, superiority, or correctness; complacently) moralistic and intolerant of the opinions and behavior of others.

It is best not to look at Matt 7:1-2 in isolation; if you must do so, in my opinion, one should regard it as an expression of a truth by Jesus. And that truth, in my view, is: God does judge us on how we judge; in the same manner we judge others, we will be judged, and with the measure we use, it will be measured back to us.

It is when one looks at Matt 7:1-5 in totality that one can come to the conclusion that Jesus was warning about judging based on self-righteousness. It is precisely because we have to judge that Jesus said to check ourselves first before we try to examine another. Jesus was saying self-righteous people are complacent; in terms of the metaphor used, they pay no attention to the plank in their own eyes, yet they look at the speck in another brother’s eyes. So, Jesus said not to be a hypocrite, do not be complacent; remove first the plank from our own eyes before we try to remove the speck from a brother’s eyes. In other words, judge ourselves first, before we judge others. Indeed we need to judge ourselves so that we would not come under judgment (1 Cor 1:31, even though this passage is on self-examination on taking Holy Communion, it is applicable nevertheless {The Apostle Paul did say, he did not even judge himself, but that was because he was living his life according to the Spirit; he was led by the Spirit. To judge himself was to judge the Spirit, that he would not do, but even then, he advised against being presumptuous}.)

How to judge
Of course, righteousness of God is a big phrase. Practically, what are we to do or not to do, in judging? Below are some of my views:

1. Do not be rash. Avoid judging without full examination of charges. Exercise discernment (Proverbs 3:21), bearing in mind that discernment is the process of arriving at a sound judgment.

2. We should not judge by mere appearance (John 7:24).

3. Be merciful. Judgment should be tempered with mercy (James 2:13)

4. Avoid a spirit of fault-finding or censorious judgments. Remember for the measure you use, it will be measured back to you (Matt 7:2). You may not have many faults in a particular area, but that does not mean that you do not have any in some other areas. What are censorious judgments? In Dictionary.com, censorious means severely critical; faultfinding; carping {fussy or petulant (impatient irritation) faultfinding; querulous (full of complaints)}

5. You may need to abstain if you have a vested interest. Your judgment might be biased or you may, in fact, find yourself being a hypocrite.

6. Do not think more highly of yourself than you should. Do not be caught in blind leading the blind (Luke 6:39-40, concerning this same topic; also Romans 12:3)

7. Avoid condemnation (Luke 6:37). Condemnation actually is a very strong word. Legalistically used, it means damnation to death, especially in olden usage. It also means unfit, undeserving, incorrigible, beyond reform, hopeless, incurable. Even God rarely condemned, please do not do that as far as possible. Judgment does not necessarily mean no sentencing, but avoid condemnation.

8. As far as it is up to you, forgive (Luke 6:37c). Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matt 18:23-35) illustrated un-forgiveness can be equated to wickedness, and are abhorred by God, and God’s wrath can even be meted out currently (in present life).

9. Embrace the spirit of giving (Luke 6:38). God is a “G”, G for Giver. Satan is also a “G”, G for Glutton. Choose, be a son of God or son of perdition.

10. Do not frame an innocent. This is unjust judgment. This is wickedness; abhorred by God. Those who practice wickedness can even face God’s wrath being meted out currently (in present life).

11. Desire and learn the ways of God. “….. but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40). If we want to judge based on God’s righteousness, we must desire and learn the ways of God.

12. Ask God for wisdom (James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.).

13. Follow the Royal Law – Love your neighbor as yourself (James 2:8). Also, do not do unto others, what you do not want others to do unto you. Rather do unto others, what you would like others to do unto you (Matt 7:12)

14. Be involved when you should (but try not to be a busybody). The way I crafted the preceding phrase is done intentionally, although Matt 7:1 or the parallel verse in Luke, Luke 6:37a perhaps, was tilted more to a call to be a less of a busybody. The reason for the emphasis for the front portion is because of the increasing complacency of Christians despite increasing depravity of society. Proverbs 3:21 has to be emphasized more. If Christians couldn’t care less, and refuse to do their part by the exercising of sound judgments to influence society, society will be overtaken by values contrary to the righteousness of God. If we all abdicate, guess who will be judging?

Concerning the parallel verse in Luke, Luke 6:37, especially the first part, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged”, I believe we should not take it to mean if we do not judge at all (which is impossible), we will not be judged. If for nothing else, you will be judged by God as a useless fool because you have not used any of the faculties He has given you as a man. I believe people should interpret it like how I said of Matt 7:1-2. At most, taken alone, I can accept that if something is not our fight (not everything is our fight, and I do not think God holds us to everything that happens or does not happen in this world), we should leave it, not judge it, i.e. do not be a busybody and get yourself into a situation that at the end of the day, you need to face God’s judgment on you, concerning the matter. But remember what I said about Christians being complacent. I believe for many of us, we have to watch that (complacency) more. For those still not convinced, there is such a thing as a sin of omission as opposed to the familiar, sin of commission.

