A fiery week in Taiwan

21April Saturday evening

Be still, be still

Feel like the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem in the book of Nehemiah! Building the walls at the same time as carrying weapons in preparation to ward off enemies! Had to take a week off work to fly back to Taiwan during the busiest part of my semester at Morling College (happened to sit at the place where the recent tragedy of the women sucked out of the plane was sitting)... Coincidentally, reading Romans 8 for the assignment, on the pains of #childbirth!

Need to stay focused on the kingdom that cannot be shaken!

22April Sunday

Around 5am, the plane landed safely in Taoyuan Taiwan Airport. A passenger in the same cabin had been snoring throughout the trip, shaking violently as he snored. He was so noisy that everyone stared at him because no one could fall asleep due to this noise. Even the air host tried waking him but he only briefly opened his eyes and then snored again. I don’t know if this person has a physical problem (ie. Very obstructed airways) or psychiatric problem.

As soon as the plane landed, I went off to a CPD activity in Taiwan (Don’t want to lose my Taiwanese Family Medicine licence). Although the teaching lasted for a whole day which was exhausting, it is very helpful clinically.

The reason why I've made the trip is to visit my aunt, who has terminal cancer. She was already diagnosed with end stage terminal cancer in July 2016. Although no one “formally” spread the gospel to her, she called upon God’s name during the treatment in 2016, and after three months the tumours became undetectable by MRI. I took her through the prayer to accept Jesus as her savior, but she didn’t feel like going to church afterwards. In actual fact, her treating doctor was already very amazed that she could reach “remission”. However, cancer that is undetectable by MRI doesn’t mean “cured cancer”. It’s just that the cancer cells are too small to be detected. So the treating doctor still didn’t think she’d live beyond a year after treatment. However, this was not revealed to my aunt, as people who knew her well feared that if she lose hope, she’d go into depression and commit suicide. On 8April, my aunt was admitted into the hospital with a major bleed. Two days later, it was discovered that the cancer had spread all over her liver and lungs. From these information, I speculate that she will not last more than a few weeks if there is no supernatural intervention, because there are so many acutely fatal conditions: nonstop haemorrhage, fatal loss of liver function or being unable to breathe are all things that can happen to her anytime. To get out of the hospital alive will be a miracle! In this horrendous situation, I wondered what will happen to her faith. Then I heard the news that she still replied “Christian” when the nurse asked her what her religion is.

At night, I visited my aunt and saw that she was extremely frail. She had just begun bleeding nonstop again and needed another blood transfusion.

23April Monday

My aunt requires a carer 24/7, but a professional carer hasn’t been hired yet, because we do not know which direction she is heading towards. My mom and my uncle in law both snore, and my aunt don’t have children, so she wants someone who doesn’t snore to stay with her at night. My 3^rd aunt and I are the only suitable candidates! So this week I had to take turns with my 3^rd aunt to sleep in the hospital. A cystoscopy was done today, and the urologist sealed the vessel that had been bleeding profusely. However, my aunt became so weak from the bleeding that she required help to go to the toilet, and she had to wake up every hour to go to the toilet! So I didn’t get to sleep! Caring for a sick person in the hospital is very exhausting.

24April Tuesday

The essay on “the relationship between Israel and the nations in the Pentateuch” had been marked.

http://dryvonnewang.blogspot.com/2018/04/israel-and-nations.html

I’ve never thought of the Jews as any better than the people of any other nations. I had a few Jewish classmates in medical school, and I didn’t think they are any special. Felt like this before, and still feel the same right now. Strangely enough, God has placed a kind of burden in my heart for Israel, because whenever I started interceding for this nation, I shed tears easily and have a strong desire to see the revival of that land.

The relatives only started coming to the hospital around noon, so I couldn’t get home until the afternoon. I simply collapsed on the bed and slept all afternoon. Then I continued to write up my essay assignments for Morling College. Although I’ve applied for 1 week extension for both essays, I still hope to finish the essays on time, because the later I finish, the more it will eat into the time I’ve got to prepare for the final exams.

