Judges Series - Judges 1

I felt led to do a series on the Judges period. Today we will look at Judges 1. Before we go into this series, let me say that this study is very much a self-study, not a historian-like kind of study. The purposes of this study are: firstly, to learn more about God from historical dealings God had with men, and secondly to learn from the Bible characters, from their successes and failures or strengths and failings. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. I believe from the Old Testament, we can learn much concerning God. I believe it not only pleases God, it should help to shape how we deal with God. To me it is also an expression of love. If you love someone, you will like to know more about the person, what that person will be pleased with or displeased with. We want to please the one we love. It will be in a somewhat commentary style with interjections of my understanding, views, opinions or conclusions. Details will be in moderation but as usual, perhaps, it will be somewhat long-winded because that’s me. This is not to be regarded as a scholarly Bible commentary. Also, verse expositions probably would not be exhaustive – all significant aspects should be covered, though. {To get full listing of all articles in this series, click here}

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".

Judges 1

Israel Fights the Remaining Canaanites
1 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the LORD, "Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?" [Joshua was the one who led the Israelites into the Promised Land. At the second time the Israelites reached the edge of the Promised Land, God insisted that Moses passed over the leadership to Joshua so that Joshua would bring the Israelites into the Promised Land. Moses did not enter the Promised Land because God did not allow him so. He died just outside the Promised Land. {If you want to know why God disallowed Moses to enter the Promised land, go to my article – Do you know why Moses did not enter the Promised Land? } After entering the Promised Land, subsequently, Joshua died at the age of 110 after securing some of the Canaan land. The Canaan Land was divided into many territories. The rest of the territories were left unsecured for 2 reasons, according to Judges 3:1 which we will cover, later in the series.] 2 The LORD answered, "Judah is to go; I have given the land into their hands." [The Israelites was of 12 Tribes, through the sons of Israel (aka Jacob). Judah is one of the tribes. The other 11 tribes are: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin. While in Egypt, Ephraim and Manasseh were born to Joseph. The house of Joseph was divided into 2 half-tribes – Ephraim and Manasseh by virtue of Israel’s blessing (Gen 48:1-20).] 3 Then the men of Judah said to the Simeonites their brothers, "Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours." So the Simeonites went with them. [Judah solicited the help of another tribe, the Simeonites.] 4 When Judah attacked, the LORD gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. 5 It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek and fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites. 6 Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. [Judah won with the capture of Adoni-Bezek. The latter had his thumbs and big toes cut off]
7 Then Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there. [Adoni-Bezek got his retribution.] 8 The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem also and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire. [The men of Judah then took Jerusalem.] 9 After that, the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, the Negev and the western foothills. 10 They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron (formerly called Kiriath Arba) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai. [Some more territories taken by men of Judah.] 11 From there they advanced against the people living in Debir (formerly called Kiriath Sepher). 12 And Caleb said, "I will give my daughter Acsah in marriage to the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher." 13 Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it; so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to him in marriage. . [Some more territories taken by men of Judah. Who is Othniel? He was later to one of the judges raised by God. Here, his background is given; he was the younger brother of Caleb, the only other adult of Moses’ generation, apart from Joshua who lived to enter the Promised Land. This Caleb was the same Caleb who spied the land with Joshua when they first came to edge of the Promised Land.] 14 One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What can I do for you?" 15 She replied, "Do me a special favor. Since you have given me land in the Negev, give me also springs of water." Then Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs.
16 The descendants of Moses' father-in-law, the Kenite, went up from the City of Palms with the men of Judah to live among the people of the Desert of Judah in the Negev near Arad.
17 Then the men of Judah went with the Simeonites their brothers and attacked the Canaanites living in Zephath, and they totally destroyed the city. Therefore it was called Hormah. 18 The men of Judah also took Gaza, Ashkelon and Ekron—each city with its territory. [Some more territories taken by men of Judah] 19 The LORD was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had iron chariots. 20 As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak. 21 The Benjamites, however, failed to dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites. [Some more territories taken by men of Judah. At the end of day, when it came to allotment, the Simeonites received their inheritance within the Judah territory (Joshua 19:8a-9). I believe it was because they fought together with the men of Judah (verse 3). However there were remnants of Canaanites left behind, including the Jebusites living with the Benjamites (another Israelite tribe) in Jerusalem.]
22 Now the house of Joseph attacked Bethel, and the LORD was with them. 23 When they sent men to spy out Bethel (formerly called Luz), 24 the spies saw a man coming out of the city and they said to him, "Show us how to get into the city and we will see that you are treated well." 25 So he showed them, and they put the city to the sword but spared the man and his whole family. 26 He then went to the land of the Hittites, where he built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this day. [The house of Joseph, another tribe of Israelite, also fought and won some territories. The story here has a little semblance to the story of the Fall of Jericho in the sense that a person helped the Israelite spies, and when the city was taken, that person and his whole family were spared.]
27But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land. 28 When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely. [The Manasseh tribe (one of the 2 half-tribes within the house of Joseph) settled in but did not drive out various Canaanites tribes.]
29 Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them. [The Ephraim tribe (the other tribe of the 2 half-tribes, in the house of Joseph) also spared the Canaanites.]
30 Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, who remained among them; but they did subject them to forced labor. [The Zebulun too did not drive out the enemies, they just subjected them to forced labor.] 31 Nor did Asher drive out those living in Acco or Sidon or Ahlab or Aczib or Helbah or Aphek or Rehob, 32 and because of this the people of Asher lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land. [The Asher tribe too did the same, just lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the Land.]
33 Neither did Naphtali drive out those living in Beth Shemesh or Beth Anath; but the Naphtalites too lived among the Canaanite inhabitants of the land, and those living in Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath became forced laborers for them. [The Naphtali tribe also did not drive out the Canaanite inhabitants of the Land.]
34 The Amorites confined the Danites to the hill country, not allowing them to come down into the plain. 35 And the Amorites were determined also to hold out in Mount Heres, Aijalon and Shaalbim, but when the power of the house of Joseph increased, they too were pressed into forced labor. 36 The boundary of the Amorites was from Scorpion Pass to Sela and beyond. [The Dan tribe fought against the Amorites, but the Amorites proved to be too strong. Eventually the Amorites were defeated by the house of Joseph but they were not destroyed. The Joseph tribe just pressed them into forced labor.]


The points to note:

The Judges period is a period in the history of the Israelites, starting from the death of Joshua, and ended with appointment of King Saul. Prior to this, the Israelites were led by Moses out of Egypt. Before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, the leadership baton was passed from Moses to Joshua to lead the people across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. The Israelites, under Joshua, fought in the Promised Land, taking more territories with time, until finally it was time for Joshua to pass on.

The Judges period is a period of time where there were no great leaders, like Moses or Joshua leading the Israelites. It was a period in the Promised Land where many more territories were yet taken over, and all around there were locals, uncircumcised heathens. It was a perilous period for the Israelites without strong leaders. Nevertheless, it was supposed to be a period that the Israelites needn’t be too fearful because the Lord had promised to be with them, through the covenant with the Israelites’ forefathers, Moses’ generation (and earlier). When Joshua died, the Lord was still there with them. The Lord had travelled with the Israelites in the portable Tabernacle, all through the exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land. The Lord fought and gave victories to the Israelites, under the leadership of Joshua, and would have continued to do the same if not for the disobedience of the Israelites after the death of Joshua.

