The Hesitant Prize Fighter

Sometime ago, I was publish a few timeline charts on this blog. So far there are the following entries

1. From Adam To Noah : Generations Before The Flood
2. The Timeline of the lives of Isaac, Jacob and Joseph
3. The Outline of Pentateuch books

Apparently some of you might have notice that one chart is missing, which is talking about the   timeline between Noah to Isaac.

Initially I was hesitant to attempt this due to the following reasons

1. The amount of calculations required  are very numerous and not straight forward
2. There’s a need to ascertain deaths, as there are patriarchs who are dead before their ancestors died

But there were some questions raised when i presented the outline of the Pentateuch books. The questions are usually asked on how do we know that death of Joseph = 2308 years after creation)

Therefore, this round i went through the calculation of the genealogy written in Gen 11 to come up with the chart that will link the 3 blog entries up.

I made use of Excel to help prevent calculation error, as the calculation required are so numerous, I would not be surprised if I made a mistake or two.

Generally the timeline between Noah to Isaac should look like this

Here are some interesting facts I gathered while working on the chart.

1. Noah was in fact still alive when Abraham was born in Ur of the Chaldeans
2. When Abraham left Ur at the age of 75 (Gen 12:4) , Noah died  18 years earlier.
3. Shem is alive and well when Isaac was born
a. In fact, he is even alive when Esau and Jacob were born
b. Shem died 20 years before Jacob fled his house to stay with Laban
c. Shem was the last person who had seen the pre flood world.

Out of curiosity, I decided to include the birth of Joseph to the timeline to see if any of the pre-flood characters were still alive when Joseph is born, but the answer is a straight no.

Counting the time from Creation

Personally i am just compiling this time-line base on the assumption that the bible genealogies written in Genesis are complete and accurate, I am in no way suggesting that the reading i gathered here are absolute and can be scientifically proven.

However, we know that sometimes when the bible reports genealogies, there are records where names are left out or summarised. (For Example: The genealogy of Jesus in Lk 3:23-38 is an example of a Genealogy with names left out )

So I just urge readers to have a open mind when reading this.

1. From Adam to Noah entering the ark  = 1656 years from creation
2. After the flood, Noah lived for 350 years = 2006  years from creation
3. From Death of Noah to the Birth of Isaac 43 years = 2049 years from creation
4. From Birth of Isaac to the death of Joseph is 260 years = 2309 years from creation

Now assuming if the 430 years of Israel in Egypt (Ex 12:41)  started when Jacob moves to Egypt. we must take out 53 years

2309 –70 = 2239 years from creation

By the time the Israelites left Egypt it should be

2239+430 years  = 2669 years from creation

That will mean at the end of the 40 years in the wilderness its

2669 + 40 = 2709 years from creation

To those who are wondering why then is there a discrepancy of 1 year, that is because i am still unsure if the age of Shem is 102 or 103 when his son was born.

Hope it clarifies how the numbers are derived.

We finally arrive at the final post of our study of the warriors of David, we have done a 12 part series on the warriors and this is the final one.

As this is the last post on the warriors of David, I decided to list out the entire series.

Part 1: Talks about why we should learn from the warriors of David
Part 2: Talks about the historical setting as well as David’s way of leading the nation
Part 3: Talks about the common traits in the warriors of David
Part 4: Warriors who are not afraid of numbers as well as those who will not retreat.
Part 5: A Warrior With Incredible Faith, Benaiah
Part 6: The Warriors By The Well Of Bethlehem
Part 7: The Warriors Of The Tribe Of Benjamin

Part 8 & Part 9 : The Warriors Of The Tribe Of Gad
Part 10 : The Warriors Of The Tribe Of Benjamin, Judah and Manasseh
Part 11: Warriors From The Tribe Of Benjamin, The Kinsman of Saul
Part 12: Warriors From The Tribe Of Issachar
Part 13: Warriors From The Tribe Of Zebulun (the current Post)

The final group of warriors that we are covering today comes from the tribe of Zebulun. They are being describe in 1 Chron 12:33.