25April Wednesday

Today, I started writing up the paragraph on “cruciform power” for my essay assignment. In the afternoon, I went to Dr Eileen Lin for a retainer follow up. I usually don’t wear the retainers during the day time because it impacts on my speech when I talk to patients. However, there is a tiny gap between two teeth. Dr Lin said she can see the retainer still has power to move the teeth, but I may need to wear the retainer both day and night for approximately three weeks before the gap can close. This reminds me that the Pentecost is coming up in approximately three weeks, might as well wear it continuously until then! Then I went to the Elim book shop and joined a revivalist prayer meeting/conference in the prayer centre next to the bookshop.

Honestly speaking, I found the people in the prayer centre to be pretty crazy. However, sometimes things don’t have to make sense when we are being led by the Spirit. If everything had to make sense, then Abraham wouldn’t have been able to sacrifice Isaac: God had promised that a great nation will come from the line of Isaac, so if Isaac is gone, how can the great nation come about?

The topic of the prayer meeting is on “the anointing of Elijah: the power to call down fire”. The speaker from New York, Donald Lee, kept yelling “fire fire fire” and told us God does not like “lukewarm”. He said people may think he's nuts, but he didn't came to Taiwan to make friends. He came to do what God wanted him to do. He then talked about two revivals recorded in the bible. Acts 2: At the Pentecost, flames of fire came upon the disciples. Fear was burned up. 3000 souls saved! For revival, God wants people of fire! Elijah, 1Kings 18: Elijah was praying furious focused prayer for 3.5 years. God gave him the power to call down fire! The God who answers by fire is the true God! Are you asking for the fire?

He also talked about: 2King 1:10 the fire burnt the enemies of Elijah up! The fire of God can overcome your enemies! Jesus in Revelation was a man of fire! He also tells us how important it is for us to have “fire in our bones”! 2King 13:21 Elisha died a year already and they threw a dead man info Elisha’s tomb and the dead man came alive by the power of the “fire in the bones”! 

We prayed continuously for about two hours, which was very exhausting for me. During the meeting there was a song called “the sun above the cloud”, which I felt very touched by.

https://youtu.be/FnjEZHJQLZ8

At night, I went to sleep in the hospital. My aunt became stronger and I didn’t have to help her as much during the night.

26April Thursday

I continued to do my assignment, and started writing up the paragraph on “cruciform hope”. This reminded me that the prayer evening for this evening will be on “the valley of dry bones”. However, I was too exhausted and didn’t go. Furthermore, I had already felt compelled to pray in Hebrew on 15April using Ezekiel 37 and done it that day.

My aunt’s treating doctor carried the medicine ipilimumab with him during his ward round. This medicine is supposed to be given into the vein, but the doctor (who’s an authority in gynaecological cancers) bluntly told us that all his patients who were given this medicine died a day after treatment. "Either the cancer dies, or you die." Then he said he had a relative who had it intramuscularly and lived for approximately six months. He asked my aunt whether she wants IV or IM, and my aunt replied “IM of course”! He jabbed her with that medicine straight after her reply!

Asked some people from church to intercede for my aunt, and she went through the day uneventfully. Out of curiosity I start looked at the Hebrew calendar (I didn't take much notice of the Hebrew calendar before but lately there happened to be several coincidences which caught my eyes). If you look at the Jewish historical events, the month of Iyar's got the longest list out of all the Hebrew calendar months. The Proclamation of the State of Israel, conquering of Jerusalem during the Six Day War both happened on the month of Iyar.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iyar

I saw that it was 7 Iyar during sundown of 21April, the evening I went on the plane and kept thinking about the walls of Jerusalem and Nehemiah. Coincidentally, 7 Iyar (498 BCE) was when Jerusalem's rebuilt walls are dedicated, nearly 88 years after their destruction by Nebuchadnezzar. I also saw that it was 11 Iyar on the fiery and powerful sundown of 25April. Coincidentally, on 11 Iyar (1948) - Battle at Degania - It was the first Israeli victory of War of Independence! After observing the Hebrew calendar carefully this year, I found that there had been many timings on the land of Taiwan which aligned with the timings of Israel’s history. In the evening, an intercessor told me that one needs to pray more than one hour before strong powers can arise out of the prayer.