You should note that over time, increasingly the Israelites became tolerant of the locals, and did not completely destroy them. This, you will read in the next chapter, led to their falling into abominable sins.



Anthony Chia – Israel is of 12 tribes - Judah, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) and Benjamin.

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Do you know why Moses did not enter the Promised land?

I did NOT think about it before
Up until recently, I really did not give much thought to this question. I only knew that Joshua was the one who led the Israelites into the Promised Land. Joshua succeeded Moses as the Leader just before the Israelites entered the Promised Land. But I was not having the impression that Moses was physically unable to make the journey into the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy 34:7, we read that Moses was 120 years old but his eyes were not weak and his strength was not gone. I have heard over and over again that the adults who left Egypt (except Joshua and Caleb) did not make it to the Promised Land because by the second time the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, the Israelites had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. It was that long, that by this time, the many adults would have died, apart from the fact that God had decreed that the adults (except Joshua and Caleb - the two spies, who wanted the people to enter the Land) would not ever enter the Promised Land when they refused to enter Land the first time God brought them near it (Numbers 14:29-30). Although I knew of this decree of God against the adults, I never really thought that Moses was excluded. Indeed, I now think Moses and Aaron were NOT included in the decree. It was in a later event that Moses and Aaron were NOT allowed to enter the Promised Land.

Miriam dies
After about 38 years (according to Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary) of wandering in the

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deserts, God brought the people to a place called Kadesh in the Desert of Zin. By this time, only Moses, Aaron and Miriam were left (apart from Joshua and Caleb){Num 26:64-65 - By the time of the second census, all adults had died except a handful}. In case you do not yet know, these three (Moses, Aaron and Miriam) were brothers and sister (Numbers 26:59). Moses was the Leader God had chosen, Aaron was the Priest, and Miriam was a prophetess (Exodus 15:20). They were a team although at times they had their differences. We know that Miriam died at Kadesh (Numbers 20:1). I believe Moses was sad and upset. I believe Moses wanted to believe that Miriam was NOT included in the decree God made when they first came near the Promised Land (Numbers 14:29-30). Moses loved his sister very much, and had successfully appealed to God to heal her of leprosy which God Himself inflicted on her because of her opposition to Moses’ taking of a Cushite wife (Numbers 12). I believe Moses had wanted and thought that the 3-member team would remain intact until they have entered the Promised Land. I could understand his sentiments, by the time they reached Kadesh, he could see that probably, all the adults who needed to die, had died.

Background to the decree
When the Israelites first came close to the Promised Land and spies were sent out to check out the land and when the spies came back with their reports, the Israelites (except Joshua and Caleb) decided NOT to trust God who said that He would be giving them the Land. The Israelites were afraid of the giants of the Promised Land. The Israelites treated God with contempt. Numbers 14:1-3 recorded this as follows:

That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?"

In fact, God said, “I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, …” (Numbers 14:12).

It was Moses who pleaded with the LORD, and eventually God agreed NOT to destroy the people right away but decreed the “deaths over 40 years of wandering”. It is very important to see how Moses pleaded with God but we will return to it, a bit later on.

Second time round
We shall return to Kadesh, where Miriam died and was buried. The Bible recorded that for this second time of approaching the Promised Land, the Israelites had come to a place without water:

In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried. Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! Why did you bring the LORD's community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!" (Numbers 20:1-5).

It is very interesting to note that the Israelites’ {children of the adults who left Egypt} attitudes and reactions were the same as those of their fathers (when God first brought the Israelites to the edge of the Promised Land), as we have seen in Numbers 14:1-3 above.

Same attitude at the Red Sea
It is also interesting to note that the fathers of that generation of Israelites behaved the same way their children subsequently displayed, when there were plenty of water, too much water to be more precise; then, the people faced likely death because of water rather than lack of water. Yes, I am referring to the juncture in time when Moses and the Israelites had reached the edge of the Red Sea with the Egyptian army in hot pursuit behind them, shortly after the Israelites had left Egypt. I reproduced Exodus 14:9-12 below:

The Egyptians—all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon. As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"

Stiff-necked but what does it got to do with Moses?
Ok, we now know how stiff-necked the Israelites were, but what does it have to do with Moses NOT being permitted to go into the Promised Land? This is to show that the Israelite community always had this bad attitude and complained in the same manner – that they have been set up, snared to die a terrible death! The complaint of the Israelite community at Kadesh where there was no water, was NOT new to Moses.

A point to note is that the Israelites were really complaining about God. It was very clear that both Moses and Aaron represented God - Aaron, being The High Priest, Moses being the one who consistently acted supernaturally. I want to reiterate, the one who consistently performs God’s signs and wonders, and miracles, has God’s name written all over him, and he represents God in certain aspects. It was very clear that the Israelites were complaining about God. In fact, in Numbers 20:13, the place at Kadesh where the complaint of no water was made, it became called Waters of Meribah because the Israelites was said to have quarreled with God, there.

About Moses (and Aaron) at Kadesh
This was what happened after the Israelites murmured about dying of thirst:

Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. The LORD said to Moses, "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink." (Numbers 20:6-8).

This is what Moses did and what God said afterwards:

He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them." (Numbers 20:10-12).

What did Moses do wrong?
Have you figured out what Moses did wrong? I did not until I re-read the verses a couple of times. After that it took me a while to figure out the severity of what Moses did wrong.

Yes, Moses was supposed to have just spoken to the rock instead of striking the rock (in fact, not once but twice). Also, Moses did NOT speak positively for the LORD, he did NOT even mention the LORD in the performance of the miracle. Remember, he (Moses) represented God, and the complaints against Moses (and Aaron) were really complaints against God.

You will NOT enter the Promised Land
Remember I said in the opening para. that I realized that Moses and Aaron were NOT included in the decree against the Israelite adults. If the duo were included, there would NOT be a need to state that they would NOT enter the Promised Land in Numbers 20:12 above. But why so severe, a punishment? To me, this was a severe punishment, just imagine how you would have felt if you were in Moses’ shoes. You challenged the Pharaoh of Egypt to let all the Israelites go, you parted the Red Sea, you faced the murmuring of the people for years in the deserts, and then you were told you would NOT enter the Promised Land, the every place the Israelites left Egypt for, the very goal of your personal journey too, I believe. In fact, we read in Deuteronomy 3:23-25, how Moses pleaded with God to let him enter the land:

At that time I pleaded with the LORD : "O Sovereign LORD, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon."

No, that is enough!
In verse 26, the LORD replied him harshly and said, “No ”. In verse 27, the LORD relented only to allow Moses to see the Promised Land from Mt Pisgah.

……"That is enough," the LORD said. "Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. 27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan (Deuteronomy 3:26b-27).

In Deuteronomy 34:1, we read that Moses climbed to the top of Mt Pisgah where the LORD showed him the Promised Land, talked with him [Moses], confirming the land that the Israelites and Joshua would be entering was indeed the land that the Lord had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The LORD said to Moses, “I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it” (Deuteronomy 34:4) – how sad!

The Rebuke of the LORD
It is important for us to look at the manner the LORD rebuked Moses. I list below Numbers 20:12 again:

But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."

