Born in Taiwan but left when I was 8y.o., lived in 5 different countries by 18y.o., Christian, full-time General Practitioner in Eastwood! Loves travelling&adventures. Master of Divinity graduate.
台灣出生，八歲出國，十八歲時已經長期居住過五個國家，基督徒，道學碩士，在澳洲依士活作全職家醫科醫生，喜歡旅遊探險。
2:17: “Where is the God of justice?”: Do we
really want that question answered?
3:2: “Who can endure the day of his
coming?” The silver furnaces were not nice places to be. God as a refiner’s
furnace is an uncomfortable confronting image! The process is not a sweet and
beautiful thing, but the product is lovely. Launderer of the ancient world were
out of town. The process stinks: putrefied urine you soak the clothes before
you wash, or strong caustic paints, etc. Seriously traumatic images! Who’s
going to come out of this intact?
3:5: The image of a court-room. God is
coming to bring justice comprehensively, not selective justice! “I will be
quick to testify”: It is you who God will be putting on trial.
3:3-4: There is a different between
purifying silver and burning rubbish. The “silver” serves in integrity and
uprightness. Some people only talk about the bible as forgiveness of sins. It
is the creation of a people who worship God rightly.
God not only redeems, but also reconstitutes
us. Some people describes forgiveness as “gift”, and the consecration (worship
and service) as “payback”. That is not right. Both are privileges, not
“payback” for what Christ did on the cross. God in his kindness, forgives our
sins, redeemed us out of trouble, and gives us the great privilege to offer our
lives up in worship.
First page of the Gospel of Mark quotes from
both Isaiah and Malachi. Isaiah is a promise spoken to Israel in the situation
of exile (salvation, homecoming, deliverance). Malachi is a promise given to
people on the other side of the return from exile (people becoming weary,
cynical, so this involves confrontation). Both promise points us to Jesus. The
Messiah comes without warning!
We, even Christians, can feel the
temptation to live as if God didn’t see and didn’t care. The temptation to the
quiet half-hearted insincerity that goes through the motions of what you do, as
if there is no presence of God in our lives.
Speaker: Connie Duarte (Baptist Convention
of Canada. Missionary in Portugal for 20 years.)
Scripture: Ephesians 4:11-13
When Connie was in seminary, she aspired to
be anything but a missionary. Whenever missionary speakers came, she thought,
“what if this was me one day”? Eventually she got the call to be a missionary.
There are various tricky situations we
encounter in life. For example:
Someone works for the government, which
subsidises work-related lunches. One day that person’s company had lunch with
another company and the other company paid the lunch. However, everyone got the
receipt and claimed it even though they didn’t pay for it. The person’s
colleagues started pushing him to make the claim too so it won’t look
suspicious.
A university student had to do a group
assignment for a course. Other people in the group didn't want to do any work and made her do all the work, then they lied to the lecturer at the end of the course saying the
she was the only one in the group who didn’t do any work, and she gets failed.
1Chronicles 12:32: “Men of Issachar, who
understood the times and knew what Israel should do…”
How did those guys know what to do? How did
they know the times they were living in?
Students should learn to think critically.
Not meaning looking at things negatively, but to look at things as they really
are. What are we reading, what are we seeing, how can we discover the truth,
and identify when the truth is being twisted? What is happening in the world
stage? Who has the power and why do they have it? How to explain all of these
things to people who don’t belong to the Western world, who hold very different
views?
Aspire to be life-long learners who can
apply the bible to our times.
Understand the word, understand the world,
and know what to do with what we know.
Men from Issachar were not priests. So,
this call is not restricted to ordained ministers.
Acts 17:10-11: We need to be students like
people of Berea.
To search the Scriptures and find out if
it’s true.
They receive the message with great eagerness
and examine the Scriptures to see if what Paul says is true.
We don’t always get it right. We need
people who lovingly says, “can we go through that?”
What would happen if no one ever questions
what they were taught? Eg. Slavery vs abolition of slavery.
Sometimes the gifts we were given are too
scary. Don’t fight it though. We can’t but God can. Every type of call is
vital. Rejoice in your own call and other people’s calls.