27April Friday

Went a long way today, to visit my dad and my paternal grandma’s graves. Then went for a haircut and spa in Beitou. Strangely enough, the pipes in our spa exploded, and we had to get the apartment manager to fix it quickly or else it will flood. Also received the good news that my aunt has been discharged from the hospital!! However, caution is needed. The hospital discharges people who don’t need drips or transfusions, and have stable vital signs. This doesn’t mean that everything is fine after leaving the hospital. Praying that she can have gratitude towards God and not take everything for granted.

28April Saturday

Finally, I can breathe and have rest today. Prayed for more than one hour in the morning. Usually when I am in Australia, I knew in my head and heart that I need to pray fierce focused prayers, but my body could not do it. It is not unlike Jesus’ disciples in Gethsemane. However, this time the situation changed as soon as I stepped into my home land, which is in a fierce spiritual warfare. I had to move my flesh, because there is no other choice but to fight this spiritual warfare.

I was listening to some worship songs from Israel as I was praying. I felt the spiritual warfare on the land of Taiwan is as fierce and critical as the Six Day War. When the national anthem “Hatikva” (hope) started playing, tears started falling down my cheeks again. When the playlist started playing the advertisement clip on the “Pentecost conference in Jerusalem”, I felt this fierce warfare will continue until the Pentecost. This is not to say that we don’t need to pray fiercely usually of course, but there is just something quite unusual about this month especially. And I will need to keep praying that my aunt’s heart will be softened enough that she may visit the church or accept church visitors, and maybe even get baptized. Hope to see her again in July.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stda88Sxfd0&list=PLaeSz8m8MXVXpoXpAt9Xh29DzEb_TBIEG

Tonight coincides with the “second Passover” on the 14Iyar. This is a fast-moving week where I felt like I was blown into Taiwan by a fierce tornado and blown out of Taiwan again. Didn’t spend enough quality time with God during the “first Passover”. Hope the fire will not be vanquished as soon as I get back to Australia.

Israel and the nations

(Photo I took on 5 October, 2015, when the ICEJ Taiwan marching prayer group was raising the flag on the Jesus boat in the Sea of Galilee.)

Abstract:

This essay discusses the relationship between Israel and the nations in the Pentateuch. In examining the background of how the nations came about, we see that all nations came from one people. In the Abrahamic Covenant, Abraham is promised a nation and he will become a channel of blessing for all peoples on earth. In the Sinaitic Covenant, Israel is assigned the role of being an exemplary “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” for the nations to witness. Herem had to be carried out to bring about the blessings in Genesis12. Israel’s election involves responsibility, and Moses warned that they too will be “vomited out” of the land if they are disobedient to God. I believe God’s principal desire is to bless all the nations: The very reason why God made the covenant with Abraham is so Israel will serve as a channel of blessing for all the nations.

____

This essay discusses the relationship between Israel and the nations in the Pentateuch. In particular, I will examine the background of how the nations came about, and the Abrahamic Covenant, the Sinaitic Covenant, and the herem command.

In Genesis, we see Adam (man) being created out of the dust of the adamah (ground)[1] and commanded by God to work on (avad) and guard over (shema) the grounds of Eden (Genesis2:15). After the Fall, the relationship between man and ground was disrupted (Genesis3:19). Eventually all the earth became so polluted by sin that God decided to wipe out the adamah and the adam by a flood (Genesis7)! Noah and his family were the only ones saved, so all nations on earth originated from this one family unit (Genesis10).[2] The Hebrew goy “nation” denotes people inhabiting a specific geographical location forming a political unit.[3] The 70 nations were listed[4] were initially one people (am) speaking the same language (Genesis11) working together to build a tower that reaches the heavens to make a name for themselves[5]. God punished this act of self-exaltation by mixing up the people’s languages and scattering them over the earth, so that the family become the competing nations of the world.[6]

The introduction of Abraham (Genesis11:27) was a turning point where we see God’s desire to bless humanity and so reverse the divine curses. Abraham was called to “go to the land that I will show you” to become the father of a great nation and the channel of blessing for all peoples on earth (Genesis12:1-3).[7] Genesis13:14-17 introduces the idea that the land of Canaan is promised to Abraham and his descendants.[8] Scholars debate about whether the promise of blessing to all peoples is more important or God’s personal promise to Abraham regarding zara (offspring/seed) and land. Abraham, who had no offspring or land to begin with, eventually gets his offspring. However, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived as sojourners and only had a burial plot as their permanent possession in Canaan (Genesis23).[9]