The warriors of Zebulun had 3 special characteristics

1. They are experts in war with all weapons of war
2. They could keep ranks
3. They are Stout hearted Man

1. Experts in War with All Weapons Of War

When picturing the warriors from the tribe of Zebulun, one could easily imagine a soldier who is able to use a spear as well as a sword, using bow and arrows as well as the javelin. These soldiers could fight with virtually any forms of weaponry that they could lay their hands on.

They are talented and are able to do anything. Those who are working wil understand that if one had the abilities to handle all matters, he is able to excel in whatever he does and work becomes a simple matter to him.

Regardless of the situations, these solder are able to go into battle using any weapons that is issued to them.

1.1 Knowledge In All Wisdom

Likewise for the present soldiers of Christ, we must be conversant in all kinds of weapon used in our warfare. Paul stressed that the purpose of teaching the gospel is to present every man perfect before Christ. (Col 1:28-29)

This is an easy task if the target we are preaching to has the heart to seek God, but if we were to encounter a people who wants to oppose the truth and are constantly looking for pitfalls and mistakes in the word of God, it will be hard to bring him to God.

Sometimes we may find this battle difficult, as he can use all kinds of arguments and rebuke to rebut you. That is when our “competency” in using the various weapons of war comes into play. If we are good with tit, we can teach and bring that person before God.

Paul encourage the us that in order to be successful in our work for God, we need to have more than just a willing heart to preach. but at the same time we need to warn and teach every man in all wisdom. Not just only with the knowledge of the bible, but knowledge in every area.

Paul often say that as he rely on the holy spirit, he also labour, that he can gain wisdom, to warn and to teach every man in all wisdom, so that they can be presented perfect before Christ.

Similarly we must be experts in all kinds of weapons, the most important weapon in the Christians arsenal is the bible, there are 66 books in the bible, consisting of the Law, History, Prophetic Books. There are some who emphasise the righteous judgement of God, while some talks about the grace and salvation of the Lord. There are instances where the bible criticize  the sins of man, there are also times where it talks about the mercy of God and it encourages people.

They are all important and must not be ignored.

1.2 The Usefulness Of Old and New Testaments

While some modern Christians feels that the Old Testament has past and is irrelevant to the new era that we live in, unless one is fond of history. Nowadays the market  demanded a new type of Bible to be printed, consisting of New Testament and the Psalms and Proverbs.

This is a testimony that many Christians wanted only to concentrate on the New Testaments and Psalms and Proverbs.

Jesus wanted all Christians to learn the New Testament as well as the Old. The scriptures that exist during the time of Christ consist only of the Old Testament . Jesus once said this

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” -Jesus (John 5:39)

The scriptures that Jesus is referring to is the Old Testament moreover Jesus said it again

“Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.” – Jesus (Matt 13:52)

The scribes are people who hand copied the Old Testament and they know it well, if they were to accept Jesus and learn the New Testament, they are like a master who is full of wisdom, keeping the good things from the old and adding the new and better things in them.

The wise man know that both the old items and the new items have their values and uses. He will not stubbornly keep the old stuff and ignore the new additions, he is able to use both the old as well as his new items.

Jesus reminded us to place equal emphasise on the teachings from the Old Testament as well as the new testament, as the kingdom of heaven is prophesised in the old testament and established in the new. Apostles used the Old Testament as the basis and the teaching of Christ as a standard, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, they are able to preach Christ.

1.3 Reconciling Old Testament Laws And New Testament Teachings

We all know that circumcision was the mark of the old testament,and the people of the old testament kept the mosaic laws.

The New Testament only requires believers to believe and be baptised in the name Of Jesus, and to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38)

Initially, when the church started, it was made up of mainly Jews who are circumcised and they observe the old testament law as their way of life. Hence everyone is able to keep their traditions of circumcision and share their way of life without a problem.

However, when Cornelius received the Holy Spirit and was baptised by Peter (Acts 10). A big question arose, “Is there a need for such new believers to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic law?” At one hand the Old testament rules seems to say yes, but the New Testament rules says other wise.

we can learn from the apostles on how they reconciled the old testament and the new testament. The bible had left us a detailed and valuable example how we should handle the issues between the old and new testament. The bible documents their decisions as well as the rationale behind their decision.