15. Refrain, when it comes to service for God. The Apostle Paul pointed out that in the area of the quantity and quality of services we do in serving God, or the extensiveness of one’s contribution thereof, or even, whether we are really designated by God to serve in certain areas, we should exercise restraint in judgments. Paul spoke that God is the master and because we, the servants, are doing his biddings, only He has the full pictures of what He wants us, individually, to do, whether we fall short of His expectations or not. It is not so easy for outsiders to judge and it is best we do not judge although people in leadership positions inevitably have to assess the performances of the people under their charge, like in the church settings, of the Senior Pastor having to assess the performances of the people working in the church. In Romans 14:4, we read this:

Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. (Romans 14:4).

Even in the church setting, ultimately the Big Boss is not the senior pastor but God.

16. Concerning disputable matters. In disputable matters, the position tends to be closer to that for service for God; we should try to refrain from judging. I advise putting our position across if it does not lead to quarreling (the Apostle Paul advised against quarrelling), but I would not be hung-up that the person must accept my views. In disputable matters, even if we think we are right, we should try to see it in the manner said by the Apostle Paul, accept him whose faith is weak; we were once there, too! Also, some matters are peripherals, like matters of eating and drinking, per se. I also believe that sometimes, one may not agree with a point of view now, in the future, through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, as the person grows in the Lord, he may change his viewpoint. In such a situation, adopt the same attitude as that called for concerning looking at the services of servants of God, who are we to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. If his master allows him to stand, who are we to question that?

So, in a matter that strictly does not involve or implicate others (it would be different if it harms or stumbles another), all we can do is to instruct, gently wherever possible, and if that person does not want to listen, especially if he is an adult, we should let it go. If you still feel you want to do something, intercede for him (on your own, not with him, perhaps). It is not our fight; to his master he stands or falls. If he stands because his Lord makes him stand, who are we to judge?

17. Concerning false teaching. While at times, it is not clear-cut whether or not, a particular teaching is erroneous, meaning it can be a disputable matter that should be handled as said above, but at other times, if the teaching is concerning core theology of the faith and is heretic or apostate, we are to speak against such teaching. It is just not right in such a scenario to hide under “Do not judge”. The Apostle Paul did, although the word, “judge” was not used, exhort believers to “judge” if particular teaching was true (Acts 17:11, in praise of the Bereans). It is first of all, for our own good, and secondly, we should not let wolves in sheepskin to come into the pen and stumble others; though of course, we are to correct gently if possible, without quarrel. False teachings are going to be thing to be contended with (2 Tim 4:3), but Scripture did not exhort us to do nothing.

18. Respect God’s richness of kindness, tolerance, and patience. God’s long-suffering is intended that people are given time and opportunities to repent. We ourselves are included, meaning if we had not seen the wrath of God meted out against us, it does not mean that we are necessarily above others, and that we can judge others in self-righteousness (Romans 2:4)

19. Remember, ultimately God is the Judge, and the final verdict belongs to God, and everything is final only on Judgment Day, or when God said it is final.

Conclusion!
As a conclusion, I believe God did not say we are not to judge at all. But we are NOT to judge in self-righteousness. We are to judge ourselves first before we judge others. In matter of strictly between the master (the Lord), and the servant, i.e. in connection with matter of services for God or disputable matters, it is best not to be too judgmental.



Anthony Chia, high.expressions – Lord, I have a long way to go. You know I am not trying to judge but to gently instruct; may I always remember that teachers of the Word (not that I can regard myself as a teacher) are judged more strictly according to your Word in James 3:1. Forgive me, Lord where I have over-stepped the line, and may you lead me in this area.