Personal thoughts and reflections: During morning tea before Chapel, I saw Rev Lau, the senior pastor of our church. We had a chat and he asked me why did I come and study at Morling. I told him that my father passed away at that time and several coincidences happened which made me believe God wanted me to study in the seminary. Furthermore, I wanted to study God’s words firsthand and not through the highly digested materials and opinions provided by the speakers in church sermons. At that point in time, I had already done some pretty useful Christian courses. However, although I may take useful notes from some great resources and talks, none of them were my own material. While I may identify strongly with some of the practical tips and testimonies, none of those came from my own experience, and I wasn’t producing enough materials out of my own life experience. I felt like a “copy machine” or “note-taking machine”, just passing on some “good articles and talks” by others, which was rather similar the “forwarding option” of Facebook and other social media. It was in Morling that I really started developing my critical thinking skills, and I am thankful for this, because it gave me a much broader perspective. I pray that God give us more wisdom from our life experiences so that we are not just quoting other people’s stuff without any reflection, but that we really do become discerning people who know our times and know how to apply the word of God to our times.
The place where the missionary Dr. George Leslie Mackay came ashore onto Taiwan! Looks like he was kneeling in prayer in this artwork! Photo taken from a trip to Taiwan in 2016.
Have you ever had someone come to you and
say, “I’ve been praying for you a lot” (in a serious way, not just out of
politeness)? Rachel had a lady whom she doesn’t know well said to her she has
been praying for her. She prayed for her marriage, her being a good exemplar
for others, her faith, her spreading the word of God, etc. This prayer of Paul
is similar.
The prayer is motivated by the many
blessings we have in Christ.
V14: “I kneel before the Father.” People
kneeling to pray. To kneel to pray is to indicate urgency/desperation/earnest.
The Father, from whom every family in
heaven and on earth derives its name… We pray to the Father, the origin of all
creation.
Greek: Pater=father, Patria=family. The two
words have similar roots. We derive our origins from the Father, the One whom
we come from, the source of everything we know.
Sometimes we are focusing on the
things/issues we are praying for, but not on the One whom we are praying to. It’s
about God.
It is the Spirit, and Christ in us who give
us the strength we need. “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may
strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that
Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Without Christ dwelling in our
hearts, what do we have? Exams and assignments are less urgent compared to
eternity.
Know and understand the love of Christ. “And
I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together
with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep
is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.” It can
be quite unconceivable that God can love us this much. What would happen if we
all kneel on our knees praying urgently for the people in our lives?
“That you may be filled to the measure of
the fullness of God”. The fullness of God. The Spirit will strengthen us when
Christ lives in our hearts.
Take this prayer and read it again at home
and ask ourselves, “what would it look like if I was doing this?”
Often, we pray for people to feel better/do
better/other practical things. What happens if we pray that Christ dwell in
their hearts, and change them from the inside out? We can’t force anyone to
come to Christ, but we can pray for them. Pray this prayer for them because
that is what we can do.
Personal thoughts and reflections:
Today’s Chapel resonated with what
has been happening in my life lately again. Last week I made an urgent trip to
Taiwan to visit my terminally ill aunt. Although she became stable enough to be
discharged from the hospital, she still doesn’t have the desire to be visited
by church people or get baptized. So, although the practical aspects of my intercessions for her has been answered, this amazing extension of life is pointless if there is no growth in faith. After all, she is in great agony from the effects of the cancer itself as well as the side effects of the cancer treatment, and an extension of life means an extension of these physical and psychological agonies. Meanwhile, no one can force my aunt
to come to Christ. Therefore, I should make the prayer more Christ focused, and
praying for Christ to dwell in her heart, so that she can be changed from the
inside out.
The emphasis on “kneeling” in today’s talk reminded me of the time I went on a government funded CPD program to Mackay Memorial Hospital in 2016. In my spare time, I went to the Barnabas School of Missions and heard a message by Dr.
Allen Lien, a famous evangelist/ medical doctor in Taiwan who went to Africa,
who exhorted us to “Pick up the lost tradition of getting down on your knees to
break the ground with the groundbreaking prayer!” And a prophetic prayer by
another organisation where the intercessor told me “get down and pick up” some
of the things I’ve dropped! At that time, I already knew in my mind the Spirit was telling me to get down on my knees and pray with urgency every day, but my flesh found it hard to do because I was either in the situation of excessive comfort during holiday times, or excessive busyness during Morling College semester times.There didn’t seem to be any stimuli of enough magnitude that made me felt I had no choice but to drop down and pray with urgency. Well, the situation has changed lately. Ephesians 3:14-19 is a good prayer I can do when
interceding for my family in Taiwan… on my knees that is! Addit 8May 2018: After a week of break from the hospital, my aunt got admitted into hospital again on Saturday 5May, bleeding more profusely than before. On Monday 7May, she decided to get baptised. On Tuesday 8May, she got baptised.
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 3rd aunt and I are the only suitable candidates! So this
week I had to take turns with my 3rd 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
(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.
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.
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.
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.
[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.
[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.
[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.
[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.
[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.
[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.