Gorman believes God’s principal desire is to bless all peoples on earth, and the promise of offspring and land is subservient to this because of the fivefold repetition of the Hebrew root brk “to bless” in Genesis12:2-3.[10] The theme of blessing continued to play a key role in the remaining chapters of Genesis. In addition to the ability to impart God’s blessings to others, Abraham served as a prophet and intercessor for the nations he encountered. For example, Abimelech responds appropriately and receives a blessing. The sins of Sodom were so great that Abraham’s intercession could not save them.[11] The power to mediate God’s blessing to others is passed on through the chosen line of patriarchs.[12] For example, Laban became blessed because of Jacob. Jacob’s favourite son Joseph, who was sold as a slave by his jealous brothers to Egypt, made Potiphar and Egypt prosperous.[13] Through the offspring of Abraham, “all nations on earth will be blessed” (Genesis22:18). All the emphasis on blessing in the narratives lead me to agree with Gorman.

In Exodus, we are introduced to the Israelites. The “children of Israel” (bene-yisrael)[14] are the descendants of Jacob, whose name got changed to Israel by God (Genesis32:28). They were enslaved in Egypt as refugees from famine and had already grown to national proportions before their miraculous escape led by Moses.[15] The new Pharaoh, who did not know about Joseph, became fearful that the numerous people will overtake them, and oppressed the Israelites (Exodus1). The Pharaoh responded with contempt when Moses requested him to “let my people go” (Exodus5:1-2), so God caused a series of disasters to fall upon Egypt. The Pharaoh finally lets the Israelites go, but then changed his mind and sent his army after them. There was the miraculous parting of the Sea and the wiping out of the entire army of Pharaoh (Exodus14). The Israelites then endured a generation of harsh nomadism in the desert before taking over a substantial territory among the Canaanites.[16]

Moses was given the Sinaitic Covenant in Exodus19-24. Israel is God’s “treasured possession” and God assigns Israel the role of being a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus19:5-6). The setting apart of Israel as a nation distinct from all others dominates the books of Exodus to Deuteronomy. Israel will experience the unique presence of God as He takes up residence among them.[17] Israel’s election involves responsibility and obedience to the God who chose Israel.[18] Through Moses, God gave Israel the Torah. The term Torah has a broader meaning than the English concept of law.[19] The three main aspects to this word are: teaching to be learned, commands to be obeyed, and guidance about how to live in specific situations.[20]

From the time God curses the ground, people long for rest. If the Israelites obey the Lord their God, then they will take possession of the Land of Canaan (Exodus23:22-23). God’s blessing will ensure their future comfort (Exodus23:25-26) and security (Exodus23:27-28). There is divine intention and authorisation for Israel to possess this land and find rest in it (Exodus33:14; Deuteronomy3:20).[21] The rest is not just understood in the negative sense of no longer needing to wander but also denotes security and safety from one’s enemies (Deuteuteronomy25:19).[22] To be obedient, the Israelites must distance themselves from the worship of other gods by destroying all pagan images and places of worship and not enter into any treaty with the inhabitants of Canaan, otherwise this will cause them to compromise their exclusive allegiance to the Lord (Exodus23:24,32-33).[23]

God had “brought [Israel] out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations” (Leviticus26:45) and assigned Israel the role of being an example for the nations to emulate (Deuteronomy4:6-8). In having God’s presence and keeping all the demands of the Torah, the nations will praise the Torah.[24] We see that the covenant community was open to non-Israelites from the start: Resident alien (ger) participated in the covenant ceremony concluded before Moses’ death (Deuteronomy29:10). The whole population of Israel including their ger are to follow carefully all the words of the Torah (Deuteronomy31:12).[25] Israel’s identity as slaves redeemed by God out of Egypt means that Israelites should show generosity towards the poor and unfortunate among them (Deuteronomy15:18).[26] So they ought to treat their ger with mercy (Leviticus19:33-34).[27]^,[28]