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Judges series - Judges 21 - Levite and His concubine (final part)

The way to read this article is that the orange underlined texts are the verses of the Bible (NIV, unless otherwise stated). The black texts following the Bible verses (and enclosed by square brackets) are my commentaries. At the end of these Bible texts and commentaries, I have inserted a section on "Points to take note/What we have learnt/can learn".
{For full listing of all articles in this series, click here}

Judges 21

[A recap of the story thus far, started from Judges 19 - [In this story, a Levite in the Ephraim hill country took a concubine from Bethlehem, Judah. The concubine was unfaithful, and afterward, had left home and gone back to her father’s house in Bethlehem. The Levite went to fetch her back, and the way back, when it was late, they decided to spend the night in Gibeah, a city, controlled by the Benjamin tribe. An old man, probably a fellow Israelite, extended hospitality to the couple. In the night, while everyone was inside the house, some wicked men of the city came to the door, demanding the Levite be given over to them to have sex, sodomy! The old man said that, that would be a vile and disgraceful thing to do, and countered, offering to give his own virgin daughter and the Levite’s concubine to the men, but the men refused. The Levite took his concubine and gave her to the men outside. The men raped and abused the Levite’s concubine until the next morning, and she died. Both the old man, and the Levite did nothing until the next morning! The Levite took the body and went back to his own home. On arrival, he cut up the body into 12 parts, and had them sent to the tribes of Israel, all over the place.

When the Israelites received the parts of the Levite’s concubine, they gathered before God in a place called Mizpah. The Levite explained the tragedy to the crowd gathered. He said it was the men of Gibeah who did the hideous act. He, of course, did not say he sent his concubine out, to save his own skin. The crowd decided in one accord that they would form an army and go against the city of Gibeah, a city controlled by the Benjamin Tribe of Israel. After a series of battles, in the end, the Benjamites lost, with only 600 men left, holed up in the desert rock at Rimmon. In addition, the men of Israel went to all the towns of the Benjamites, killed everything and set them on fire. Nothing was left of the Benjamin Tribe except the 600 men at Rimmon.]

Wives for the Benjamites

1 The men of Israel had taken an oath at Mizpah: "Not one of us will give his daughter in marriage to a Benjamite." [It was not clearly stated when this oath was taken. I tended to agree with some who said that this oath was taken at the time the Israelites gathered before the LORD at Mizpah to hear out the Levite’s case, before the battle against the Benjamites (Judges 20:1). I guessed on hearing the atrocity that happened on Benjamite soil, the Israelites vowed not to give their daughters in marriage to the Benjamites.

It was no big deal at the time that they were taken; nevertheless it was a vow before the LORD. And it became a big deal, because all the women of the Benjamin tribe had been killed. And there were only 600 men holed up in the rock in the desert. Implication: one of 12 tribes of Israel might perish!]
2 The people went to Bethel, where they sat before God until evening, raising their voices and weeping bitterly. 3 "O LORD, the God of Israel," they cried, "why has this happened to Israel? Why should one tribe be missing from Israel today?" [They realized the seriousness of what they did: firstly, the vow they made in verse 1, and secondly, that they went into all the towns of the Benjamites, killed everything (including all the women), and burnt down all the towns.

The LORD’s anger was on the Benjamites; if you agree with me, it was because of their failure to care for the Lord’s tribe (Levi) and arrogance, but even so, I believe the LORD did not intend the Israelites to go back to the towns of the Benjamites and wiped off everyone. When the LORD said to wipe out the heathens staying in the land as they conquered the land, they disobeyed, but now they would wipe out an entire Israelite tribe! It was an over-kill!]
4 Early the next day the people built an altar and presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. 5 Then the Israelites asked, "Who from all the tribes of Israel has failed to assemble before the LORD ?" For they had taken a solemn oath that anyone who failed to assemble before the LORD at Mizpah should certainly be put to death. [Some commentators talked about the Israelites not inquiring of the LORD before deciding to war against the Benjamites, or that such huge gathering of the Israelite fighting men were really not needed if the Israelites had inquired of the LORD; I think they were not correct.

In the first place, it was their practice to gather together before the LORD. The LORD gave instructions to Moses, including the use of trumpets in calling for assembly of all people or just the elders of the community. I believe during this period, there was an understanding that they would gather at Mizpah for such gatherings. If you go back to Judges 10, before a war with the Ammonites, the Israelites gathered at Mizpah, too, with the all the fighting men.

The Israelites did gather before the LORD (Judges 20:1), they even made a vow (Judges 21:1), and correctly, all the tribes from all towns had to be present. When the Benjamites, probably did not turn up in the first instance, were subsequently asked to answer to the accusation, which they just did not bother; that I believe, resulted in the infuriation of the people, as well as the LORD.