In summary , the Apostles based their conclusion from

1. The Teaching of the Old Testament
2. The Instructions Of Jesus
3. Moving Of The Holy Spirit

The incident is recorded in Acts 15:13-20. The conclusion is direct, that the Gentiles need not follow the Laws and Statutes of The Old Testament, but they have to abstain from Idols, Sexual Immorality and blood. I have written a detailed study of it in another blog entry.

Lets examine how they arrive to this conclusions. They based it on the writings of the Prophets, the scriptures as well as the moving of the Holy Spirit. All rules that resulted must be established based on the truth of the Lord. If one is not familiar with the old and new testament, he is able to understand it.

Only by being an expert in the Old and the New Testament can one be able to preach the gospel in a complete. To be an expert requires one to understand it line by line word for word. One could study the bible casually as if its a story, but important teachings can only be drawn through detail analysis and reading.

The deeper you go into the truth, the more precious the words become, the bible encourage readers to mediate and ponder over the words of God

1.4 Of Parchments And Books

Paul once gave an instruction to timothy.

“Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come-and the books, especially the parchments.” – Paul (2 Tim 4:13)

Paul was imprisoned then when he wrote 2 Timothy, here he asked Timothy to bring him items. The Cloak is for benefitting his body, while the Parchments and Books are for benefiting his mind. There is a difference between the books and the parchments. The books contain worldly knowledge, while the parchments are scriptures.

Paul is the disciple of Gameliel, he is not just an expert in the scriptures at the same times he is knowledgeable of the books of the world. We tend to feel that spiritual knowledge is very important while treating worldly knowledge as minor compared to the scriptures.

But many great man of the bible are not like that, Moses is knowledgeable in all the wisdom of the Egyptians while Daniel is knowledgeable about the culture of Babylon. They are learned in the scriptures but at the same times they are knowledgeable of the things of the world.

As Christians we must place emphasis on bible knowledge, but we should also not be ignorant about the worldly knowledge. Paul thirst for knowledge is interesting, as Paul is nearing the end of his life, it is believed that he wrote the book of 2 Timothy during his second imprisonment in Rome, where he was killed by Emperor Nero. Church traditions holds that Paul was beheaded in Rome, which is a more humane way for a Roman Citizen to die (compared to Peter who was crucified upside down)

While some people may say that Paul had done much work for the church, and he should not labour so much, especially if he knows that he may not be able to get out of prison alive. But that is the part of Paul that move us, he knows that he will most likely die, though he is not sure when, but as long as he is alive, he will rather pursue knowledge and understanding, though he is imprisoned and have lost his freedom, he can use other means to serve God, it is in his term of prison where he wrote most of his epistles many of which is part of the new testament bible.

People who studied the lives of Paul knows that he wrote many letters, but many of it were in haste, they are not included in the scriptures, most of the books canonised into the scriptures are written by him during his 2 imprisonment in Rome. It is during these times of his imprisonment, he finally have the time to write about theology and to present them in a systematic way.

The work he had done in prison had long lasting effects, they are still being read by Christians daily. It help many churches and brought many Christians to God.

Even when he is about to die, he is still working hard to learn, serving God in this area. He did not just relax in a corner just because he is dying. He really lived to learn and adopted a lifelong learning attitude.

So we must learn from such warriors of God. to read the bible and to learn knowledge, be ready to battle for Jesus

2. Keeping Formation and Ranks

The warriors of Zebulun is able to obey rules and stay in formation. Order is essential to a army, these soldiers are mighty man, they used to be commanders, section leaders, junior and senior officers. But now when they are part of the army of David, they stayed in formation and did not complain saying “I used to be in command and now I am part of the rank and file”

These warriors are submissive and are in order. It is a small wonder that they are able to stay in formation, order and formation is very important in ancient warfare. The Romans form up into shield columns to advance in the fields.

The Chinese bible had a interesting translations to the word, keeping in ranks, it is described in 4 words 行伍整齐 (háng wǔ zhěng qí) (translated: being orderly in their 行 and 伍 )

The words 行and 伍 are ancient Chinese military terms, 行 consist of a squad of 25 soldiers (similar to a Platoon in the modern infantry) while 伍 consist of a squad of 5 soldiers. (Similar to Sections in the modern infantry).