However, if you adopt the point of view of the Egyptians or Canaanites, God is not experienced as a saving God. God favours a national people, Israel, and this is at the cost of the other nations for they are not valued in the same way.[29] God’s command to herem the seven peoples who inhabit the land of Canaan is especially difficult to explain (Deuteronomy7:1-7:2).[30] The term herem mean “exterminate,” “utterly destroy,” “utterly devote,” and “annihilate.” As a noun, it is translated as “ban, devoted thing,” which meant the object of extermination.[31] If these nations were only objects to conquer and destroy with the help of Yahweh, how can Israel be a positive witness of Yahweh to the nations?[32]

Scholars debates on this. Goldingay suggests that it was never commended by God and was largely a human institution, devised by people.[33] However, the speech form in Deuteronomy7:4 uses the divine “me”, so it was commanded by God.[34] Others argued that it never happened[35], that the herem was a metaphor for religious fidelity “which demonstrates and enables Israel’s unreserved love for Yahweh”.[36] Some believe that it happened, with the Israelites acting as God’s instrument in judging the wicked and cursed Canaanites, who were unworthy occupants.[37] However, there is little reason to believe that the nations of Canaan were much more wicked than other surrounding nations.[38] In the view of the Abrahamic covenant, I think the inhabitants were just in the “wrong place at the wrong time”[39] and treated Israel lightly, so the curse of herem came upon them.[40] I agree with scholars who believe the reason for the herem was because the inhabitants will tempt the disobedient Israelites to “imitate the abhorrent practices of those nations” (Deuteronomy18:9).[41]

I agree with the view that the herem ultimately serves as a blessing to the nations, because Israel must be set up and established in the land in order to bring about the blessings in Genesis12. To be properly established, Israel must be separate from the nations. Therefore, temporary sacrifices were made to bring about a larger plan for the better good.[42] However, the Israelites never completed the herem, and continued to be “snared into imitating” those inhabitants (Deuteronomy12:30). In failing to trust and obey God completely, the Israelites failed to obtain rest when they took possession of the land of Canaan.[43] Moses warned, “… the land will vomit you out for defiling it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you” (Leviticus18:28). “The Lord will scatter you among the peoples…” (Deuteronomy4:25-27).

To summarise, we see that all the nations came from one people. Abraham is promised the nation of Israel and acts as the channel of blessing for all peoples on earth. This will eventually reverse the divine curses described in Genesis. In the Sinaitic Covenant, Israel is assigned the role of being an exemplary “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” for the nations to witness. However, Israel must be established in the land in order to bring about the blessings in Genesis12. Therefore, Israel had to herem the inhabitants of Canaan so they cannot “snare” Israel into imitating them. Israel’s election involves responsibility[44], and Moses warned the Israelites that they too will be “vomited out” of the land if they are disobedient to God. Ultimately, I believe God’s principal desire is to bless all the nations and the very reason why God gave Abraham the promise of offspring and land is for Israel to serve as an example for all the nations so that all peoples can be blessed.

Bibliography:

Alexander, T. D. From Paradise to the Promised Land: An Introduction to the Pentateuch. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012.

Brueggemann, Walter. Reverberations of Faith: A Theological Handbook of Old Testament Themes. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002.

Christensen, Duane L. “Nations.” In The Anchor Bible Dictionary Volume 4 K-N, edited by Freedman D. N. et al, 1037-1049. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Goldingay, John. Theological Diversity and the Authority of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987.

Goldingay, John. “Justice and Salvation for Israel and Canaan.” In Reading the Hebrew Bible for a New Millennium: Form, Concept, and Theological Perspective, edited by Wonil Kim et al, 169-187. Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 2000.

Goldingay, John. Old Testament Theology: Israel’s Gospel. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2003.

Haas, G. H. “Slave, Slavery.” In Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, edited by T. D. Alexander and D. W. Baker, 778-783. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2003.

Janzen, W. “Land.” In The Anchor Bible Dictionary Volume 4 K-N, edited by Freedman D. N. et al, 143-154. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Kaminsky, Joel S. “Wrestling with Israel’s Election: A Jewish Reaction to Rolf Knierim’s Biblical Theology.” In Reading the Hebrew Bible for a New Millennium: Form, Concept, and Theological Perspective, edited by Wonil Kim et al, 252-262. Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 2000.

Kaminsky, Joel S. “Did Election Imply the Mistreatment of Non-Israelites?” Harvard Theological Review 96 (2003): 397-425.