Moses, NOT presumptuous per sec
We may think that Moses was presumptuous – thought he had to do something with the staff; when God first sent him, God actually told him to take the staff with him so that he could perform miracles with it (Exodus 4:17), and he raised the staff when he parted the Red Sea; so he might have thought that he must do something with the staff since God did, in this case, say “take the staff” (Numbers 20:8). But God did NOT say Moses was presumptuous, per se.

You did NOT trust Me enough
God said Moses (and Aaron) did NOT trust Him enough. God told Moses to speak to the rock. Instead Moses struck the rock, NOT just once but twice. God said Moses actions indicated Moses’ lack of trust. Of course, we should be clear that presumptuousness and lack of trust are 2 separate matters.

Also we see in Deuteronomy 32:50-51, God again explained why He was NOT happy with Moses (and Aaron):

“There on the mountain that you have climbed [Mount Nebo, (Mt Pisgah) Moab] you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor [Aaron did NOT make it as far as Moses] and was gathered to his people. This is because both of you broke faith with me in the presence of the Israelites at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin and because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites.”

God equated Moses and Aaron’s lack of trust as breaking of faith with God.

Did NOT honor Me as holy
But the thing that struck me is that how come the LORD said Moses’ lack of trust did NOT honor Him as HOLY in the sight of the Israelites (Numbers 20:12). Again in Deuteronomy 32:51 (see above), God said Moses did NOT uphold his holiness among the Israelites. Why “as holy”? What does it got to do with holiness of God?

I looked up a couple of Bible commentaries on this, but I did NOT really get a satisfactory explanation. As I mediated on this, I formed the conclusion that it got to do with the condition of Moses’ heart at that point of time.

Let’s look at the condition of Moses’ heart
Let us go back further in time and look at a couple of situations and see how Moses’ attitude was, compared to the same, in the situation in question:

Occasion 1: Moses and the Golden Calf
Remember the time when the Israelites were left at the foot of Mount Sinai (aka Mount Horeb) whilst Moses was up the Mount waiting for the 10 Commandments from God. Yes, the Israelites made the Golden Calf from the gold gotten from the Egyptians (the Egyptians gave the Israelites much wealth, upon the latter’s departure from Egypt, as prophesized earlier on in time). In pleading with God not to destroy the entire community of Israelites, Moses said these words,

"Why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people.” (Exodus 32:11-12).

What Moses was trying to tell God was that He was a holy God and that everyone knew that. If God destroyed the Israelites, people would say God set the Israelites up to snare them with the view to destroy – a wicked thing. God should not allow such thing to be said of Him. Even the slight insinuation could not be acceptable.

Setting people up with ill intent is wicked
I want to say, indeed, to God, the setting of people up to snare them with ill intent is a wicked thing to do, and wickedness and holiness just do not mix. Before we go back to see some more examples of Moses’ attitude/reactions, let me say that King David, known to God as the man after His heart, knew how much God hated such wickedness – many of David’s psalms had such set-ups, traps and snares cries in them, when he (David) petitioned for God’s help (Ps 140, for example). So, please do not do these things, it is detestable to God.

Occasion 2: Moses in The First Time
Now we go back to the time when the Israelites refused to enter the Promised Land the first time the LORD brought them to the edge of the Promised Land (Numbers 14). God wanted to destroy the Israelites (verse 12). What did Moses say? This is what Moses said to the LORD,

"Then the Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them. And they will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, O LORD, are with these people and that you, O LORD, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. If you put these people to death all at one time, the nations who have heard this report about you will say, 'The LORD was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath; so he slaughtered them in the desert.' (Numbers 14:13-16).

Moses was saying the same thing to God, people would say you were NOT a holy God but a wicked one.

Occasion 3: Moses and water everywhere
We go to one more scenario before we return to Kadesh, to the Waters of Meribah (Meribah means quarrel. Israelites quarreled with God and He [still] showed himself holy to them, although He rebuked Moses and Aaron (Numbers 20:13).

Remember the Red Sea story, briefly touched on above (Exodus 14), where the Israelites were pursued by the Egyptian army on leaving Egypt. We saw how the Israelites complained that they were set up to be killed in the desert. How did Moses react then? Let us see.

Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:13-14).

After that, he (Moses) did exactly as told by the LORD, raised his staff and stretched out his hand over the sea (Exodus 14:16, 21).  Notice the ascribing of glory from what was to happen, to the LORD, in the text above.

Now we compare
Now, think about the Waters of Meribah situation (Kadesh). You see the contrast. At the Red Sea, he assured the people, he spoke positively for the LORD before doing exactly as he was told by the LORD. At the Waters of Meribah, he did NOT even mention the name of the LORD, and he did NOT do as he was told (but why?!).

Also remember how he appealed to the LORD’s holiness in those other situations (Golden Calf, and the first time at edge of Promised Land) above.

This generation of Israelites, again like their fathers maligned God. By Moses’ actions (NOT speaking positively for the LORD and NOT doing as told) God was NOT given the “voice” due Him. This is why God said Moses (& Aaron) did NOT uphold his holiness before the Israelites. Moses did NOT try to displace the insinuation that God was wicked - setting the people up to have them die of thirst.

What have we learnt here?
Firstly, this article goes to show God views holiness very seriously; his own holiness most seriously. It is interesting to note that God still showed himself holy to the Israelites despite being displeased with Moses (& Aaron), He still allowed water to flow out from the rock at Kadesh (Meribah);  Numbers 20:13 confirmed that.

If you want to read more on the importance of holiness, read my other articles:
1. Way of holiness - the way of Lord
2. Be holy as I am holy

Secondly, wickedness is opposite to holiness, and God hates wickedness.

Thirdly, setting people up to snare them with ill intent is wickedness in the eyes of God. Pre-meditated (planned, set up) sins are equated to wickedness and God looks at them very seriously.

Fourthly, do NOT be upset with God, especially when you are in position of leadership. I believe Moses and Aaron had allowed Miriam’s death to cause them to be upset with God. When we are upset with God, our hearts would NOT be right with God and God would NOT be happy, especially when we are in position of leadership. Moses’ trust in God got diminished because he allowed Miriam’s death to cause him to be upset with God.  Why did Moses struck the rock twice, instead of just speaking to it?  Perhaps, he letting his upset with God got the better of him - a kind of showing unhappiness against God for the death of his sister, Miriam.

Fifthly, God still disciplines no matter how high you are in leadership and metes out punishment.

Finally, from Moses’ case, we take comfort that God does NOT write his servants off for one blunder. Bible recorded that Moses died on a mountain outside of the Promised Land but the Israelites could NOT find his body. God must have lifted him to Himself. How can we be so sure? The Bible recorded that at The Transfiguration of Jesus, God sent Moses (and Elijah, who was taken up by God) to talk with Jesus, on a high mountain, witnessed by 3 disciples of Jesus (Mat 17:1-3).



Now, we know why Moses did NOT enter the Promised Land – he did NOT uphold God’s holiness before the Israelites when he was expected to do so.

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Anthony Chia, high.expressions –
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. (Rev 4:8). Please do NOT even insinuate any wickedness in God. God is holiness, absolute holiness.