So it doesn’t matter if you are assigned to a 25 men squad or a 5 man squad, you have to be submissive and to maintain order. You have to keep order within the church even if your church is large and full of talents and power. The church of Corinth was full of talents, but yet they came up with many rules for each other to follow.

While rules are good for maintain order, but there are also bad rules that promote disorder rather than good. There are occasion where orders originated from bad judgement and erroneous beliefs and can be against the word of God, but because the congregation felt that it was a good rule, they continue with these erroneous rules.

2.1 Keeping To The Common Truth

Paul encouraged the believers in the church of Corinth,

“Let all things be done decently and in order.” – Paul (1 Cor 14:40)

” For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” – Paul (1 Cor 14:33)

For we share the same Holy Spirit and the same spirit will not contradict itself, although we may interpret the truth differently, but as the church is having the same spirit, there should not be a conflicts. We need to humble ourselves and to ponder over the words of God cautiously. For the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets (1 Cor 14:32)

Sometimes if we believe our view is the truth and all other perspectives are wrong, and because of that we are unable to accept questions, we retort, accusing the other party for not trusting us and not being submissive. Causing lots of dissensions and quarrels among the church members.

If we understand that the other individual had the Holy Spirit just like you, therefore we should respect and listen to what the other party is saying, ponder over it and consider his points.

Just as Paul said that a prophets spirit must be submissive to the prophets, let us not be hard hearted about our little discoveries and truth, and in our defence of it create more problems and chaos within the church.. God is not a God of confusion, let us learn to quieten ourselves and listen over the questions raised by other prophets, search from the scriptures for a better explanations. The church can only enter a deeper understanding of the truth through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Only by allowing the Holy spirit to work can the church progress in faith, and their understanding of truth.

If we always feel that we are the best and the most wise, you will often come into conflicts with others as we would feel that everyone is against us. Holding on to that view will only create more problems, the church of Corinth is like that, fortunately, not all were like that, some of the members understood, and changed for the better.

2.2 Keeping Order In The Church

Paul once told the church of Thessalonica

“But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.” – Paul (2 Thess 3:6)

It seems as if there are brothers in the church in Thessalonica that do not obey rules and not following church traditions, as if they have went against the truth. But it is not refering to the keeping of truth, Paul explained further in 2 Thess 3:11

“For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.” – Paul (2 Thess 3:11)

These brothers choose not to work but to become busy bodies. At that time the church provided food for the widows and orphans and these brothers came for free meals provided by the church. This not just increase the burden of the church but it also abuses the love of their fellow brethren. They are well away that it is against the teaching of the bible, but yet they choose to continue in their actions.

There are many brethren who saw it but choose not to rebuke them, they are afraid to stop them thinking “If we were to rebuke, they may lose their faith.” but these brethren, who are full of love, allowed the problem to get bigger, more and more people came in saying “Why is he allowed to eat while I am denied?” As the crowd gets bigger, these people became busy bodies, disturbing the peace in the church.

2.3 The Boundary Of Disciplining

This is the reason why Paul gave a instruction for them to stay away from such  brethren. This would allow them to feel ashamed, staying away doesn’t mean abandon, but to carry out disciplinary actions, warning them not to take advantage of the church kindness, not allowing them to become busybodies that disrupt the church work.

There are some brothers and sister who had a wrong impression that they should completely ignore them. But let us take a step back and consider, if we were to take down his name and prevent him for taking his meals in the church, he may be forced to find food for himself.  Will that stop him from being a busy body? Disciplinary actions do have their boundaries, we should not completely ignore the person or to take him as an enemy. Paul told the church of Thessalonica to do this.

“Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” – Paul (2 Thess 3:15)

The purpose of disciplining him is to allow him to wake up and to feel remorseful, to give him a chance to repent and return to the church. Not to cast him out of the church, the church of Thessalonica had a lot of work, but yet failed to keep order within the church. Disciplinary actions are important, to allow people to follow the instruction of God.

The church should not use organisation power to enforce order, but rather teach orderliness according to the teaching of Jesus. Our God is a God of Order as well as a God of peace, therefore we should learn to keep order within the church, so that the church will remain harmonious.