Knauth, R. J. D. “Israelites.” In Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, edited by T. D. Alexander and D. W. Baker, 452-458. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2003.

Lohr, Joel N. Chosen and Unchosen: Conceptions of Election in the Pentateuch and Jewish-Christian interpretation. Linona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2009.

McKeown, J. “Land.” In Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, edited by T. D. Alexander and D. W. Baker, 487-491. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2003.

Moberly, R. W. L. “Toward an Interpretation of the Shema.” In Theological Exegesis: Essays in Honour of Brevard S. Childs, edited by C. Seitz and K. Greene-McCreight, 124-144. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999.

Osborne, W. “Nations, table of.” In Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, edited by T. D. Alexander and D. W. Baker, 588-596. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2003.

Scobie, C. H. H. The Ways of Our God: An Approach to Biblical Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003.

Selman, M. J. “Law.” In Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, edited by T. D. Alexander and D. W. Baker, 497-514. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2003.

Sohn, Seock-Tae. Divine Election of Israel. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991.

Wenham, G. J. “Sanctuary Symbolism in the Garden of Eden Story.” PWCJS 9 (1986): 19-25.

Wright, Christopher. Deuteronomy: New International Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament 4. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1996.

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[1] G. J. Wenham, “Sanctuary Symbolism in the Garden of Eden Story,” PWCJS 9 (1986): 162. The Hebrew terms adam (man) and adamah (ground) are very similar.

[2] W. Osborne, “Nations, table of” in Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, ed. T. D. Alexander and D. W. Baker (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2003), 588.

[3] Wenham, “Sanctuary Symbolism,” 174.

[4] Duane L. Christensen, “Nations,” in The Anchor Bible Dictionary Volume 4 K-N, ed. Freedman D. N. et al. (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 1037.

[5] T. D. Alexander, From Paradise to the Promised Land: An Introduction to the Pentateuch (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2012), 114.

[6] Osborne, “Nations,” 589.

[7] Alexander, From Paradise to the Promised Land, 101.

[8] Alexander, From Paradise to the Promised Land, 113.

[9] W. Janzen, “Land,” in The Anchor Bible Dictionary Volume 4 K-N, ed. by Freedman D. N. et al. (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 148.

[10] Wenham, “Sanctuary Symbolism,” 176.

[11] Joel N. Lohr, Chosen and Unchosen: Conceptions of Election in the Pentateuch and Jewish-Christian interpretation (Linona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 2009),112.

[12] Alexander, From Paradise to the Promised Land, 155.

[13] Alexander, From Paradise to the Promised Land, 157.

[14] R. J. D. Knauth, “Israelites,” in Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, ed. T. D. Alexander and D. W. Baker (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2003), 452.

[15] Knauth, “Israelites,” 457.

[16] Knauth, “Israelites,” 457.

[17] Alexander, From Paradise to the Promised Land, 116.

[18] Lohr, Chosen and Unchosen, 10.

[19] M. J. Selman, “Law,” in Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, ed. T. D. Alexander and D. W. Baker (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2003), 497.

[20] Selman, “Law,” 498. A survey of the 220 occurrences of Torah throughout the OT revealed these three aspects.

[21] Janzen, “Land,” 146. There is a strong connection between the concepts of inheritance (nahala, Deut 4:20), possession (ahuzza, Deut 32:49), and rest (nuah, Deut 12:9).

[22] J. McKeown, “Land,” in Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, ed. T. D. Alexander and D. W. Baker (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2003), 489.

[23] Alexander, From Paradise to the Promised Land, 218.

[24] Alexander, From Paradise to the Promised Land, 301.

[25] Selman, “Law,” 511.

[26] G. H. Haas, “Slave, Slavery,” in Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, ed. T. D. Alexander and D. W. Baker (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2003), 780-781.

[27] C. H. H. Scobie, The Ways of Our God: An Approach to Biblical Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003), 514.

[28] Selman, “Law,” 512.

[29] Lohr, Chosen and Unchosen, ix.

[30] Christensen, “Nations,” 1038.

[31] Walter Brueggemann, Reverberations of Faith: A Theological Handbook of Old Testament Themes. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2002), 91.

[32] Seock-Tae Sohn, Divine Election of Israel (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991), 197-198.

[33] John Goldingay, Old Testament Theology: Israel’s Gospel (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2003), 500.