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Who are the three visitors/men? (Gen 18:1-23)

Today we look at an interesting passage in the Old Testament, involving Abraham. It is about the story of the Lord appearing to Abraham and at the same time there were three men standing nearby – yes, the story of the Three Visitors (NIV Bible caption) in Genesis 18.

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.

Genesis 18:1-23
1 The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. [In Gen 13, we read that in order to avoid clashes between each other, Abraham decided to separate from his nephew, Lot, giving the latter the first right of choice. Lot chose the whole plain of Jordan which was well-watered and was “like the garden of the Lord”, and lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Abraham had agreed that if Lot went one way, he would go the other, so Abraham ended up living in the land of Canaan. But after Lot had departed, the Lord spoke to Abraham and made to him the promises that all the land that his eyes could see, in the north, south, east and west would be his (Abraham’s) and his offspring forever; and that his offspring would be too numerous to be counted. On hearing this, Abraham moved his tents and went to live at the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the Lord (Gen 13:18). This is the background for this passage. Firstly, the altar of the Lord is there, probably in the vicinity of his tent. Secondly, the Lord probably appeared at the place near to where an altar was dedicated to Him. So, the scene was that Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day, with the altar of the Lord in the vicinity, and the Lord appeared to him.] 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. [It is very interesting to think about what it was meant by “The Lord appeared to Abraham” when at the same time, verse 2 said that Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. What actually happened? In what way/form did the Lord appear to Abraham? Are the three men the appearance of the Lord (i.e. the Lord was the three men)? Or were there the Lord, and separately, the three men (i.e. the Lord and the three men were completely separate)? Or was it just that the Lord uttered some words, maybe a greeting or something that Abraham knew the Lord was manifestly present (and Abraham looked up to see where the Lord was)? Verse 2 said he (Abraham) looked up, saw the men, hurried over and bowed to them. I looked up a number of Bible commentaries on this but I had not found any clear-cut addressing of this question. I believe there must be certain significance to this particular appearing of the three men/visitors. The three men were probably not just “props” in a story scene. Even the number three may be part of the significance. Why not two, why not four or several men? And if you read on, you will find that it was not very clear all the time whether or not it was the Lord (present by Himself) who was talking to Abraham, the men (themselves) who were talking to Abraham, or it was the Lord talking through the men to Abraham.] 3 He [Abraham] said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant." "Very well," they answered, "do as you say." [Who was Abraham addressing? The Lord God? The three men? Because the verse ended with “they answered”, we can conclude that Abraham was talking to the three men. Are we to say that at this juncture Abraham did not know of the manifest presence of the Lord, that he just happened to look up and saw the three men and proceeded as expected of people of those times, to provide hospitality to the travelers who came by his tent? My take is that the Lord appeared in the form of the three men. At the time that he (the Lord) appeared as the three men, he caused Abraham to look up. This is my preferred interpretation. There are those who think that the “three men” was not the manifestation of the Lord, rather they were either angels or beings created by the Lord. Do you think Abraham knew the three men were really not normal men? I like to look at it this way: maybe he (Abraham) had a hunch that the three men were no ordinary travelers. I put myself in Abraham’s shoes – he had had prior experience of visitations by the Lord, and an example was that the Lord had spoken to him, promising him the vast land, and that his offspring would be really numerous - Gen 13; so this sudden appearance of the three men at the vicinity of his tent and the Lord’s altar could well be the work of the Lord, was probably what was in his mind, he might or might not have thought that the Lord was manifestly present in the three men but very clearly he held with great esteem the three men who were present. Bible commentators said that what Abraham did as a gesture of hospitality to the travelers was the kind reserved for those highly regarded.] 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three seahs of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread." 7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree. [According to some Bible commentators, these treatments collectively represented the great regards Abraham had for the three men. In other words, it would be unusual for Abraham to go to such great length if not for the “special hunch” that Abraham had for the strangers.] 9 "Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him. "There, in the tent," he said. 10 Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son." [It is this part of the story that made this story intriguing to me. Verse 9 said “they asked him where Sarah was”, meaning the three men asked Abraham, and Abraham answered them, “in the tent”, yet what followed in verse 10 was that the LORD said that at about that time the following year Sarah would have a son. Up to now, it was all about the three men, then suddenly the storyteller said “the LORD said”. I believe it was the storyteller’s way of saying at this juncture the Lord revealed Himself plainly to Abraham and Sarah. But how, in what way? Was it by way of a word of knowledge and prophesy? By the question asked, clearly the three men somehow knew the name of Abraham’s wife. Could it be, on top of that, the voices of the three men had changed, when they, maybe collectively, prophesied that Sarah would have a son, and they spoke as if they were the Lord God. Without looking at verse 22 below, one may accept that this could be so. But if you take verse 22 into account, you may want to join me to believe that it could be more than just that – that the Lord had also, at this point in time appeared separate from the three men, He was in the men and He was separate (multi-presence/omnipresence manifestation). You see verse 22 said Abraham remained standing before the Lord after the three men turned away and went to Sodom. I do not think the storyteller meant that Abraham remained standing there (after the men left). If that was the intention, there was no need for the phrase “before the Lord”. Verse 22 is then followed by verse 23 which states that “Then Abraham approached him”. Quite clearly, this tells of a separate presence.]Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?" [These tell of the physical conditions of both Abraham and Sarah – old, and Sarah past the age of childbearing. Sarah laughed to herself when she thought of the promise that the Lord had just made.] 13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son." [This is one story that tells of how God can bring Himself to the level of man, in fellowship, when man is in true fellowship with God. He was not angry, instead just assured Abraham again that Sarah would have a son the following year.] 15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, "I did not laugh." But he said, "Yes, you did laugh." [Do you know that the promise of Sarah going to bear a son was not new, and that when this was previously told to Abraham by God directly {so a prophesy by mere men (if you treat the three men as mere men) or angels really did not quite fit in; God already told Abraham directly, why bother to prophesy through men or angels subsequently}, Abraham also laughed? (God appeared to Abraham and established the covenant of circumcision with Abraham, Gen 17:15-17 - God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her." 17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?")] 16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him." [In our fallen world, often if you make a pact with someone much stronger or powerful than you, you will find yourself without much bargaining power or worst still not even consulted with or informed of what was going on. Although it is not my intention to dwell on this, the second part of this story tells us that when God makes a pact with us, it is not like that. In the pact God made with Abraham, the circumcision covenant (Genesis 17), we read that God asked that Abraham walk before Him and be blameless, and God would make Abraham the father of many nations. Abraham’s name was changed from Abram (exalted father) to Abraham (father of many) by God. It was with this in mind that God was deliberating in his heart whether or not to consult Abraham on the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In the rest of the story you see that God told Abraham His intention and let Abraham speak his views.] 20 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." [Very simply, these verses speak of God telling Abraham his intention. In addition, they also reveal to us that God hears prayers (outcries) and checks them out before dishing out any verdict – isn’t it good to know that. People cannot anyhow accuse you before God and expect God to act on their accusations blindly!] 22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? [In relation to what I was trying to establish concerning the Lord and the three men, as I have postulated, the Lord first appeared as the three men, then revealed Himself by perhaps, coming separate, while still manifestly in the three men (multi-presence/omnipresence manifestation). The Lord was still manifestly in the three men going on to Sodom and Gomorrah to check out the situation (verse 20) and at the same time standing separate before Abraham, allowing the latter to approach and converse with Him on the sparing of the righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah.]