It must be understood that by then, as opposed to Moses’ time, the Israelites were scattered over many towns in the land, not a blowing of the trumpet would do the trick of having everyone come running to the square. This time, because of the receipt of body parts of the Levite’s concubine, an assembly was called to address the grievance of the Levite – all tribal representatives from all the towns must be present.]
6 Now the Israelites grieved for their brothers, the Benjamites. "Today one tribe is cut off from Israel," they said. 7 "How can we provide wives for those who are left, since we have taken an oath by the LORD not to give them any of our daughters in marriage?" 8 Then they asked, "Which one of the tribes of Israel failed to assemble before the LORD at Mizpah?" They discovered that no one from Jabesh Gilead had come to the camp for the assembly. 9 For when they counted the people, they found that none of the people of Jabesh Gilead were there. [What do you know; the representatives from Jabesh Gilead did not turn up! We have previously, in chapter 5, verse 17, came across these Gilead men. Remember, there I said, I believe they were Manassites (men of Manasseh). I believe some commentators were wrong to say that these men were uncircumcised heathens, some of them may not be pure blood but if they were circumcised they were counted as part of the tribes (there were really much mix-bloods because of the disobedience of the Israelites.). If they were uncircumcised heathens, they would not be required to come to the assembly. The fact that they were required to come, they were part of the Manasseh tribe; the status was probably a clan. In fact, later we will read that their women were taken for provision of wives to the Benjamites. If they were uncircumcised heathens, they would not qualify.]
10 So the assembly sent twelve thousand fighting men with instructions to go to Jabesh Gilead and put to the sword those living there, including the women and children. 11 "This is what you are to do," they said. "Kill every male and every woman who is not a virgin." 12 They found among the people living in Jabesh Gilead four hundred young women who had never slept with a man, and they took them to the camp at Shiloh in Canaan. [A terrible thing again happened – the Israelites killed their brothers of Jabesh Gilead, and took all the virgin women (400 in all) to Shiloh. Luckily, it was only the Manassites of Jabesh Gilead clan who got killed, and not the entire Manassite tribe. Probably, most of the Jabesh Gilead clan of that time got killed. But this Jabesh Gilead, as a people, did survive, and we would read of them in the subsequent time, in the period of King Saul’s reign.]
13 Then the whole assembly sent an offer of peace to the Benjamites at the rock of Rimmon. 14 So the Benjamites returned at that time and were given the women of Jabesh Gilead who had been spared. But there were not enough for all of them. [The Israelites made peace with the Benjamite remnants at Rimmon, and gave them the 400 women of Jabesh Gilead. Not enough! 600 men but 400 women!]
15 The people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a gap in the tribes of Israel. 16 And the elders of the assembly said, "With the women of Benjamin destroyed, how shall we provide wives for the men who are left? 17 The Benjamite survivors must have heirs," they said, "so that a tribe of Israel will not be wiped out. 18 We can't give them our daughters as wives, since we Israelites have taken this oath: 'Cursed be anyone who gives a wife to a Benjamite.' 19 But look, there is the annual festival of the LORD in Shiloh, to the north of Bethel, and east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem, and to the south of Lebonah."
20 So they instructed the Benjamites, saying, "Go and hide in the vineyards 21 and watch. When the girls of Shiloh come out to join in the dancing, then rush from the vineyards and each of you seize a wife from the girls of Shiloh and go to the land of Benjamin. 22 When their fathers or brothers complain to us, we will say to them, 'Do us a kindness by helping them, because we did not get wives for them during the war, and you are innocent, since you did not give your daughters to them.' " 23 So that is what the Benjamites did. While the girls were dancing, each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and settled in them. [Another terrible thing! To get the balance of 200 women, the Israelites decided that the Benjamites should abduct Shiloh girls. The Israelites, including the elders (verse 16), planned deception – when the fathers or brothers complained about their missing girls, they (the Israelites, maybe, even the elders) would pacify them by saying it was alright, that they should take their loss of their girls as an act of kindness (to the Benjamites), and that they need not worry about the curse on them, claiming that no vows were broken since the girls were not given, they were abducted! So preposterous! But it happened.

Some Bible commentators said that the girls of Shiloh were referring to girls who followed the men (their fathers or brothers) to the annual festival of the LORD held in Shiloh. They may not be entirely correct. Shiloh is the Levitical city of the Israelites. It was the center of Israelite worship. What does that tell us, it was a city of the Levites – many Levitical families lived here because the Levite men helped in the administration of the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle, together with the Ark of Covenant was parked there after the Israelites entered the Promised Land (The Ark remained in the Tabernacle at Shiloh until it was removed to the battlefield at Aphek, and from there, lost to the Philistines. After that, the Philistines also attacked Shiloh but the Tabernacle was successfully moved to Gibeon, where it stayed until the time of King Solomon who transferred the Tabernacle to the First Temple of Jerusalem (aka Solomon Temple) which he built.). What I am saying is that, most, if not all the girls (200) taken by the Benjamites were Levite girls.]
24 At that time the Israelites left that place and went home to their tribes and clans, each to his own inheritance.
25 In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.
[Like I said at the outset, these last chapters, especially the last 3, of the Book of Judges, are the most difficult ones (even scholarly commentators had problems). I believe I have addressed some of lack in the understanding of the events here, but there are still areas which we really aren’t sure what to made of the narrations given.