[34] Lohr, Chosen and Unchosen, 216.

[35] Joel S. Kaminsky, “Did Election Imply the Mistreatment of Non-Israelites?” Harvard Theological Review 96 (2003): 404.

[36] R. W. L. Moberly, “Toward an Interpretation of the Shema,” in Theological Exegesis: Essays in Honour of Brevard S. Childs, ed. C. Seitz and K. Greene-McCreight (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), 133-137.

[37] Wenham, “Sanctuary Symbolism,” 167.

[38] John Goldingay, “Justice and Salvation for Israel and Canaan,” in Reading the Hebrew Bible for a New Millennium: Form, Concept, and Theological Perspective, edited by Wonil Kim et al. (Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 2000), 183-184.

[39] Goldingay, “Justice and Salvation,” 183-184. Note that Genesis 15:16 anticipates the conquest specifically as God's judgment. I am not saying they are not under judgment, but in the view that all humanity is under judgment, there are many other nations just as deserving of God’s judgments but they did not come in the way of the land.

[40] Christopher Wright, Deuteronomy: New International Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament 4 (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1996), 113.

[41] Joel S. Kaminsky, “Wrestling with Israel’s Election: A Jewish Reaction to Rolf Knierim’s Biblical Theology,” in Reading the Hebrew Bible for a New Millennium: Form, Concept, and Theological Perspective, ed. Wonil Kim et al. (Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 2000), 256.

[42] John Goldingay, Theological Diversity and the Authority of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 152.

[43] Wenham, “Sanctuary Symbolism,” 171.

[44] Lohr, Chosen and Unchosen, 10.

Morling Tuesday Chapel: God responds to prayers

(Photo taken with aunt, grandma and mom during a visit to Korea in 2017.)

Speaker: Daniel Yoo

Scripture: Matthew 11:2-6

Daniel gave a narrative about a ten-year-old Korean boy who said in tears, “I cannot believe in God”. Why? Because the boy thought God didn’t listen to his prayers. The boy’s father was very strict and does not tolerate any academic mistakes. Whenever the boy wasn’t the top of the class, he gets severely beaten. Before the beating, the boy would pray, “God, can you stop my father from beating me?” The prayer remained unanswered. Later, the boy changed his prayers, asking for a stronger body so that he wouldn’t feel the pain. But it didn’t help, and he felt every single pain of that lash. The boy asked, “Every Sunday I go to church, they talk about the love of Jesus. Is this the love of Jesus? Does God love me? Does my father love me?”

Daniel didn’t know how to answer this.

Matthew 11:2-6:

We see John the Baptist put in prison because he considered the marriage between Herod and Herod’s brother’s wife to be unlawful. John heard the news of Jesus preaching the good news to the poor. He asked one of his disciples to ask on his behalf whether he is the Messiah. This is very different from the John who leaped with joy in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary who was pregnant with Jesus came to visit Elizabeth. This is very different from John the Baptist who baptised Jesus and heard a voice from heaven saying, “this is my Son, whom I love”. This John, who declared the coming of the Messiah, is in prison now.

Jesus replied, “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” Jesus is essentially telling him, “John, don’t put me in a box.”

Last year, Daniel’s father came to visit him and said, “I was wrong. I thought I could raise you in the ways that was right, but that belonged to God.” A father who never apologised apologised. Daniel’s prayer was answered.

If there are any doubts, take it to Christ and patiently wait, because He reveals Himself and He responds.

Personal thoughts and reflections:

It can be very frustrating when what we pray for seems to be unanswered. It is especially unsettling when prayers for deliverance from abuse/ persecution/ terminal conditions seem to go unanswered.

Around ten years ago, I enrolled in a church course, and they asked us to write down what our burdens are. Being the only Christian in my family back then, I wrote “the salvation of all of my relatives in Taiwan”. They also asked us to write down our one-year goal, two-year goal, and five-year goals. The one-year and two-year goals were achieved quite easily. However, ten years have passed and the five-year goal hasn’t happened yet: getting married and salvation of the whole extended family. God knows the best timing for everything, so I shouldn’t be the one setting the timing (now I wonder why they even set this exercise in the course).