Only by being orderly in our formation can we win the battle for the Lord

3 Being Stout hearted

Some of us may wonder whats the meaning of being stout hearted. The Chinese bible uses the word “不生二心” (bù shēng èr xīn) (Translated : Not being double hearted) These man are very loyal.

The Chinese often use “一心一意” yī xīn yī yì (Translated: Single mindedness) to represent loyalty in marriage. The word 心 represent a heart. When use in this context it is like devoting the entire heart to ones the husband/wife.

Paul once said to the church of Corinth

“For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” – Paul (2 Cor 11:2-3 )

Let us asked ourselves, being Christians who have received baptism and have made up our decisions to follow Jesus, while we are waiting for Jesus to come and bring us to heaven, have we started to love other things, have we started to choose someone else? There are many Christians who had chosen not to love Jesus that much, they started to fall in love with many other things, they think that they could love something else without being discovered. But Jesus already knew.

Jesus once caution his children

“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” – Jesus (Lk 16:13)

We cannot serve God and mammon at the same time, are we still loyal to our God or have we chosen to serve another Lord? We all know that only Jesus could save us and forgive our sins. Perhaps mammon could get us physical comfort and status, but it cannot save from sin. We can never buy the tickets to heaven.

Who should our Lord be? Let us ask God to preserve us, let us all be stout hearted, fully devoted to Jesus

Concluding The Study Of The Warriors Of David

I am glad that we have finished this study. Although it is a long 13 part series. But I hope that by learning the qualities of the warriors of David, we could apply the principles that we have learnt into our daily lives. Let us learn to establish the kingdom of God by being mighty warriors, willing to serve God to the very end.

May God help us in all that we do,let us learn to be like the warriors of David. To fight the good fight for the Lord.

May we all be able be like Paul who could confidently say this before he completed his journey on earth.

” I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” – Paul (2 Tim 4:7-8)

May we all be a brave warrior for Christ and to establish the kingdom of God together with him.

I remember I was writing articles regarding God’s Mercy On the Gentiles. So far I have covered 2 points

1. Part 1 : Gods purpose for placing the Israelites In Canaan
2. Part 2: Gods law our facilitating the Gentiles to learn his laws

Now I would like to share about Gods mercy to the other descendants of Hebrews. I am covering particular 3 races.

1. Ammonites : Descendants s of Lot,  Abraham’s Nephew
2. Moabites : Descendants s of Lot, Abraham’s Nephew
3. Edomites : The Descendants of Esau, Abrahams grandchild.

There is a very interesting reason why I wanted to bring these races into your attention, if we were to read about these tribes in part 2. we will realised that they are people whom God supposedly excluded and forbid them from joining his assembly.

Alot of Bible critics will view that God has a hate list written in Deuteronomy, in which 3 races are targeted. Deut 23:1-7 , and the 3 tribes mention in Deut 23 are listed in this blog entry. Bible critics will say accuse God of practicing racism and only show grace to the Israelites.

It is also easy for people to misunderstand God that when he judged the ancestors of these tribes, he charged their sins into the next generation. Some charismatic group will even use this as an evidence of “Generation Curses”.

But while all these criticism is on-going,  a lot of times these critics failed to examine  bible records of God grace given to these “condemned” tribes. Perhaps we should re-examine the facts and rethink our point of view.

1.1 Ammonites and Moabites : The reason for exclusion. 

People who read the old testament will definitely know the origins of this tribe. The record of their births started in Genesis shortly after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It was recorded in Genesis 19:30-38.

Lots daughters committed incest with their father and the Moabites and Ammonites are the result of their immorality. While some people claimed that they are excluded from the assembly of God because of that. They are wrong. In fact Moses mentioned in clearly the charge that was laid upon them.

“An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever, because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you” –Moses (Deut 23:3-4)

Both Moabites and Ammonites are not banned because of the sin of their ancestors, but they were banned because of the things they did to the Israelites during the wilderness journey.

1.2 Edomites and Egyptians

The Edomites are the descendent of Esau, and God once spoken through the prophet Malachi

“ Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’
   Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?”
Says the LORD.
“Yet Jacob I have loved;
   But Esau I have hated,
And laid waste his mountains and his heritage
For the jackals of the wilderness.”  – Malachi (Mal 1:2-3)

Yes, indeed the bible had in many occasion commented about Esau, that he did not value his relationship with God and when he had lost everything and was unable to get them back even if he sought them with tears. (Heb 12:16-17)

But despite the bad points about Esau, God is still determined to save the Edomites and he gave specific instructions for them to be included into his assembly.