Let me recap and draw some conclusions and put up some posers, even as we end this study of the Book of Judges on this most difficult section which all started with a Levite and his concubine:

A certain Levite sojourned in the Ephraim country, took a concubine which became unfaithful, and went back to her father’s house. The Levite went to the father-in-law’s house with the intention of taking her back home.

On the way, they stopped at a Benjamite town, Gibeah. No one took them in, from the public square, for the night except an old man. In the night, some uncircumcised heathens who were scum of the city came to the old man’s house demanding to have the Levite man for sodomy. The old man’s answer to the scum was similar to that of Lot, the nephew of Abraham at the eve of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by God – to give to the scum, the women of the house (to save their own skins!). The Levite, who obviously was in agreement with the thinking of the old man, eventually gave his concubine to the scum who violated her until dawn. The old man and Levite, both, did nothing more, and the next morning, the concubine was found dead at the doorstep of the house.

The Levite took the body home, and in full view of the public, cut up the body of the concubine into 12 pieces. He sent the pieces to all the tribes of Israel. The Israelites called for an assembly at Mizpah before the LORD, to address the grievance of the Levite man – atrocity done to a Levite was a big issue as the Levites belonged to the LORD and that the LORD had specific instructions to the children of Israelites to take care of the Levites in their midst.

On hearing the atrocity happened on Benjamite soil, the Israelites vowed that they would not give their daughters in marriage to the Benjamites. Those who break the vow would be cursed. The Israelites were unanimous to attack the Benjamites if the latter did not hand over the culprits. The Benjamites, not only did not govern well their cities, in particular the morality of that town, Gibeah, allowing the scum of the town to do what they liked (sexual immoralities, including homo-sexual practices, sodomy – perhaps of the kind previously seen in the twin city of Sodom and Gomorrah which were destroyed by God), and therefore, were indirectly responsible for the atrocity suffered by the Levite man and his concubine.

Not only that they (the Benjamites) were not repentant of their complacency and failure to protect the Levites, they were offended by the hostility of the other tribes of Israel and decided not to answer to the accusation, and instead called up fighting men from all the Benjamin towns to Gibeah, preparing to fight the other tribes. Benjamites were mighty men of war but to go against the entire Israelite army was pride at work. The refusal of the Benjamites to answer the accusation angered the other tribes of Israel, and I believe, the LORD as well. I believe because the LORD viewed very seriously, the harm done to a Levite (Levite being belonging to God directly), the unrepentant stance of the Benjamites and their pride, thinking that they were mighty men of war and could pit against the army of God, He condoned the battles against the Benjamites.

The unfortunate event snowballed into a big matter, no longer a small matter of a man, in trying to save his own skin, allowed his concubine to be violated until death, and then still had the cheek to ask the entire Israelite community to address his grievance against an entire tribe. It led to war!

Indeed, the Benjamites were mighty men of war; in 2 rounds of fighting, even the men of Judah, the other tribe of mighty men of war of Israel, suffered the loss of 40,000 men at the hands of 25,700 Benjamites. Only in the third fight did God deliver the Benjamites into the hands of their brothers, fellow Israelites. 25,100 Benjamites fell in the third fight, the remaining 600 men escaped. It would have been all fine, and it would have been a quite easily accepted, conclusion to the matter – the Benjamites would have been taught the correct lesson; of course, at great cost on both sides, with many lives lost. But the problem was that it did not end there.

The Israelites went back to all the Benjamite towns and killed everything, and burnt the towns, leaving behind only 600 Benjamite men who had escaped during the battle earlier on, and were still holed up in the desert at the rock of Rimmon. So, the entire Benjamin tribe was left with only 600 men, with no women and children, giving rise to the certain demise of the tribe if nothing was to be done to provide women for the men to continue with the tribe. The other Israelite tribes had gone too far, and they realized it, at last too, and they began to consider what to do.

It dawned upon them that, the earlier assembly they had at Mizpah was not attended by the men from Jabesh Gilead, a town belonging to the Manasseh sub-tribe. It seemed that all the Israelites had previously vowed that if there was a call for an assembly, in keeping with the practices from of old, representatives from every Israelite town must be sent to the assembly. Failure to do so would incur death penalty for those who did not attend. We were not told why the men from Jabesh Gilead did not attend. Whether they were informed or not, we do not know. The Israelites decided to correct their wrong of killing all the women and children of the Benjamites, with another wrong, to kill the Gilead clan in Jabesh Gilead except the virgin women whom they would gave to the Benjamites as wives. The oath only said death to those who failed to assemble, not everyone of the town they represented! Yes, the Israelites went overboard a second time. I believe both the extreme actions of the Israelites were not sanctioned by the LORD, but it happened. You have to draw your own conclusions.