Lately, lots has happened with my relatives in Taiwan. Last month, my maternal grandma was admitted into hospital with life-threatening sepsis. Thank God she survived the incident and is out and about again. However, my instincts tell me that this year will be like 2015 where I had to make four trips to Taiwan. Today, I received news that my youngest maternal aunt, who had just been admitted in to hospital with severe bleeding and pain, has metastatic cancer to her liver and lungs. This is something I am struggling to come to terms with.

Wind back to 2016: my aunt had worked very hard all her life and finally, she gets to retire. She was very happy and travelled a lot. In October 2016, she broke the news that she was diagnosed with terminal cancer in July 2016 and already completed treatment, and the tumour became undetectable after the treatment. She told me she had prayed to God during those difficult times. I took her through the prayer to accept Jesus as her saviour. However, she didn’t want to go to church or have church people visit her, and I couldn’t follow through since I live overseas.

The news of her cancer recurrence is devastating for everyone. She is so devastated herself that she doesn’t want to talk to anyone. She had worked so hard all her life only to be hit with terminal cancer within a year of her retirement and had to go through all the pains of the cancer itself and the cancer treatment. I imagine that most cancer patients will pray to God asking Him to cure their cancer (or at least, take away the pain and the emotional distress associated with it). I guess this prayer was partially answered because her tumour did go into remission for approximately a year (which in of itself is already a miraculous outcome for what was diagnosed as terminal cancer). I can only pray that she can have faith in God no matter how things turn out (I really pray that God answers this prayer), and possibly even make a visit to Taiwan this month to be present for my distressed relatives (especially my mom).

Addit: On 12April 2018 (coinciding with the 27th of Nisan, the Yom HaShoah (יום השואה), known in English as the Holocaust Remembrance Day, my prayer has been answered (2 days after the Tuesday chapel). Thanks to God! 

Morling Tuesday Chapel: Impossible births

Speaker: Jess Gough

Scripture: 1Samuel 1-20

Have we ever encountered the experience of trying to help, but not really helping? For example, a toddler trying to help a baby sister by check on the baby but waking her up instead. Lovely, but probably makes things busier.

In the beginning we see the pedigree of Elkanah’s prestigious line. We see Elkanah faithfully fulfilling his duties to God and his two wives. Infertility in the context of the Ancient Near East: Hannah’s primary role as a wife was to have children, but she couldn’t do that, so she was devastated. Could this be why Elkanah got Peninnah?

Judges 21:25: “Everyone did as what they saw fit.”

The description of Eli raises a serious question about the capability of Israel’s religious leaders. A leader who’s unable to distinguish between someone who’s praying and pouring their souls out to the Lord vs a drunken person? A leader who goes straight to accusation (calling Hannah drunk) before investigation the situation further (which was not being very helpful)? This assumption might reflect how Eli is already used to seeing/ the way the people of Israel usually behaves. Even Eli’s sons were scoundrels.

1Samuel 1:10: “Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.”

Do we need to put on our perfect masks? Laments: praying to God in our pain and desperation. Hannah’s prayer may sound like bargaining though. In the OT, to ask God to remember is to look back at His promises that He will take action. It’s about what God had already done, and reaching out to a God who’s faithful.

Luke 1:46-48: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed...”

We can be certain the One who we call on is the One who cares. To be seen and heard by our faithful God is a blessing, a cause for us to lift up our eyes.

1Samuel 1:20: Regarding the name Samuel, “Because I asked for him.” The Hebrew pronunciation Samuel sounds like “heard” by God, even though it doesn’t mean “heard”. (Actually this topic is under some debate. The Hebrew name שְׁמוּאֵל (Shemu'el) could mean either “name of God” (Shem El) or “God has heard” (Sh'ma El).

God uses an impossible birth to mark that He is doing something significant in Israel! (Think about barren women like Sarah giving birth to Isaac, Rachel giving birth to Joseph, Manoah’s wife giving birth to Samson, and Moses surviving the great infanticide, etc). In dedicating her child to the Lord for his entire life, Hannah is given the opportunity to play a part in this great thing God is doing.

And when the virgin gives birth to a son (plus Jesus surviving the infanticide commanded by Herod), that is the most miraculous event in history! God is doing something big in this world, and just like Hannah, we are given a role to play in that.

Note: blue font=extra things I’ve added in.