What is even interesting about this is that God actually allowed the Egyptians to enter his assembly as well, Deut 23:7-8

So is it really true that Salvation is only restricted to the Hebrews and Israelites? I am sure you all can judge for yourself.

2.0 Moabites, Ammonites and Edomite Lands

I was doing my own research for bible maps when i came across this interesting map from Wikipedia

Interestingly, the Kingdom of Moab, Ammon and Edom are all neighbours of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah. Despites this fact, do you know that God actually helped these tribes establish their kingdom?

This is recorded in Deut 2, God gave specific instruction to Moses not to haress the 3 tribes, Edom (Deut 2:4-5) Moab (Deut 2:9) and Ammon (Deut 2:19). If we were to read the chapter carefully, Moses bear testimony of how God assisted these tribe to defeat the the Canaanite tribes that dwell in their lands. But since these verses are constantly ignored, please allow me to quote them here.  ‘

“The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. They were also regarded as giants,like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim. The Horites formerly dwelt in Seir, but the descendants of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their place, just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the LORD gave them” – Moses Deut 2:10-12)

“That was also regarded as a land of giants;giants formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. But the LORD destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, just as He had done for the descendants of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, when He destroyed the Horites from before them. They dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, even to this day. And the Avim, who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza—the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and dwelt in their place.” – Moses (Deut 2:20-23 )

Note: Seir is the homeland of the Edomites and Ar was the homeland of the Moabites. You can see that they fought against people who are numerous and tall like Anakims, ironically you will notice that the children of Israel did not dare to fight against them (Num 13:31-33)

While we often thinks that God only fought for Israel, the fact of the matter is God also fought for the descendent of Lot, as well as Esau.

2.1 Placement Of Moabites, Ammonites and Edomite Lands

While we can draw conclusively that God rejected these tribe, yet he choose to rest them right beside the children of Israel. While the bible is very silent about the reason behind this arrangement, a few facts can be clear

1. These tribes are NOT friendly to Israel
a. They deny help to the Israelites during the wilderness Journey
b. They hired Balaam to curse them
c. They entice Israel to commit immorality.

In fact later on in history, the Edomites were judge by God for their treatment of the kingdom of Judah when the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem It was mention by Prophet Joel (Joel 2:19-20), Prophet Amos (Amos 1:11) and the book of Psalm testified the deeds of Edomites when Jerusalem fell

“ Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, “Raze it, raze it,
To its very foundation!”  – Psalmist (Ps 137:7)

But this judgement is only meted out very much later.

I can only say that it is highly possible that God hopes that these tribes could learn the law of God and turn back to him one day. I have good reasons to believe so, because if we were to look carefully at the heart of God in the old testament.

1. When he was punishing the Egyptians, he was sending a last warning to Canaanites

2. He keeps sending messengers to warn even if the people refuse to listen (2 Chron 36:15-16, Jer 36:2-3

3. God was willing to spare even the most wicked people such as King Ahab (1 Kings 21:27-29)and the city of Nineveh (Jon 4:10-11)

4. God never liked to see the wicked dies, but he wants them to repent so he can forgive (Eze 33:11)

It is base on these verses that made me feel that God placed the tribes nearby Israel (although they will prove to be a threat to them) so that they could still access to God easily and to turn back to him.  God is ever willing for people to draw close to him.

2.2 Exceptions In Gods Judgement. 

We learn about how God excluded the Ammonites and Moabites into his assembly. AT the same time you see God giving Joshua specific instructions  to wipe out all Canaanites yet he showed mercy to the Gibeonites and to Rahab. Therefore, we can conclude that although God has judged, even in the midst of executing his judgment God is still hoping for people to turn back to him.

When Ruth abandoned her fathers house and called on the Lord God of Israel, GOd took care of her and made her the grand mother of David, which allowed her to be one of the ancestors of the family in which Christ is born. Note that Moabites is not supposed to be part of Gods assembly, but yet God is ever willing to open his doors to them.