You may ask, why this angle – whether or not God appeared as the three men? Even if it was so, what was the significance? First, I must say that I am not one who is dogmatic about such things as the number “three” is always special, and so, spiritual things must come in threes. In fact, it is important, whether or not the Word directly mentioned them, or whether or not, it was probable that the scriptures may have implied them, or that they came as revelation by the Holy Spirit without contradiction with the Word.

So, what is on my mind? It is this - this Old Testament reference of the three men might have been a foreshadowing of the revelation of the Trinity theology of God. The word trinity is not found in the Bible, although there are many New Testament verses supporting the Trinity theology of God. On the other hand, I have not come to know of any “in one place” kind of verses showing clearly the Trinitarian concept of God in the Old Testament.

I made my study and contemplation of this story in Genesis 18 in the hope to see if there is any ground to believe there is really some relevant truth embedded in the story. Before I go any further, I must say there was really too little being said of the three men to draw conclusive stand. So, if you do not quite accept this aspect of the exposition of this first part of a great story in the Bible, it is ok.

So based on limited revelation, either by way of the scriptures or the Holy Spirit, let me give a poser for you to ponder about – maybe the three men was meant to be a “type” to Triune God. Maybe more specifically a type to Triune God in relation to God’s dealing with the fallen state of man.


Below are a few “supporting” comments:

1. If not for hidden meaning, the three men was really an unnecessary “prop” in the typical dealings of God with Abraham
In Genesis 13 where God gave the 2 great promises to Abraham, the dealing was straightforward. In Genesis 17, in establishing the circumcision covenant, again God straightforwardly spoke to Abraham about what Abraham had to do, and what God would do for Abraham. I believe the 3 men, was meant to mean something.

2. It is clear enough that the three men were not really ordinary men
If they were ordinary travelers, they would not know the name of Abraham’s wife and ask such a direct question of “Where is your wife, Sarah?”

3. The men were probably not angels
From scriptures, we understand that God commonly send angels on errands. The thing is that in the case of Abraham, God had customarily dealt with Abraham directly (see Genesis 13, & 17). I believe it was even more so after God had established the covenant with Abraham in Genesis 17. In Genesis 17:1, God said to Abraham [invited, I would say], “walk before me and be blameless”. Every few people in the Bible are said to have walked with God. I can accept that God still “talk” to us when we are engaged in our human activities (and I have experienced that, and I am sure many others, have), but why would God have Abraham serve the angels or created beings while He was engaging Abraham? It doesn’t make sense.

4. Bow and worship only the Lord God and no others, not even angels
While even if it was customary in those times to bow as a show of respect, it still did not make sense for the Lord to allow Abraham to bow to the three men. If they were mere men, God’s allowing it as a mere custom of respect and honor was understandable. But if we say that the three men were angels, and God’s knowledge (assumed) of Abraham’s suspicion (that the three men were not mere men), I believe God would not have allowed Abraham to bow to the angels and the angels would not dare to accept the bow. This is no small matter. The Lord views this very seriously. When Apostle John was shown the things written in the Book of Revelation on Patmos Island, and when he bowed before the angel who shown him the things, the angel immediately forbid him to bow to him (the angel). We believe Satan (once the Chief Angel) fell because he wanted others to bow to him, we also know what Satan asked of Jesus when he tempted Jesus after the fasting in the wilderness – Satan asked Jesus to bow to him, to which Jesus refused. If the men were not mere men, not angels, maybe they were manifestly God, allowing Himself to be bowed to, and served by Abraham.

5. The setting was no ordinary place
The place as clearly been explained above, in the exposition of the first few verses of the story, was a very significant place. Leaving out our body as the temple of the Holy Spirit (really does not want to complicate matter more), now, we talk about churches, further back, people talked about temples and still further back, tabernacles, in Abraham’s time, it was altars. You got the idea – an altar, a place dedicated to God, was where God could be expected to be at. I believe God dwelt in many places, albeit temporary, in the Old Testament. For example, God dwelt on Mount Horeb, at the place of the burning bush where Moses “met” with God. I believe this was one such dwelling place of God. At the dwelling place of God, you can expect to see the manifest presence of God. (For example, in Moses’ meeting with God on Mount Horeb, the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit was seen – Do you know what that manifestation was?).

6. Maybe the three men was indeed a type to Triune God in relation to God’s dealing with the fallen state of man
It is interesting that three men appeared, not any other number. And the purpose of the three men was to go to see and confirm how bad the fallen state of the people at Sodom and Gomorrah was before deciding on the course of action. If indeed the three men was a type, then the three men are the Father God, the Son and the Holy Spirit, all three working together in dealing with the fallen state of man – it foreshadowed the work of the Father God, the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit in saving men from destruction in God’s great plan of salvation. If you buy into this analysis, vis-à-vis man, God is Trinity at work, even from the times of Abraham, the father of the nations.


Anthony Chia – Vis-à-vis man, God is Trinity at work, right from the beginning.

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Jesus’ teachings on prayers (Luke 11:1-13) [Part III]

Finally, I am putting out this last part of the 3-part article on Jesus’ teaching on prayers.

In Luke 11:1, the disciples of Jesus asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. In the next 12 verses, Jesus taught about:

1. Praying for oneself (Luke 11:2-4)
2. Praying for another (Luke 11:5-10)
3. Praying for the Holy Spirit to be given (Luke 11:11-13)

For this third and final part of a 3-part article on this portion of the Scripture, I going to write on the third item covered by Jesus – praying for the Holy Spirit to be given (Luke 11:11-13). You can read Part I here, and Part II here.


Praying for the Holy Spirit to be given (Luke 11:11-13)

11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:11-13)

What we should understand:

1. Here, Jesus is not talking about the adoption indwelling – the first indwelling but rather the baptism of Holy Spirit (& subsequent infillings)
First, let me say that I believe these verses above are NOT talking about the first time the Holy Spirit is received by a Christian. The first time the Holy Spirit is PUT INTO a Christian BY GOD is at the time of salvation/conversion/born again. To understand this, read my article on “Adoption Indwelling of the Holy Spirit”. 

At salvation, God PUTS the Holy Spirit into you as an act of adoption of your spirit as a son of God. The Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is an open invitation, and when you accept that invitation, God takes you in, as a son by putting the Holy Spirit in you as a seal (Eph 1:13), you do not need to ask for the seal.

What Jesus is talking about here is the subsequent times of receiving of the Holy Spirit which includes the first baptism of the Holy Spirit and the subsequent infillings and comings upon, of the Holy Spirit. Notice that phrase, “your Father” is used in the last verse, as in “how much more will your Father… give…” It is used here because you are already His son when He adopted you by His Holy Spirit, at salvation. So, you see, Jesus still said that you are to ask for the Holy Spirit even after your adoption.

2. The reservation and fear are not new
I believe the reservation and fear that we experienced, or maybe more correctly, by certain segments of the Christian community concerning the prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit upon people are not new.