But that was not all. The Jabesh Gilead women were not enough; there were only 400 of them, whereas the remaining Benjamite men numbered 600. 200 short! And the Israelites still wanted to address this. So, they came up with this idea of having the remaining Benjamite men abduct Shiloh girls during the annual festival of the LORD celebrated in Shiloh, the levitical city of the Israelites, then. There was no mention of the LORD being consulted, or the sanctioning by the LORD. In fact, it was a wicked thing to do, in my opinion. It was a snare, a trap. Things of these sorts are detestable to God, especially, snares with intention to cause death or destruction to people – wicked. The elders would even be involved to deceive the fathers or brothers who would lose the girls.

Things to ponder:

1. I am of the view that, most, if not all, the girls (200 of them) were from the families of the Levites, staying and working there in the Levitical city, Shiloh. God did not sanction the abduction but why did God lift off his hand of protection for the girls?

2. Could it have been God, also, was not pleased with actions of the first Levite, who started this whole matter by sending his concubine out to the scum of the city of Gibeah?

3. If it were the case, wouldn’t it be unfair to the girls even though they came from Levite families?

4. If it were unfair to them, it was even more unfair for the many Benjamites, men, women or children who had died? Many men from the Judah tribe died also, fighting the Benjamites, not fair to them either!

5. Perhaps, the LORD was in this instance, looking at people groups collectively, the Benjamites, and the Levites (Are we responsible for the atrocities in our own cities? Can we say,”I did not do it. It got nothing to do with me, and I just did not want to be a busybody”? What if God punishes your city, how?).

6. Also, what about the rest of the Israelite tribes? They did no wrong in these events? Maybe, they would suffer separate punishments in later events, who know!

7. Sometimes, we just have to accept we do not have all the information or knowledge; neither can we know all the thoughts of God behind events, unless He chose to reveal them. I believe there are already some revelations here, for the rest, just accept them for the time being, until God reveals more, maybe, through another!

Often times, very simply, the culprit is the workings of the fallen world, bad things happened because we are living in a fallen world. God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). It is the prerogative of God to punish when punishment is due, and it is not bad; holiness and righteousness of God have no meaning if there cannot be punishment. God acts for a good reason, even if that reason we do not know or can understand. Our role is to do our part (do not listen to those who preach there is no man’s part), and that includes not doing evil, and we are to try not to be outside of God’s hand of protection/blessings. We are to love God, and stay in His call so that Romans 8:28 will hold true for us.

Anthony Chia - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28).

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Psalm 34 – I will teach you the fear of the LORD

Preamble: Firstly, this psalm is an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Secondly, in the KJV translation, the preamble, “Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left.” was not present. This preamble was inserted into the NKJV and also in this NIV translation. Such an insertion for a psalm was meant to provide the context or “type” of context for the psalm. However, the issue here was that it had introduced ambiguity due to the word, “Abimelech”.

Of David, there was a specific name, “Ahimelech” but not “Abimelech”. Ahimelech was the priest at Nob, the priest that David had approached when the latter was on the run from King Saul, after the 2nd time Jonathon had told on his father’s ill-intention, to David. This was recorded for us in 1 Sam 21:1-9. But in that passage there was no pretence of being insane. It is possibly not an inadvertent mistake made in the spelling of the word, where “b” should have been “h”, as thought by some.

Who then is Abimelech in David’s time? In that same chapter of 1 Sam 21, in verses 10-14, we read that, from on that day, the day David left the temple at Nob, he went to Gath, in the territory of the Philistines. In 1 Sam 21:13, we read that David pretended to be insane, and in verse 14, he managed to get away from the Philistine king at Gath, on the account of that faked insanity. But the Philistine king name was not Abimelech but Achish. Because there were 2 other Philistine kings being referred to as “Abimelech”, it is believed that perhaps, “Abimelech” was also used the same way as “Pharaoh” was used to refer to Egyptian kings, and so, it is possible that “Abimelech” was referring to Achish, and not Ahimelech, the priest at Nob.

In any case, it was all pointed to that season of David’s life, and that is the purpose of this insertion.]

The way to read this article is that the orange underlined texts are the verses of the Bible (NIV, unless otherwise stated). The black texts following the Bible verses (and enclosed by square brackets) are my commentaries. At the end of these Bible texts and commentaries, I may have inserted a section on "Points to take note/What we have learnt/can learn".



Psalm 34

Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left. [Please see comments in the preamble.]