Remember that when Moses brought the people out of Egypt, it was a mixed multitude (EX 12:37-38). Yes it was indeed true that these mixed multitude also created trouble for the Israelites in their wilderness journey (Num 11:4-6). But let us keep an open mind, that just as there are bad Israelites who committed sin, there must be good non Israelites who believe in God too. Though the bible did not mention it, but I am wondering how many of these “mixed multitude” successfully entered Canaan.

3 Conclusion

I personally hope that this blog entry will have gave the readers a deeper understanding, that although God has chosen the Israelites to bear his name, the religion kept by the Israelites is not exclusive to them only.

AT the same time, I hope that the readers will be able to  understand that although God took care of the Israelites, God at the same time also helped the surrounding Hebrews in their war and he is also loving enough to bless them.

God forbid the Israelites to bully these races around and that there is a possibility that God still kept them close so as to allow them to hear the word of God and to repent.

Therefore, it is very unfair to say that in the Old Testament, salvation is an exclusive rights given to the Israelites, but rather they are appointed by God to declare his name and to teach his laws.

Although in the old testament God did not send missionaries to the world (in contrast to the new testament) , but God placed Israel at the cross roads of 2 major trade routes, God allow his name to be propagated from the land to the nations around.

I was in Facebook when a friend of mine showed me this clip taken from “Chinas Got Talent” in 2011. It was featuring a 12 year old Mongolian boy. who was singing. Apparently it was a Mongolian folk song.

The boy’s written in Chinese as 乌达木 (Wū ​dá​ mù​) and personally i am very surprised at his maturity and his mannerism.

For the benefit of the non Chinese speaking audience, i will translate the conversation between the judges  and the boy here

As I am not sure who the celebrity judges are , I will call the 2 male judges as  JM1 and JM2 while the lady judge as JL.

Introduction :

B: My name is Wū ​dá​ mù​ , I came from  the great plains of Hulunbuir in inner Mongolia. I love singing since I was a young, at the grass plains we could just shout free freely without restriction, my mum wishes to see how I would look if I were to perform on the stage.

(Enters the stage)

JM1: You are really handsome.

B: Thank you

(returns back to interview)

B: Today on the stage I will perform using my utmost ability

(Back to stage:

JM1: whats your name?

B: I am Wū ​dá​ mù

JM1: From your costume I figured out that you are a Mongolian

B: Yes, I am a Mongolian

JM1: Which part of inner Mongolia were you from?

B: The great plains of Hulunbuir

JM1: The great plains of Hu Hulunbuir

B: Yes

JM1 :What is your aspiration?

B: My dream is to invent a type of magical ink, if one were to drop a drop of this ink unto the ground, it will turn the whole world into a beautiful grass plains.

(Applause)

JL : That’s a beautiful dream !

JM1 : What will you be performing for us today?

B: I will sing for you

JM1: What will you be singing?

B:  Alsad Suugaa Eej (The mother (Eej)  in my dream)

JM1: I know the words “Dream” but What is a Eej?

B: “Eej” is the Mongolian translation of “mother”

JM1: Why did you choose this song?

B: I would sing this whenever I miss my mother

JM1: Can you tell me where your mother is?

B: My mother is in heaven

JM1: How about your father?

B: My dad died in a traffic accident.

JM1: Would you sing for us first?

B: Alright

JM1: Thank you

(Singing, the lyrics and the translation is attached at the end of this blog post)

(As singing continues the host (H) speaks)

H: I believe you could feel what he is singing about even if you do not understand the lyrics.

(After Performance)

JM1: I need a moment , would you speak on my behalf for a while.

JL: dá​ mù, when you told us that you sang this whenever you are thinking of your mother,

B: Yes, that’s right

JL: Can you share with me, how you past the moments whenever you miss your mother?

B: I would dream at night, in those dream I will dream of my mother by my side.

JL: I would hope you would be able to treat everyone here as your mother, I am sure that all the mothers seating among us  would certainly love  a child like this. Am I right?

JM2 I feel that the mannerism portrayed by you is one liken a typical main character in the cartoons we used to watch when we are children

JL Do you know that he looks like this little prince found in the French comic?