They were there during the Pentecostal time – when the Holy Spirit came upon the 120 people in the Upper Room, people (God-fearing people) came together in bewilderment (Acts 2:6). They were amazed and perplexed (Acts 2:12). Some even said the people who had the Holy Spirit came upon them, had too much wine (Acts 2:13). Peter, with the Eleven, had to explain to the people that the people were not drunk, it was 9 o’clock in the morning (Acts 2:15).

3. This was Jesus’ assurance, accept it
Today, many, especially in the more “traditional” denominations are still skeptical about this prayer for the Holy Spirit to be given to individual Christians.

Jesus knew the concerns of the people, that was why He said the things He said above. I have a close one who is in lay leadership position of a more traditional church. When I talked with him on this matter of baptism of the Holy Spirit, I could sense that he was concerned that when one asked for this (the Holy Spirit), one might get something else from “someone” else.  He also expressed that if God wanted to give it, He would have given it; that he did not have it meant God did not want to give it to him.

I believe the former is a stronger reason than the latter because when I said I could pray with him to receive it, he would not agree to be prayed for. It looks like for some people Jesus’ assurance above is still not good enough (maybe not yet good enough). Do not get me wrong, the one I referred to, is a faithful Christian who has been serving in his church for many years despite holding down a full-time job. I am praying that he will experience this dimension of the faith.

4. Know that you are not praying any differently, and it is the same God
Please understand that when you ask the Holy Spirit be given to you, you are asking Father God (unless you are praying to “someone” or something else!) for it. You do not need to worry that someone else gives you something else. If you think that can happen, then let me ask you, what about all the other occasions when you prayed for some other things or issues, could they not then also come from someone else or what you received was an evil thing, in disguise?

One more thing, Jesus says, “Ask”, so you just ask if you want it. Do not say, “If I do not have it means God does not want me to have it”. How did one get converted – receive the promise of eternal life, by doing nothing? Of course not, you believed in your heart and confessed with your mouth in order to accept Jesus as the Lord and Saviour, you do something – you ask God to come into your life.

For those not yet baptized in the Holy Spirit, think about it, when Jesus took the trouble to cover this in his teachings on prayers, it must be that important. To expound on the importance of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the works, gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit, separate articles are necessary – look out for them.

Jesus, in Luke 11:2-13, did not just teach on prayers, He taught about how to pray for oneself, pray for another and lastly He did not omit to address the reservation and fear about praying for the subsequent times of receiving of the Holy Spirit.


Anthony Chia, high.expressions – it is WRONG to say that unless you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, you do not have the Holy Spirit in you, yet it is important for us to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, and to embrace fully the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

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I can do all things through him [Christ Jesus] who gives me strength (Phil 4:13)

This is quite a commonly used verse from the Bible. Because it is like a good confidence boosting slogan, many of us use it and we encourage others to do likewise. What happened afterward, some of us completely avoided this verse. Why? Because it did not appear to be true. We couldn’t do all things. For example, if you wanted to fly but you found that no matter how much strength you used you just could not fly. Does "all things" include human flying? Whose quote is this?

The Book of Philippians was written by Paul. So it is Paul’s quote. Paul wrote a large portion of the New Testament (According to Conservative Christians Beliefs, 13 Books – Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus & Philemon) and it is only when you realized what Paul had gone through in his life for the sake of the Gospel, through the reading and studying of Paul’s life in the scriptures, that you can understand how he could say what he said, “I can do all things through him who gives me strength.”

Firstly, I think we will often have problem in interpreting the word “all” as in all things, all men, all people, etc. We find these “all ……” in various verses in the Bible. Sometimes it meant “every” as in everything and everyone, sometimes it appeared not. Sometimes in our own conversations, we also use the word “all” without really meaning it as “every”. What we probably were trying to refer to is “a set of things we have in mind”. To you, all things included human flying per se, but to Paul, his all things probably did not include human flying per se.

Secondly, let say you wanted to go on a mission trip to the Mediterranean in a month’s time to spread the Gospel and you needed money for the trip. You went round asking people to contribute money for your trip. It was “tough” for you to “beg” people to give. To you, you had tried your best when at the end of one month, you could not raise enough for the trip. You could not go. But for Paul, if he were in your shoes, probably decided that if begging was not enough (I just use begging, as an example, but really Christians should not need to beg), he would do hard labor to raise the rest of the money, and if that was still not enough (and if it was possible), he would be prepared to wash dishes on the ship that was to sail to the Mediterranean. You see, to Paul, he could get to the Mediterranean to spread the Gospel – Phil 4:13 is true. But to you, Phil 4:13 is not true. We all need to bear the cross over time in order to have Phil 4:13 coming true for us with increasing frequency. If you still did NOT catch it, read the preceding verses to Phil 4:13 carefully,

…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (Phil 4:11b-12).

Paul subscribed fully to that which was said in Luke 14:27 & Luke 14:33:

And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.(Luke 14:27)

In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.(Luke 14:33)

Paul was prepared to go all out for God. The condition of his heart was right with God. Only with that would Phil 4:13 comes through for Paul all the time. To catch a glimpse of Paul’s attitude, let us look at some of the Paul’s “speeches”:

Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God depends on faith; that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his suffering, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead (Phil 3:8-11)

And in Phil 1:19-21 after speaking of his imprisonment:, he said:

For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I shall not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

For Paul, to live was gain, because while he suffered in this life he was imitating Christ and was becoming more Christ-like. Also to live was gain because while he lived he could spread the Gospel and be an example for all. He said, “But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.” (Phil. 1:24) To die was also gain, because if he were to die he would share in the Resurrection of Christ. Whether he lived and suffered, leading to the Resurrection for himself and others, or died and shared in the Resurrection himself alone, he would be united to Christ and be an example for all.

Paul also accepted the arrangements of God: And to keep me from being too elated by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me; but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’…For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults,hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak then I am strong. (2 Cor 12:7-10)


So what am I saying?
1. If we want to apply the Phil 4:13 to ourselves, we need to know we have to be prepared to carry the cross and do our part. Our heart condition has to be right with God.

2. The next time when we look at a declaration or promise in the Bible, before we decide that it is NOT true, we better dig deeper.


Anthony Chia, high.expressions - My heart condition has to be like that of Paul if I were to claim the promise that he claimed - I can do all things through him who gives me strength (Phil 4:13)

[PS: {added 11/01/2010} I am NOT necessarily saying that God will not bring one past his difficulties without his (own) effort. In fact, God did and does bring people past their difficulties supernaturally like through miracles, and signs and wonders, but our heart conditions, I believe, need to be right, for consistent victories. I believe it would be extremely rare to find one who can get 100% achievement over time, with God. If not for anything, it will be, so that we do NOT become conceited, and act independently of God.]


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Reserve glory and worship for God, practise honor, and grow in favor with God

This is article is not meant to be an exhaustive study of glory, worship, honor and favor. I have tended to write on topics I felt led to write. I was really on another topic, but somehow felt led to dwell on this, so this became an article by its own.

Glory and worship
A simple definition of glory -
Glory of something/someone – great brightness, splendor, magnificence, majesty, beauty, renown of the something/someone
To give one glory – to give him very great praise (incl. adoring praise or worshipful thanksgiving)
To glory in something/someone – rejoice proudly, rejoice triumphantly, exult with triumph

Glory and worship are big words and intertwined. Worship is reserved for God alone (Ex 20:5, 34:14, Rev 22:8-9). Particularly, I wish to point out that even angels are careful not to take any of the worship away from God. We read this in Rev 22:8-9 -

8I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things [things in Revelation]. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!"