1 I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 My soul will boast in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together. [Regardless, whether it was before Ahimelech, the priest at Nob or before Achish, king of Gath, the situation for David at this season of his life was that he was on the run from King Saul who had wanted to kill him, despite his great service as the chief commander of the king, and that he was steadfastly loyal to the king. This was after the 2nd time king Saul’s son, Jonathan, had helped David to find out the evil intention of Saul, and David had to flee, and with this flight, he would be a fugitive of the King.

Yet, here, we read that David declared that he would extol the LORD at all times; he would praise the LORD always. His soul would (still) boast in the LORD. Let all the afflicted hear and rejoice, said David. David called for his hearers to join him to glorify the LORD, to exalt His name together.]
4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame. [Recounting the past faithfulness of the LORD towards him, he said he sought the LORD, and He answered him; God delivered him from all his (past) fears.

Then he declared that those who look to God are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. David had experienced such, and continued to believe such, and he declared such.]
6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. [I believe verse 6 was referring to David himself. He called himself as “this poor man”. This is not an inferiority complex manifesting itself; rather it was an honest understanding of one’s state before the omnipotent God. In men’s terms, David was hardly a poor man; he was a mighty warrior, “Saul (also a warrior with great physique) slain his thousands, but David, his tens of thousands”; and David was highly respected by many (many great men followed him, despite him having lost his rank in the army of the king, and was on the run {a fugitive of the King}); and he was loved by many; and the house of his father, Jesse, was of some means. David said he called, and the LORD heard him; and He saved him out of all his (past) troubles.

David declared that the angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them. David called for hearers to come to experience the Omnipotent God – come, and taste, and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. David always sought refuge in the LORD, and in no others, or in no other thing. This had always been David’s attitude, and we can read of such in other psalms of his. For example, in Ps 62:1-2, we read of the same:

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

David then summed up the state of one who lives in the fear of the LORD – those who fear the LORD lack nothing (v9). Verse 10 must be read together with v9, and it is not quite appropriate for people to quote v10, to imply those who seek the LORD, per se, will lack nothing. It is those who seek the LORD in the fear of Him that will lack nothing.

Lions were used here with connotation to mean that no matter how majestic and powerful men might be (even to the extent that they might be like the lions), they still could grow weak and hungry, in other words, have times of needs; but for those who fear the LORD, not that they will not have such needs, but when they seek the LORD, their lack will disappear; but not necessarily so, for those whose dependence is not on the LORD.]
11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The LORD redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him. [Having elaborated on what was so good about being fearing the LORD, in the next part of this psalm, David said (v11), “I will teach you the fear of the LORD”.


Let’s recap what is so good about living in the fear of the LORD:

1. When you call to the LORD, He answers you (v6).

2. The angel of the LORD encamps around you, and delivers you (v7).

3. You will be able to taste and see the goodness of the LORD (i.e. be blessed of the LORD) as you refuge in the LORD (v8). You will see many good days (v12).

4. Resting on the above, that is how the LORD delivers you from your (own) fear (v4).

5. And when your fear is no more {delivered by the LORD as you have sought Him in the fear of Him}, your face will be radiant, and not covered with shame (v5) {when you are fearful, your face is not radiant; it is only when you are confident, and that confidence is in the LORD, that your face will be radiant}.

6. Your confidence in the LORD is not misplaced, and over time, you will be like David, able to glorify the LORD, and exalt his name (v3), able to boast in the LORD (v2), and extol Him at all times, and have the praises of Him always on your lips.

7. To sum it all, you will lack no good thing when you seek Him in the fear of Him (vv 9 & 10).


This is David’s teaching on the fear of the LORD:

1. Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking lies (v13). You will see many good days {don’t you love that kind of life?}(v12).

2. Turn from evil and do good (v14a).

3. Seek peace, and pursue it (v14b). The peace here should be interpreted in the context of the verse of turning from evil and doing good. So, here is an example of “peace” as not being an “airy, fairy” thing which one cannot grasp or do not know how to obtain it. When one does a bad thing or an evil thing, there is always the uneasiness, a “disturbness” in him. Over time, the accumulation of such, will cause one to lose peace, and so, an easy way to look at peace is to look at the opposites - uneasiness, “disturbness”, fear, guilt, shame, etc. The opposite of righteousness is unrighteousness or evil or wickedness. And so, one has to stay on the righteous side, pursue righteousness, and that means that one has to turn from evil, avoid evil, and avoid doing bad; do good, instead.