JM2 Precisely, if you were to look at him, he will carry the mannerism that is similar to a little noble. Whenever he sees sufferings or sadness around him, he would sing a song similar to what he was singing earlier. They are just like that magical ink which you talk about earlier, it will turn the place into a big and beautiful and will bring turn never sad soul into a happy one.  This is the the imagination that was running through my mind during your performance.  I believe this is also the feeling that is shared by the entire audience. Please give a round of applause if you agree with me.

*Audience Applause

JL: Do you miss a hug from your mother?

B: Yes

JL: Alright, would you sing us an accapella? and may I give you a motherly hug on behalf of all the mothers seated here?  If you are willing to, you can call me “little aunt”.

B: Little aunt

Jm1: Will you please sing us a accapella

(the boy sings)

JL : I felt that dá​ mù  is a very nice boy and do you know that there are many who loves you?

B: Yes I know

JL: I am sure that you parents in heaven will watch over you , that you will grow up to be a great man. Will you like to say something to your parents in heaven?

(The boy paused a while)

B: Mother, I miss you very much

JL: You have to learn to cry when ever you feel like it? Alright? Just like me who like to cry so much. So when you feel like crying you must learn to cry alright? Only someone who knows how to cry will know how to laugh.

JM1: Ms Little auntie, Mongolian man had a very unique perspective about tears, it is very different from us Chinese,  It is really so. dá​ mù, you process a quality that is unique to the children of the great plains of Mongolia, the kids around you matured at a very young age, I hope that you would once again grace the stage of our show. Will you be willing to do so?

B: Yes I am willing

JM1: Uncle Bobo would like to give you a big YES

B:Thank you

JL: No matter what your story is, what is most important is that you can sing really well. I have never heard a kid with such a voice, that can sound as it can reach unto the heavens. So I would like to give you a yes as well.

B: Thank you

JM1: You little aunt gave you a yes what about you JM2

JM2: Just as you were starting to sing, I felt that this is beyond our comments, to judge if you have the mastered the techniques of singing. You already have the strength to pierce through the hearts of the audience, allowing everyone to be astounded by your singing. I feel that you should continue singing,  to use the same strength to affect everyone, I am supportive of your performance. Yes

B: Thank you

Quote “My dream is to invent a type of magical ink, if one were to drop a drop of this ink unto the ground, it will turn the whole world into a big grass plain.”

Actually i am sure a lot of you would be wondering what he was singing in Mongolian. Unfortunately I do not know the language, but I managed to find a translation of the song from the website here

I have reproduced it here

Title : Alsad Suugaa Eej sumeih zeregleend gegee anirlaad susuglehiin erhend eej mini bodogdana huugee irene geed suugee orgood huslee chiltel alsiig shirtee dee   alsad suuga eej mini amin hairtai shuteen mini bileezadgai tengerd uul ni zamharna zalbirhiin erhend eej mini bodogdana argaliin tsogond tsaigaa buliyeelj anis’haa chiltel alsiig shirtee dee alsad suuga eej mini amin hairtai shuteen mini bileehuhereh uuls’aas hoglerj haragdana huugiin tani setgil gegelzeed baina hunii zeregleend huu chini yavnaa husliig tani nimgeleed yavaad ochina daa *alsad suuga eej mini amin hairtai shuteen mini bilee.*

Title: Mother In My Dreams The first daylight appears in the hazy morning At a devotional moment I recall my mother hoping her son will return staring into the distance till her desire fatigue My mother who lives in the distance is my dearest conviction In the boundless sky thin clouds are ethereal At the moment I pray I think of my mother boiling tea on the stove staring into the distance till her eyes fatigue My mother who lives in the distance is my dearest conviction The range of mountains ah…so imposing In my heart ah…. always with a lump in my throat I hold myself together in this world bear the weight of sustenance to seek my dream in the distance *My mother who lives in the distance is my dearest conviction*

 

I understand that the Post production team had dub the original voice for some reason. So here is the clip that contains the original voice of Uudam (I understand his English  name is Michael)

 

On the broadcast version, they seems to have dubbed the song with the same song sang by another. but for the sake of the Flim Sound and Media students, i think i will post the Broadcast version so that you can compare their singing.