Likewise, glory should be confined to God. In Isaiah 42:8 we read this:

I am the LORD;
that is my name!
I will not give my glory to another
or my praise to idols.

I know the Apostle Paul talked about sharing God’s glory in the Bible but I believe he was referring to the future glory. This future glory is only relevant to us after we pass on -

17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. 18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Romans 8:17-18)

[In this respect, we should imitate Jesus' attitude:
I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge (John 8:50). ..."If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me" (John 8:54). Jesus, too was looking at his future glory at that point in time (before crucifixion). The glorification came when He died and was resurrected; meanwhile He only wanted to glorify the Father. -inserted on 24/11/09]

The kind of glory that is ascribed to God must not be appropriated, even partially, by anyone, i.e. you cannot take any of such glory for yourself.

For example, a person prayed for a crippled man to be healed, and God answered the prayer and the crippled man is instantly healed; God performed a miracle. The glory to be given as a result, must be ascribed to God, the person who prayed for the healing cannot take any of it.

While I fully subscribed to the fact that we, as Christians, are princes and princesses, co-heirs with Jesus, in the Kingdom of God, and God is our Father, we are not god (H426). You and I are not Jesus or the Holy Spirit. Only members of the Triune God share each other’s glory. I know there are many mighty servants of God now doing great supernatural works for God after gaining insight of their kingdom identities – royal priesthood, princes and princesses. While I am sure many of them understood such requirements as practicing repentance and holiness, and humility before God and are themselves observing these requirements, there are those, because of their eagerness to share the insights that God had shown them, had in their over-emphasis in their identity-power teachings, and extreme under-emphasis in the fundamental aspects such as the requirements of repentance, holiness and humility, (some even, suggest repentance and holiness as not being required for such things as return of backslidden Christians/prodigal sons and high worships, respectively) caused lopsidedness in spiritual diet of saints. I have an uneasiness over this development, feeling that if it is unchecked or not balanced out, it may stumble other saints. Some of these great servants are also not very careful with the concept of pre-destination (especially general pre-destination of personal salvation). While signs and wonders and miracles do empower the Gospel, inappropriate word droppings of pre-destination can stumble people.

For the healing example above, we should not go round suggesting/insinuating that the person used by God to pray for the crippled man was not doing the right thing in ascribing all the glory to God, or that he was not right to always quickly ascribe every credit/praise back to God.

One may glory in the things that God has done (say a miraculous healing), if to glory is to rejoice proudly or triumphantly. Yes, we rejoice when people are ministered to/healed/blessed, but we do not take any of the glory for ourselves. When we see people got healed/ministered to, we rejoice with them and give glory to God by thanking God, praising Him with adoring praise or give worshipful thanksgiving to Him. When we rejoice, it means we share the joy of another (in this case, the healed man). It can even include the sharing of God’s joy (if you are like me, believe God is joyous, on healing a man) – this I can accept. This is the correct attitude of heart followed by our manifestation thereof.

Honor is different from glory
Honor, on the other hand, I believe is different from glory. The Bible does talk about God honoring man, and it is right for man to honor man. [Added: 03/01/2011 - I am aware that KJV and NKJV translations used "honor" in place of "glory" {used by NIV and many other translations} for such verses as in John 8:54; however, present day use of "honor" is more in line with Greek word, "timaō" (G5091) as in John 12:26 (below). "Doxa" (G1391), the Greek word in John 8:54, should be rendered as "glory" and not "honor" to avoid confusion with "timaō". Honor is also used for timē (G5092), as in say, 1 Tim 5:17 {which we will touch on later in the article}.]

Jesus before his going to His death on the cross, said these words, “26Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” (John 12:26).

For he[Jesus] received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice …..(2 Pet 1:17-18a)

Jesus went before us, He is the firstfruit. He is the model, He is the pattern. He received honor while serving the Father God on earth [One may think that Jesus hadn’t even started His Ministry at the time of his water baptism. That may be correct but He started serving the Father on the earth the moment He was born on earth.]. The same could be ours, the honor in serving on earth. That is why Jesus said those words, “My Father will honor the one who serves me.” in John 12:26 above.

Ah, you may say, 2 Pet 1:17 says, “he received honor and glory”. The glory here is referring to the manifested presence of God – in the light which shone around Jesus. This glory, manifested presence, is different from the glory we are talking about above, and is not uncommon even today, and it can take various forms.

Where is the honor in 2 Pet 1:17-18a, you may ask. The honor is in the words, the declaration itself, given in the presence of multitude. Often overlooked, I believe manifested presence also can be an act of honoring. This is especially so if the manifested presence takes forms that do not “serve any purpose except drawing awe” from the multitude. Let me explain,

For example, it is not uncommon that we hear of certain minister or preacher having glisters or gold dust forming on him or around him when he was before the multitude doing the work of God. Apart from indicating His presence, I believe God was honoring such servants of his. The glisters or gold dust does not serve any practical purpose but it does draw awe from the multitude. Miracles on the other hand, are different, they serve certain purposes, for example, to heal, to deliver or to meet a need or minister to someone.

I also believe that His doing of the very thing you ask of Him when you are ministering to people can also be an act of God honoring you. Of course, God can do a thing for any number of reasons.

In the light of what has been said above, I believe there is nothing wrong with asking God to honor us as we honor God (e.g. by doing a piece of work of God, by obeying a difficult command in a given circumstance, etc). I prayed that way often.

[added: 03/01/2011 - In connection to the last 2 paragraphs above, particularly in relation to our prayering for another in person, despite, preference by some, saying that we should not "tell God what to do", we should not hesitate to ask God to act on our requests, if indeed our requests are in line with Who He is. We should not tell God what to do, only to the extent that we must understand that our requests must be in alignment with Who God is; we must not hold God out to be our genie in a bottle, to do as we request (we, indeed do not tell God what to do, it is God who tells us what to do); and we do not try to "limit" God with our request (eg. suggesting that God should only act in a particular fashion).]

The Word of God exhorts us to honor one another. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10). Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (Romans 13:7). The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. (1 Timothy 5:17).

While we say the person God used (say, for praying for the sick) must be quick to ascribe all glory back to God, there is nothing wrong for us to affirm the person, give him a pat on the back, thank him for taking the time and making sacrifices to minister to the sick. This is part of honoring a servant of God. And do not be taken aback or feel offended if he said something like, “Oh, it is God, not me.” I am sure he did not mean you were a busybody or that you did not know better – that it was God who did the work. I bet you he appreciated your gesture and it would spur him on.

What about favor of God?
Serve God well, serve him rightly, and grow in his favor is the way to go.

Deu 10:12 -
And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,

Romans 14:17-18 –
17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

The Bible records that Jesus, over time, grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men –

And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:52).

It is understandable that Jesus would grow in wisdom and stature but it says Jesus also grew in favor with God and men. If Jesus needed to grow in favor with God and men, how much more do we also need to grow in favor with God and men. I believe when we have the favor (or continuing favor) of God, we would be able to do great exploits. The Bible recorded that, among others, the following people have found favor in the eyes of God:


Joseph
Gen 39:4 - Joseph found favor in his [Potiphar] eyes and became his attendant [after Potiphar bought him from the slave market. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers]. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. [Potiphar is one of Pharaoh’s official]

Gen 39:21 - God showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. [Joseph was thrown into prison when falsely accused of having an affair with his master (Potiphar)’s wife.]