4. God is holy and righteous. The foundation of his throne comprised righteousness and justice (Ps 89:14a). This means that God, by His very nature is opposed to non-holiness, unrighteousness, evil, wickedness, and injustice. Holiness, righteousness, and justice have affinity with God, and such will draw out God’s love and faithfulness. Holiness, righteous, and justice is first, and come next, is the love and faithfulness of God. Love and faithfulness go before Him (Ps 89:14b).

5. It is no wonder David declared that the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry (v15); the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, and even to cut them off {if one remains stubbornly wicked, I believe he faces the risk of being counted or reckoned with Satan, and may suffer the same destiny as Satan} (v16).

6. When the righteous cry out, the LORD not only hears; He delivers them from all their troubles (v17).

7. It is entirely possible that righteous ones can have their hearts broken, and their spirit crushed. Verse 18 should be read together with the verse preceding it and that after it. In fact, what v17 was also saying was that righteous people do have troubles! If they were without troubles just because they were righteous, then there was no need of God’s hearing and delivering of them from their troubles. By the same reasoning, righteous people do get hurt (be brokenhearted), and their spirits do get crushed by insensitive and cruel people. But David declared that the LORD is close to the righteous who are brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit {and Holy Spirit can quicken (and re-quicken) the spirit of men}.

8. There we have it – a righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all (v19). God protects him (v20). Here, the choice use of “his bones”, in my interpretation, was meant not only to say that God provides physical protection to the righteous ones, it also meant to say that the LORD enables the righteous to stand, for “his bones” or “his frame” was symbolic of that which holds us up.

9. Ultimately, this will be apparent:

(a) Evil (meaning here, the principalities of darkness) will slay (even if, indirectly) the wicked men {or those who remain stubbornly wicked}; the enemies of the righteous will be condemned (v21). In the end, those judged wicked (opposite of righteous ones), they will be condemned (to Hell). What this meant is that if one does not live in the fear of the LORD, he is prone to be ensnared to wickedness, and if he remains stubbornly so, evil will be the cause of his destruction.

(b) The LORD redeems His servants {His righteous} (v22). Contextually, therefore, what it meant was that only the righteous are the servants of God. In fact, Scripture had it that unless one is righteous, all his works are like filthy rags. It is important to understand that it is not suddenly, David mentioned another group of people; no, David was referring to the righteous as servants of God, and what that also implied was that righteous ones of God do not contribute nothing, do not do nothing, of no fruit acceptable to the LORD – righteous ones bear fruits, and so, are the servants of the LORD. And so, contextually, it is also not anyone who takes refuge in Him, will not be condemned, but it is anyone who is live in fear of LORD who takes refuge in Him, who will not be condemned.

10. To sum it all up, to live in the fear of the LORD, is to embrace 1 Pet 1:16 (or Lev 19:2) – For it is written, “Be holy because I am holy.” Our God is a holy God; that is Him. So, be holy, be righteous, be just.

Lastly, since it is an acrostic poem, I have attempted a re-cast of it; making it acrostic to the English alphabets, all 26 alphabets:


Psalm 34 {recast – acrostic to English alphabets, by Anthony Chia}

(A)t all times, I will extol the LORD.
(B)e on my lips, His praise will always be.
(C)ome whatever may, my soul will boast in the LORD, and so, let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
(D)o as I do, glorify the LORD, and exalt His name with me.
(E)ncumbered by fear, but when I sought the LORD, He answered me and delivered me from it.
(F)aces with radiance, and not shame, will be had, for those who look to Him.
(G)reat company of angels encamp around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.
(H)urry, taste and see that the LORD is good, for blessed, is the man who takes refuge in Him.
(I) declare, “Those who fear Him lack nothing. So, fear the LORD, you saints.”
(J)oyfully I say, “The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
(K)ingdom people, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
(L)onging for many good days in your life, then keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking lies.
(M)ake it a point to turn from evil;
(N)either should you ignore doing good.
(O)mit not the seeking of peace;
(P)ersist in it.
(Q)uick to go for righteousness, for the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry.
(R)est assured that the face of the LORD is against those who do evil;
(S)urely, He will cut off the memory of them from the earth.
(T)he righteous ones cry out, and the LORD hears them;
(U)ntil He delivers them from all their troubles will He ceases to act.
(V)erily, the LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
(W)hen a righteous man is troubled, and he may have many troubles, the LORD delivers him from it, each time;
(X)-ray will show none is broken, for He protects all his bones.
(Y)es, evil will slay the wicked, and the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
(Z)ealously, on the other hand, the LORD redeems His servants with none condemned, of those who take refuge in Him.]


Anthony Chia – Do not just say, “Those who seek the LORD will lack no good thing”, but rather say, “Those who seek the LORD in the fear of Him will lack no good thing” or “The righteous will lack no good thing”, for Ps 37:25 says: “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”

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