Joseph went on to interpret Pharaoh’s dream of 7 years of abundance followed by 7 years of famine; made 2nd most powerful man in Egypt, next only to Pharaoh; given the wisdom to store up food for the 7 years of drought, saving not only Egyptians and Canaanites but also his original family – his father, Israel (aka Jacob) and all his brothers. Joseph and his brothers are the fathers of the 12 Tribes of Israel. Joseph was instrumental for the continuity of the 12 Tribes of Israel, even as they were started off.

Moses
Ex 33:12-14 - 12 Moses said to the LORD After the Golden Calf incident and the LORD’s instruction to march on to the promised land. Because of the Calf incident the LORD had declined to accompany the Israelites on the journey. This was Moses’ plea, "You have been telling me, 'Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, 'I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." 14 The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

Ex 34:9 - Moses repeated his plea before the LORD on Mt Sinai. The LORD had instructed Moses to chisel out another 2 stone tablets for the LORD to rewrite the Ten Commandments on, and to go up to the Mount again] 9 "O LORD, if I have found favor in your eyes," he said, "then let the LORD go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance."

Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, from the hands of Pharaoh, to the edge of the Promised Land, with great signs and wonders and miracles, including the parting and crossing of the Red Sea) – you can read Moses’ exploits in the Old Testament. Exodus is one of the books you can read.

Esther
She prevented the annihilation of all the Jews in the kingdom of King Xerxes, which stretched from India to Cush [Upper Nile region](127 provinces). There was no mention of her favor with the LORD (but surely she was not without great favor from the LORD, she could have died for entering the inner court without being summoned by the King, but did not – Es 4:10-16. For the full story, read the Book of Esther, a short book) but there were ample recordings of her favor with everyone. She won the favor of Hegai who was in charge of the harem (Es 2:9a), She won the favor of everyone who saw her before she went before the King for the first time (Es 2:15), She won the favor and approval of the King, King Xerxes and was made Queen (Es 2:17))

Lastly, not forgetting our Lord, Jesus
Luke 2:52 - And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. The exploits of Jesus for Father God, of course, cannot be adequately dwelt with, here.


Anthony Chia – Lord, let not pride be found in me. Lord, I worship you alone. Help me not to take any of your glory but be quick to ascribe them all to you. Lord, teach me your ways that I may continue to find favor in your eyes. Above all, help me to be holy as you are holy.

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Psalm 42 – What to do when discouraged

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".
{For full listing of all articles in this Psalms exposition series, click here}


Psalm 42

1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?

3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while men say to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
[Where are you, God, my soul longs for you just like the deer pants for water? My soul cried day and night while my enemy mocked at me saying, “Where is your God?”]

4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of God,
with shouts of joy and thanksgiving
among the festive throng.
[God, I remember I used to lead multitude in procession to your house with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive crowd.]

5 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and 6 my God.
My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.

[Oh my soul, do not be discouraged, put your hope in God, my Savior and my God. Praise Him still. God, in my discouragement, I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the height of Hermon – from Mount Mizar.]

7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.

8 By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.

[Afflictions have come so thick upon me that I felt overwhelmed. Yet in my prayer, I will declare the Lord will send your mercy in the daytime, and in the night His song will be with me.]

9 I say to God my Rock,
"Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?"

10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
[God, have you forgotten me? I am oppressed by my enemy, I am in grief. I am in agony as my enemy continues with the attack. ]

11 Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
[Oh my soul, do not be discouraged, put your hope in God, my Savior and my God, whom I will yet praise.]


[When we are discouraged what do we do? What should we do? This is what the psalmist in Psalm 42 did:

The psalmist went before God, told God how his soul longed for Him, how he cried day and night while his enemy mocked at him, saying “Where is your God”. The psalmist reminded God that he used to lead in worship, giving shouts of joy and thanksgiving to Him. Even as the psalmist reminded God how he used to be joyful, he told himself not to be discouraged, to put hope in God our Savior and our God. He told himself that he still had to praise God.

The psalmist told God that in his discouragement, he would remember God. He told God that afflictions had come so thick upon him that he felt overwhelmed. Yet in his prayer he declared that the Lord would send His mercy in the daytime for him, and His song, in the night. He pleaded with God, saying “God, have you forgotten me?” He told God his condition – being oppressed, in grief and in pain as his enemy continued with the attack.

The psalmist ended by reminding himself again not to be discouraged, to put hope in God our Savior and our God. He told himself that he still had to praise God despite it all.]


What we should have learnt:

1. Never forget you have a God you can turn to.
If you are a Christian, never forget you have a God, your Savior and your God that you can turn to. The Christian God is a reliable and dependable God. If you are not yet a Christian, approach a Christian to find out how you too can have this Savior God.

2. Know your God well.
I believe the psalmist knew his God well. He probably knew that his God was a great and mighty God, capable of delivering him from the thick afflictions that he faced. Why did I say that? You can see he did not express any doubts at all about his God’s capacity to deliver him. He was only pleading for God to act. We have to get to know our God well. We should never doubt God’s capacity to deliver us from whatever afflictions that we may face. Make efforts to know your God before afflictions strike you.

3. Cry out to God.
Do not listen to people who suggest that we should just take all the afflictions “lying down”, that God had welcome the afflictions since they happened; that God would not do anything until they are all over. Do not listen to people who suggest that God would have given (gifts, help, etc) if He wanted to, that we do not need to ask. God does wait for people to cry out to Him, and men, big and small, in the Bible, cried out to God when they were faced with afflictions of all sorts. He knows everything, so what, it does not mean He is not waiting for you to talk to him or ask for his help.

4. Tell God you want to repossess the condition before discouragement.
Tell God you remember you used to be joyful and full of thanksgiving towards Him, and you want to repossess that joyfulness and thankfulness towards Him, and that you want to still praise Him. Tell God that in your affliction, you remember Him.

5. Pour out to God your condition now
– how badly you are afflicted, how oppressed you feel, your pain, your weariness, etc. Men may have problem taking your pouring-out but not God.

6. Ask God for His grace and mercy for your situation.
The psalmist asked for God’s mercy to sustain him in the day, and God’s comfort for the nights. God may or may not take you out of your situation, but be sure that his grace and mercy are sufficient to see you through.

7. “Get your hope up”.
This is very important, the psalmist repeated it. We should repeatedly tell ourselves not to be discouraged, and that God is working in our situation. Yes, tell our souls, speak to our souls. One indicator that your soul has listened to you is that you are able to praise God despite your afflictions. Whatever happens thereafter, be confident that in all things, your God will work for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). This is a powerful verse in the Bible. To be sure I am always included, I constantly remind myself to love Him, and try to understand what He wants me to do (do not wait until you are afflicted to love Him or to find out what He wants you to do!).

If you are facing trials and temptations, you might want to read another article of mine, James 1:2-18 (Handling Trials and Temptations).


Anthony Chia – I must always keep my head up. The Lord my God is with me, he is mighty to save (Zephaniah 3:17a).

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